Image courtesy of Analytics Vidhya

In a world where creativity meets machine learning, artificial intelligence has taken a bold leap from concept to cinematic reality. In this captivating example, an adorable baby Sumatran tiger cub — playfully rolling and chasing butterflies in an enchanted forest — was created entirely with AI. No camera. No film crew. Just one photo and the powerful tools of AI video generation.

The Rise of AI-Generated Fantasy

Artificial Intelligence is no longer just a buzzword in Silicon Valley or data science labs. It’s now a creative ally — helping artists, filmmakers, designers, and even casual users turn static images into full-blown visual experiences. Thanks to cutting-edge platforms like Runway ML, generating cinematic content has never been more accessible.

In this recent creation, a single still image of a baby Sumatran tiger was transformed into a 30-second animated fantasy video, where the cub playfully interacts with a butterfly under glowing sunlight in a moss-covered magical forest.

RunwayML is a creative AI platform that allows users to generate, edit, and animate visual content using cutting-edge machine learning models. It’s especially popular among filmmakers, digital artists, content creators, and designers for its user-friendly interface and powerful text-to-video and image-to-video tools.

Founded: 2018. Headquarters: New York City. Main Product: Generative AI for video. Website: runwayml.com  Founders: Cristóbal Valenzuela, Anastasis Germanidis, Alejandro Matamala

Cristóbal Valenzuela

Role: Co-founder & CEO of RunwayML
 Background: Cristóbal is a Chilean technologist, designer, and entrepreneur. He holds a Master’s degree from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) at the Tisch School of the Arts, a renowned program that blends creativity, technology, and design. Prior to Runway, he worked on machine learning, computational creativity, and developer tools — focusing on how non-technical users could interact with ML models.

Vision & Contributions: Believes in democratizing AI for artists and storytellers. Co-founded RunwayML in 2018 to make advanced AI tools accessible to creators without coding. Under his leadership, RunwayML became one of the first platforms to offer text-to-video generation with an intuitive UI, leading the charge with Gen‑1, Gen‑2, and now Gen‑4.

Public Presence: Frequently speaks at events like SXSW, AI/Art conferences, and creative tech panels. Featured in The Verge, Wired, and Forbes for his work at the intersection of AI and art.

Anastasis Germanidis

Role: Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
 Background: Originally from Greece, Anastasis is an engineer, researcher, and artist with a deep focus on machine learning, privacy, and interactivity. Also an alumnus of NYU ITP, where he collaborated with Cristóbal and Alejandro on early generative tech and creative tools.

Vision & Contributions: Leads the technical direction of Runway’s AI models and infrastructure. Focuses on real-time AI inference, creative pipelines, and building tools like Gen-1, Gen-2, and Gen‑4. Has worked on experimental projects that explore digital identity, surveillance, and creative autonomy.

Notable Projects Before Runway: Created “Do Not Draw a Penis” — a satirical project exploring censorship and AI. Developed custom models for real-time artistic expression, including AI filters, GAN-based interfaces, and interactive installations.

Alejandro Matamala

Role: Co-founder & Chief Design Officer (CDO)
 Background: Hails from Chile and has a background in visual design, product development, and UI/UX. Also studied at NYU ITP, where his work bridged digital interfaces, motion design, and creative tech.

Vision & Contributions: Leads Runway’s design language, ensuring tools are not only powerful but also intuitive and beautiful to use. Advocates for design accessibility — Runway’s interface allows artists, filmmakers, and marketers to engage with complex AI without needing technical backgrounds. Responsible for the distinctive Runway visual identity, branding, and UX that has made the product widely adopted by creators.

Shared Philosophy of the Founders

The three co-founders share a clear mission: “To bring the power of artificial intelligence to creative workflows — not just for developers, but for artists, filmmakers, designers, and storytellers around the world.”

Their backgrounds in art, design, and technology gave them a unique lens through which to build RunwayML: an AI platform made by creatives, for creatives.

Gen-2: Text/Photo to Video AI

Runway Gen-2 is the platform’s flagship tool. It allows users to: Generate videos from text prompts (text-to-video). Animate still images (image-to-video). Stylize existing videos. Control camera motion (pan, zoom, tilt). Extend scenes with consistent visual style. Gen-2 is currently one of the most advanced commercially available video generation tools.

RunwayML supports: Text-to-video. Image-to-video. Video editing with AI (green screen, inpainting, motion tracking). Style transfer and video enhancement. Users can combine traditional video editing with AI-powered tools to enhance or completely transform footage.

Runway is designed for creatives — you don’t need to code to use it. You simply: Type a prompt or upload an image. Select motion/style options. Click generate and wait for AI output

Runway integrates with tools like: Adobe Premiere Pro. Figma. Notion. Slack. Discord. Making it a good fit for creative teams and studios.

Pricing

·       Free Plan: Limited generations in standard resolution

·       Paid Plans: Start from ~$12/month, offering more generations, HD export, and commercial usage rights

Use Cases: TikTok/Instagram Reels. Short films and trailers. Concept visualizations. Storyboards and animatics. Music videos. Fantasy content creation. Marketing content for brands

RunwayML has been featured in: Forbes, Wired, The Verge, TechCrunch, Fast Company. Used by artists and agencies at Cannes, SXSW, and for Netflix-style trailers generated by AI

A user uploaded a single portrait photo of a character and turned it into a 10-second cinematic scene using Runway’s Gen-2. The result looked like a professionally animated movie trailer — all without touching traditional animation software.

The project used Runway ML's Gen-2 model, a generative video platform that allows users to: Upload a photo or describe a scene in text. Add cinematic motion prompts. Render video segments in seconds

With just one image and a motion prompt — “A baby Sumatran tiger cub playfully rolling on moss while chasing a butterfly, in a glowing fantasy forest” — the system created a 4–16 second clip that was later looped into a longer 30-second Instagram-ready reel.

Runway Gen‑4 is the latest AI model released by Runway as of March 31, 2025, designed specifically for image-to-video generation with a strong emphasis on consistency and precision. 

World & Character Consistency. Maintain the same character, object, or environment across multiple frames or scenes using just one reference image — no re-training needed.

Consistent Objects & Subjects. Your subjects stay visually coherent as scenes change — ideal for narrative storytelling or product visuals.

Multi-Angle & Camera Control. Specify different perspectives within the same scene, and Gen‑4 will generate consistent shots with proper motion and depth.

Realistic Motion & Physics. The model understands real-world dynamics — motion looks fluid, physical interactions feel natural.

Production‑Ready Quality. Higher fidelity, strong adherence to prompts, and suitable for hybrid workflows combining AI with live-action/VFX. 

How to Use Gen‑4 (Image-to-Video Workflow)

·       Inputs: Requires a reference image + motion prompt

·       Durations: Supports 5 or 10‑second clips.

·       Model Options: Gen‑4 Turbo: Faster builds, lower cost (5 credits/sec). Full Gen‑4: Higher realism (12 credits/sec). 

·       Resolutions Available: 720p to 1584×672 (landscape, portrait, square)

·       Frame Rate: 24 fps.

·       Editing Features: Upscale to 4K, seed control, chaining into other Runway tools like Gen‑3 and lip-sync. 

How Gen‑4 Advances AI Video:  Builds on Gen‑3 Alpha but significantly improves coherence, prompt alignment, and world consistency. Moves AI video from standalone clips to story-worthy sequences, unlocking potential for narrative, marketing, and VFX workflows. 

The Verge: Highlights Gen‑4’s ability to maintain consistent characters and scenes across shots — a major leap forward. Analytics India Magazine: Notes Gen‑4 brings fidelity, realism, and controllability above Gen‑3 Alpha. 

Gen‑4 Image API: Available since May 16, 2025, enabling developers to integrate Gen‑4 for image generation with reference consistency via API — priced at ~$0.08 per image runwayml.com.

Runway Gen‑4 sets a new standard in generative video AI: Stable characters and environments across scenes. Cinematic motion with physical realism. Seamless integration with VFX and live footage. Available now for paid & enterprise users, and via API for image workflows.

Gen‑2 is Best For: Stylized experimental visuals. Reels, TikTok clips with surreal effects. Art videos and fantasy shorts. Non-linear or music-driven animations. Great for fast, abstract, experimental visuals — not always consistent.

Gen‑4 is Best For: Character-driven storytelling. Product marketing videos (with visual continuity). Wildlife scenes (like the baby tiger cub) with camera realism. Branded, polished content for social or commercial use. Cinematic, coherent, and ready for professional storytelling — perfect for keeping subjects intact and scenes believable.

Where Lifestyle Meets Technology

This is a perfect example of how tech is becoming lifestyle. We are no longer just consuming content. We’re co-creating it — with algorithms trained on thousands of images, scenes, and styles. What used to require a full animation team can now be achieved with just a prompt and a bit of creative direction.

AI tools like Runway ML, Kaiber, Pika, and Sora (by OpenAI) are now democratizing content creation for: Social media influencers building reels and TikToks. Digital artists blending real and fantasy worlds. Eco-storytellers creating awareness through engaging visuals. Brands seeking unique marketing content with minimal cost

With text-to-video models improving at lightning speed, we can expect: Longer, narrative-driven AI films. Interactive video storytelling. AI-generated influencers and wildlife content. Personalized fantasy worlds generated in seconds

And it’s not just for professionals. With platforms like Runway ML offering free and paid access, anyone can join the movement.