Using the AI Program Runway
to Generate Video Clips,
and Canva to Organize These Clips into a Video

Written by Lauren Molloy on 30 January 2024

Quick little intro...

I am still learning Canva and its numerous amazing facets, but you can't learn without doing the thing, so today I tried my hand at creating a short video with audio and transitions on Canva. And to really mix things up, instead of just finding stock video clips online and combining them, I decided to generate 'my own' video clips using the AI program Runway that I just discovered. Thinking "oh yeah, two birds with one stone," I set out on this journey. 

Isn't a Runway something for models or planes?

Yes, but in this context, Runway is an AI video generative program that allows the user to create video clips of 4-8 seconds in length by giving the program a written prompt of up to 360 characters. In addition, Runway also gives you the option to upload an image to be used alone or alongside text to input as a prompt. It is similar in concept to the program Pika, which I test drove a couple weeks ago.  If you're interested in seeing what I generated using Pika, it can be found here. 

Here are some of the things I generated with Runway

I decided to stick with a general kind of theme to start with to get a feel for what the program could do. 

Behold, here we have Pufferfish 3 ways:

        

Ocean octopus vs Land Octopus?

       

Some other strange ocean creatures:

    

Combining Runway clips with Canva video editing 

I uploaded some of the clips that were generated into Canva, then edited them together to create a longer video. I sourced some free creepy music online to add to the clip to really set off the weird vibes, and added some transitions to make the viewing experience smoother. 

Below is the final product. Going into it, just know... it's weird. 

Runway vs Pika

Both programs are relatively new; Runway Gen-2 (which was used in this case) launched around summer 2023, and Pika launched November 2023. On both basic versions they take about the same length of time to generate your clip. However, while both initially free, there are of course upgrades with both if you intend to use either program frequently. Below is a breakdown:

In Runway, you get 125 seconds of generation for free. A standard clip is 4 seconds, which means you can create up to 31 standard clips. Once you have generated a clip you have the option to extend it to an 8 second clip which may give a bit more action, but for each clip you expand, 4 additional seconds are used. Unfortunately, when you run out of credits you cannot buy more. Your only option would then be to buy a monthly subscription, which ranges from $12 (USD) - $76 per month. 

 With Pika each 3 second generation costs 10 credits. You get 30 credits free per day after the initial set up, so 3 images per day maximum with the basic/free plan. There are monthly subscription options with Pika also, ranging from $10 (USD) - $70. So they are comparably priced, it just depends on your usage requirements. 

 

After using both programs, I found that the quality of video generations from Runway seems to be of a higher quality overall than Pika. Although it could entirely be down to my chosen prompts, I am definitely no expert when it comes to AI generation, but I will admit it is quite entertaining to see what the program can help you create. That being said, it would be pretty interesting to do a comparison using the same prompts side by side in both programs and seeing the direct comparison. That will be a topic for another post soon, I think.

In Conclusion

As a new subscriber you get free credits with both programs,
so why not try them both and decide for yourself?
And while you're at it, give Canva a go if you're feeling creative.

Try Runway here.

Try Pika here.

Try Canva here.