Runway AI launches Aleph, AI Video Editing Tool to Foster Creativity

Aleph set to disrupt the post production video editing with all the new features introduced

After launching Runway Gen-4 model for consistent video generation, Runway has taken a leap forward with the launch of innovative and creative video editing tool Aleph. Described as a “state-of-the-art in-context video model,” its capabilities include generating new video content and performing a variety of edits on existing video. Its part of Runway’s suite of tools (alongside models like Gen-4, Act-Two, etc.) aimed at both creative professionals and those experimenting with video / visual media.

Core Capabilities and Features

Runway Aleph can do many of the following, often through natural language prompts (i.e. you describe what you want done) and/or reference images/videos:

1. Add, Remove, or Transform Objects
   You can remove unwanted items (e.g. an object, reflection) from the video, or insert new objects; also transform existing ones (change their appearance, color, style, etc.).
2. Generate Any Angle of a Scene / Novel Camera Angles
   From existing video material, Aleph can synthesize new views—e.g. reverse shots, low or high angle shots, alternate perspectives of the same scene. This helps expand coverage without re-shooting.
3. Modify Style, Lighting, Environment, Mood
   Changing lighting, style aesthetic, atmosphere is possible. For example, relighting a scene (e.g. move from harsh daylight to golden hour), altering styles (cinematic, artistic) etc.
4. Seamless Editing / Scene Consistency Across Frames
   Ensuring that edits don’t break visual continuity is central: preserving details like shadows, reflections, object appearance so that things don’t “jump” or look inconsistent between frames.
5. Support for Editing Existing Footage
   It’s not only about generating new content; Aleph is heavily about manipulating what you already have (video clips) and enhancing them.
6. Natural Language Prompting
   Many edits are done via describing what you want (text prompts). E.g. “remove the tree”, “change the lighting to golden hour”, etc. This lowers the barrier for non-technical users and fosters creativity in the art and advertisement domains.

Aleph Applications and Use Cases

From what Runway and observers suggest, the tool is useful for:

• Filmmakers and video content creators who want to speed up post-production or reduce need for complex VFX pipelines.
• Marketers and agencies producing video ads / campaigns (especially when variations are needed: different styles, angles, etc.).
• Visual storytellers / designers who want to experiment with visual styles, look development, mood-boards, etc.
• Anyone needing to refine existing footage: cleaning up shots, altering environment, etc.

Availability and Access

• Aleph was announced July 25, 2025. Runway
• It is available to all paid users of Runway. Runway
• Early access / enterprise / creative partner rollouts are emphasized; broader availability is planned.

How Alpeh is Reducing the Edit/ Retake Efforts

With my creator / entrepreneurial hat on, I see these problems being addressed:

• Time & Cost Savings: Instead of hiring specialists for object removal, VFX, lighting setup or re-shoots, some tasks can be done via AI prompts.
• Creative Flexibility: Changing angles or style late in post production without needing to reshoot.
• Iteration: Ability to try multiple looks/styles/edits quickly for marketing or storytelling.
• Democratization: More people (with less technical or high-budget resources) can do more ambitious video work.

Comparison: Runway Aleph vs Sora & Others

Here are side-by-side comparisons in key dimensions that matter in practice.

Dimension	Runway Aleph	OpenAI Sora	Strengths of Aleph vs Sora	Where Sora may have edge
Editing existing footage vs generating new	Strong: editing & transforming input video (objects, angles, lighting).	Mostly generating new content (text-to-video); less focused on detailed editing of existing video.	Aleph is much better where you have video already and want to refine, change, correct etc. This can reduce production cost/time.	If you want to generate entirely new creative content (concepts, wholly invented scenes), Sora is more direct.
Control & precision (lighting, shadows, object consistency, scene continuity)	High: runs with control via prompts, style transfer, lighting, color, inpainting etc. Aim to preserve visual coherence.	More limited; possible artifacts, less guarantee of consistency across shots, less control over small details especially in user-level access.	Aleph gives more granular control when editing.	For large scale concept generation Sora may produce more variety and possibly more novel visuals.
Camera Angles / New Views	Yes: can generate new angles/viewpoints from existing video. Also “next shot” predictions.	Some claims Sora can generate different angles (e.g. seen in demos), but less clear how well for editing/reconstructing existing scene angles.	Aleph’s angle generation from real video is a strong differentiator.	Sora’s novelty might produce angles from prompt but control may be less reliable.
Prompt expressiveness / usability	Very good: mix of applying prompt to video, chat mode, examples. Prompts like lighting, style, object manipulation.	Strong: text-to-video prompt generation is Sora’s core. Users are already using prompt features to generate complex scene descriptions.	Aleph gives prompt control but within context of editing; possibly less freedom to imagine wholly alien scenes.	If user wants from-scratch generation, Sora may be more flexible.
Limitations (duration/resolution/source constraints)	Best on short clips (~5s); resolution constraints; video cropping; trimming required.	Similar constraints: resolution, video length limited depending on plan; plus artifacts etc.	Aleph’s constraints are well documented; may produce higher fidelity in short editing tasks.	For long-form video generation Sora might be more suited (though still with limitations).
Cost / Access	Paid users of Runway; compute cost likely significant for complex edits.	Subscription tiers for ChatGPT Plus / Pro etc; higher tiers likely needed for high quality.	If one already has a Runway subscription and video content, Aleph might give more ROI in editing/iterations.	Sora’s access for generation might be easier for people already using OpenAI ecosystem.

Comparison with DALL·E

One of the most popular video generation tool DALL·E doesn’t directly compete in video generation or editing, it plays a role:

• For storyboarding, concept visuals, idea exploration: DALL·E is excellent. You can generate images, mood boards, color palettes, character designs etc.
• But when it comes to motion, temporal coherence, editing existing video, DALL·E is not designed. You need to use video tools like Runway, Sora, Veo etc.

So for full video work, DALL·E is complementary rather than substitute.

Which Tool for Which Use-Case

• Use Aleph if you have existing footage that you want to polish, update, refine: change lighting, remove or add objects, change perspective, expand some scenes, adjust style. Particularly strong where re-shooting is expensive or time is constrained. Good for advertisement edits, post-production, fine tuning video.
• Use Sora if you want to generate new video content from scratch, explore ideas, prototype scenes, or you need content where you don’t have source video. Good for concept generation, creative ideation, or when the video will be short.
• Use other tools (DALL·E, Veo, etc.) for supporting work: concept art, storyboard, image style references, or for simpler video generation when resolution/time & resources are limited.
• Hybrid workflows make sense: e.g. generate scene or character with Sora or Veo, then import or integrate with real video using Runway Aleph to adjust lighting, continuity, etc.

Aleph represents a step beyond earlier video generation tools which mostly did from scratch generation or limited manipulations. Aleph emphasizes editing existing video which is more immediately useful in many workflows. The combination of multiple abilities (angle generation, object manipulation, style changes, relighting etc.) under a single “in-context” model may reduce fragmentation and speed up production. For industries like advertising, film, social content, needing many variations, this kind of tool can scale creativity.

For More Information: please visit https://runwayml.com/