​Runway launches new AI image generator Frames to create movie-level visual performance

AI media technology company Runway announced the launch of its latest text-generated image model - Frames. As a company known for its AI video models, Runway’s move is intended to expand its influence in the field of image creation.

The launch of Frames has received widespread praise from users, especially for its ability to generate movie-like visual effects. The model was first announced in November 2024 and has been available to users of the Runway Creator Program in the past few weeks. It is now available to all subscribers.

Frames requires a subscription through Runway's Unlimited or Enterprise plans, which cost $95 per month, or $912 for an annual subscription, or $1,500 for the Enterprise plan. Users can generate static images through Runway's website and use them as basic materials with one click to create animations using Runway's image-to-video model.

Cristóbal Valenzuela, co-founder and CEO of Runway, said Frames is tailor-made for professional creative work and is suitable for a variety of fields including editing, art direction, pre-visualization, brand development and production. The model's cueing system is highly accurate and deep, helping users achieve more natural, detailed, and cinematic effects.

User feedback shows that Frames can not only design worlds with specific perspectives and aesthetics, but also provide a wide range of creative exploration space while maintaining stylistic consistency. The stability of Frames enables users to build a unique visual identity for their projects compared to previous, more random image generation models.

At launch, Frames comes with 19 preset visual styles for users to choose and customize, including "vivid", "high contrast", "black and white", "dream", etc., showing a wide range of creative possibilities. Frames excels in rendering capabilities for advanced textures, natural lighting, and complex compositions, giving creative professionals more flexibility.

In addition, Runway takes safety and ethical issues seriously. Frames includes powerful content moderation capabilities to prevent inappropriate use, while embedding invisible watermarks in all AI-generated content to adhere to content source standards. These watermarks trace the source of generated content and are designed to reduce the risk of misinformation and misuse.

Runway is currently facing a copyright lawsuit over whether it used the work of human artists without permission, and the related case is still pending.