We're on the Runway! Video-based Generative AI comes to Mobile! The Daily Dose of Digital - 26/04/23

Runway, an artificial intelligence startup who's motto is "Everything you need to make anything you want", has launched a mobile app for iOS that allows users to easily create and edit videos using generative AI technology. And let me tell you now, in it's initial phase it's a bit creepy! (Read on for my first attempt at a claymation creation aka monstrosity!)

The Runway app features a user-friendly interface that enables users to upload video clips and apply various AI-powered effects to create unique and creative videos. It's in a very early phase at the moment, with video to video it's main available process, but there will also be text to image, text to video, image to image, image to video and much more.

The app is based on the same technology that powers the company's web-based AI platform, which has been used by creatives, artists, and designers to produce a variety of content such as images, animations, and music. Runway's new mobile app is aimed at providing a more accessible and user-friendly way for people to use generative AI technology and create visually stunning videos.

The app includes a variety of AI-powered effects that can be applied to video clips in real-time. Users can apply effects such as style transfer, colorisation, and object removal to their videos with just a few taps. The app also features a "remix" function that allows users to combine different effects and create unique and personalised video styles.

Meta?and?Google?have both also launched text-to-video generators, which are called Make-A-Video and Imagen, respectively.

Jumping on an AI bandwagon quickly is my forte at the moment, so I downloaded the app whilst on my commute to work at 6.46 this morning and had a very initial attempt at creating something. Well, the output is nothing short of disturbing, but that may be down to the subject matter! Check it out:

In addition to its creative features, the app also includes practical editing tools such as trimming, splitting, and merging videos, as well as adding music and text overlays. The app's intuitive interface makes it easy for anyone to create professional-looking videos without any prior video editing experience.

Runway's mobile app is available for free on the App Store, but users can also choose to subscribe to a premium version that includes additional AI effects and editing tools. The company plans to add new AI-powered effects and features to the app over time, making it an even more powerful tool for content creators and video enthusiasts.

The launch of Runway's mobile app highlights the increasing accessibility and democratisation of AI technology. With the app's user-friendly interface and AI-powered effects, anyone can create visually stunning videos without needing specialised skills or equipment.

Obviously I am a cheapskate and have been testing the free version where there’s a limit of 525 credits. On the free plan, you can also only upload videos that are five seconds long. Each second of a video uses 14 credits.

In the future, Runway plans to add support for longer videos, co-founder and CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela told TechCrunch. The app will continue to improve and launch new features, he added.

“We’re focused on improving efficiency, quality and control. In the coming weeks and months, you’ll see all kinds of updates, from longer outputs to higher-quality videos,” Valenzuela said.

The app is not only a tool for personal creativity but can also be used by businesses and brands to create engaging and unique video content for their audiences. With the increasing importance of video content in marketing and advertising, Runway's mobile app provides an innovative and accessible way for brands to stand out and connect with their audiences.

So far, general consensus suggests Runway's mobile app is a strong testament to the potential of AI technology to revolutionise content creation and make it more accessible and user-friendly - I am looking forwards to seeing the further development.

Have you tried the app yet? Let me know in the comments.