ALEPH by Runway Will Change How You Make VFX Forever

Runway's new in-context video model

What is ALEPH?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Runway’s new in-context model, ALEPH—a tool that promises video editing superpowers.

ALEPH is Runway’s new in-context video editing system.

It lives within the standard chat-based interface but lets you edit, transform, and generate changes to video simply by describing them in plain language.

No layers. No keyframes. No timeline scrubbing.

Just talk to the model.

Getting Started

You launch ALEPH through a standard session in Runway—click the video tab or “Chat Mode. ”

But instead of clicking through menus, you switch to chat mode and tell ALEPH what you want.

For example:

"Slowly change the hands to ice."

The results? Not bad at all. It respected the prompt and added a slick transformation in just five seconds of footage (see below).

Important note: the current limit is 5 seconds per generation, so pre-trim your clips accordingly.

What It Can Do (So Far)

Here are a few of the things I tested, with quick takes on performance:

Transforming Footage

I added a prompt to change hands into ice. ALEPH handled it well and even allowed 4K upscaling afterward.

Adding a Dragon

Prompt: "Add a fire-breathing dragon to the top left of the frame."

Result: It added the dragon… and lit the subject’s hair on fire. Not what I meant, but I didn’t specify clearly.

This one's on me.

Aging and De-Aging

Prompt: "Age the woman to 80 years old."

Result: It nailed it.

So… Is It the Game Changer?

Honestly? Yeah, it is.

Not because it’s flawless—far from it. But because it redefines what’s possible.

We’re no longer limited to just generating videos.

Now we can edit, manipulate, and transform them after the fact with a simple prompt. This unlocks new workflows and will likely spawn entirely new creative processes.

Yes, there are glitches. Yes, the 5-second cap is limiting. But this is just the beginning.

And if this is the floor—imagine the ceiling.

Be well, do good, and make awesome things.
—Gabe Michael

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About the Author

Gabe Michael is an award-winning AI filmmaker and creative technologist shaping the future of production with AI. He currently serves as VP and Executive Producer of AI at Edelman, where he consults internal and external teams, enhances production workflows and explores new creative possibilities with AI.

As an early adopter of AI technology in film, video and creative production, Gabe’s work has earned accolades for ‘Best Odyssey’ at Project Odyssey, ‘Best Character’ and ‘Best Art Direction’ at the Runway Gen:48 AI Film Competitions, leading to his entry into many creative partner programs with top AI video tools.

With extensive experience as a director and producer in the creator economy, Gabe collaborates with top film studios, brands, and digital platforms, and shares his expertise on LinkedIn, YouTube, and in classrooms at UCLA.

📍 Website: gabemichael.ai
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📷 Instagram: @gabemichael_ai
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