How clear direction — through words and in combination with reference images — become the images you picture.

In this lesson, you’ll:

Learn how to write clear prompts that get the image you want
Learn how reference images are a powerful tool for generating images
Explore Apps and learn which fit specific image tasks

A prompt is clear direction

A clear text prompt closes that gap from getting your idea out of your head and generated into an image.

If you’ve ever described an image to a colleague, you already know the heart of prompting. The one difference with a model is context: a team member shares your goals, while the model knows the world but not your project.

Writing a clear prompts

Prompting is a creative process, and there's many different approaches you can take to get the result you're looking for; when you're starting out, keep in mind the following best practices

Clarity comes from precision, not length — “Campers” says more than “adventurers” in the same breath.
Say what you want to see —Describe the result you’re after — outcome-focused wording is followed most closely.
Answer these core questions —Who’s the subject, what are they doing, where, and how does it look? That usually fits in one sentence.
The best generations come from a few passes — Images are the most economical place to explore, so this is where to find your idea before taking it further.

Make your first image from text

Let’s put this into practice. Follow these steps to make an image from a text prompt:

In the left sidebar, open Custom and choose Image at the top.
Write one simple sentence describes the image you have in mind.
Select Generate.

If you're not sure what to create, use the prompt below and try generating an image.


Prompt: a woman in chrome sunglasses crossing a neon-lit street at night

If you want to continue revising, change or add a detail to your prompt, and generate again to see how your words steer the result.

Remember: starting with lots of detail may reduce the total steps in your generation process, but can be more challenging to iterate.

Useful tools: Enhance prompt & Describe image

At the bottom of the prompt window, Enhance prompt button expands your wording with extra detail — a helpful way to see how a fuller prompt reads. Use the result as a starting draft to refine toward what you have in mind.

And if you like an image but aren't sure how to describe it, Describe image turns it into a detailed prompt you can build on or borrow elements from.

Using reference images to get your idea across

A reference — a photo or an earlier generation — anchors your result to something that already exists, so you can show Runway your intent instead of spelling it out. This is image to image generation and is an incredibly powerful tool when generating in Runway.

How to add a reference image

To use one a reference image:

In the left sidebar, open Custom and choose Image at the top. Keep in mind that references can also be used when you're working with Apps, Agent, or Workflows.
drag an image into the prompt window — or pick one from your assets — and Runway labels it Image 1.
Type @ to insert it into your prompt and say how Runway should use it.

Below are just a few examples of how you can use references to generate images.

Subject

Stage actors and products

Bring a specific person, product, or object a generated image.

Reference images	Generated image

Prompt: Take @Image 1 wearing @Image 2 playing old upright piano in a dim lit speakeasy

Style

Apply an art style

Take an art style and apply it to a new subject.

Reference image	Generated image

Prompt: Take the art style of @Image 1 and create the pyramids

Color & lighting

Match the color tones

Pull the color palette and lighting from a reference and apply it to your generation.

Reference images	Generated image

Prompt: Apply the color and lighting of @Image 2 to @Image 1

Creative uses

Stylizing text

Use two reference images to transform text presentation styles. Include one image showing your desired handwritten or typographic style and another containing the text content you want to modify.

Reference images	Generated image

Prompt: Respect the composition and draw @img_1 with the material of @img_2

References without prompt directions

When you don't specify in your prompt how to use reference images, how they're used is open creative interpretation. Here, four reference images and a one-line prompt let Runway decide how to arrange them.

Reference images	Generated image

Prompt: Stage the living room

Saving references

You may have a reference image — a brand logo, character, or setting — that you'll use across many generation session. By default, uploaded references are temporary, but you can save a reference you'll reuse often, and it'll be available across your sessions without needing to be re-uploaded.

Hover over the uploaded reference.
Click the Reference details icon in the top right of the reference thumbnail.
Enter a name and press ENTER.

How many references should I use?

References give you a lot of control, and a focused prompt idea keeps it that way. Picture asking a collaborator to "use the color tones from one image" versus handing them ten images at once — “the lighting from this, the expression from that, the camera angle from this, etc.”

A clear references guide the generation result; many references can invite complexity, room for interpretation, and surprises.

Reach for an App when the job is specific

When you know the exact outcome you want, an App handles it from a couple of inputs. Select a category and see what’s apps are available for image generation.

Make something new

Scene Builder — Plan a multi-shot scene shot by shot, locking the look before you bring it to life.
Ad Concepter — Explore fresh ad concepts from a simple prompt and a product shot.
Create Ad — Generate brand-new ads for your product or campaign from scratch.
Slide Maker — Describe a slide and get a finished, on-brand design back.
Mockup — See your design in context, placed on real-world products and environments.
Cinematic Brainstorm — Upload one image and get nine cinematic directions to explore.
Character Renderer — Turn a sketch or 2D concept into a polished 3D character render.
Story Panels — Expand a single image into a fuller world and story, panel by panel.
Costume Designer — Iterate quickly on costume looks for a role, genre, or theme.

Refine or transform

Product Reshoot — Restage an existing product photo with a new setting, lighting, or angle — no reshoot needed.
Vary Ad — Remix an existing ad: swap the headline, change the product, or try a new palette.
Ad Localization — Adapt a finished ad for another market, translating the text while keeping the layout.
Expand Image — Extend an image's canvas to a new aspect ratio, filling in beyond the original frame.
Stylize Image — Reinterpret an existing image in a different artistic style.
Vary Image — Change specific elements of an image while keeping the rest intact.
Runway Look — Give an existing photo a polished, cinematic color and tone.
Upscale Image — Increase an image's resolution up to crisp 4K for delivery.
Panel Upscaler — Upscale every individual image within a story panel at once.

Browse all Apps in Runway →

Up next

Creating videos — Animate a still into motion, direct it with keyframes and references, and reshape footage with video-to-video.

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