RunwayRunway Avatar API

Name: Runway Avatar API
Author: Runway

Generate speaking avatar videos from preset characters with natural lip-sync.

Prompt

Audio Track

Billed at this model’s published rate.

Result

Your generations will appear here

Other models from Runway

Same vendor, same API call — the differences are below.

Model	Use case	Price	Resolution	Duration	Added
Runway Aleph 2	Video → Video	from $0.308 / sec	—	—	Jun 2026
Runway Gen 4.5	Text → Video	from $0.132 / sec	—	5–10s	Feb 2026
Runway Gen4 Ref	Image → Image	No rate	—	—	Feb 2026

Install the SDK

TypeScript targets Node 20+ and ships with types; Python needs 3.10+ and is async. Over REST there is nothing to install: call https://api.picsart.com from any HTTP client.

bash

npm install @picsart/ai-sdk

Authenticate

Send your Picsart API key as a bearer token. The SDK does it for you once the client is created.

import { createClient } from '@picsart/ai-sdk';

const ai = createClient({
  apiKey: process.env.PICSART_API_KEY, // sent as: Authorization: Bearer <key>
  apiUrl: 'https://api.picsart.com',
});

python

import os

from picsart_ai_sdk import create_client

ai = create_client(
    api_key=os.environ["PICSART_API_KEY"],  # sent as: Authorization: Bearer <key>
    api_url="https://api.picsart.com",
)

Make a request

Call the model by its id. Over REST, one endpoint serves every model: POST /workflows/v1/models/execute with the model id and its input in the body. The outer params is the envelope every workflow takes; the inner one is this model's input, with the same names generate() takes.

import { createClient } from '@picsart/ai-sdk';

const ai = createClient({
  apiKey: process.env.PICSART_API_KEY,
  apiUrl: 'https://api.picsart.com',
});

const result = await ai.generate('runway-avatar-video', {
  prompt: "A serene mountain lake at golden hour, ultra detailed"
});

console.log(result.url); // video URL

python

import asyncio
import os

from picsart_ai_sdk import create_client


async def main() -> None:
    async with create_client(
        api_key=os.environ["PICSART_API_KEY"],
        api_url="https://api.picsart.com",
    ) as ai:
        result = await ai.generate("runway-avatar-video", {
            "prompt": "A serene mountain lake at golden hour, ultra detailed",
        })

        print(result.url)  # video URL


asyncio.run(main())

bash

curl -X POST 'https://api.picsart.com/workflows/v1/models/execute' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer $PICSART_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
  "params": {
    "model": "runway-avatar-video",
    "params": {
      "prompt": "A serene mountain lake at golden hour, ultra detailed"
    }
  }
}'

Async (submit & poll)

This model can run longer than the sync limit (~20s). generate() waits for you; to hold on to the job instead, submit it and poll. Over REST, send it to /workflows/v1/models/submit and poll /workflows/v1/models/{taskId}/result until response.status is COMPLETED or FAILED.

import { createClient } from '@picsart/ai-sdk';

const ai = createClient({
  apiKey: process.env.PICSART_API_KEY,
  apiUrl: 'https://api.picsart.com',
});

// Returns the generation id at once — store it to pick the job up later.
const generationId = await ai.submit('runway-avatar-video', {
  prompt: "A serene mountain lake at golden hour, ultra detailed"
});

// Polls until the job completes; throws if it fails or is cancelled.
const result = await ai.result('runway-avatar-video', generationId);

console.log(result.url); // video URL

python

import asyncio
import os

from picsart_ai_sdk import create_client


async def main() -> None:
    async with create_client(
        api_key=os.environ["PICSART_API_KEY"],
        api_url="https://api.picsart.com",
    ) as ai:
        # Returns the generation id at once — store it to pick the job up later.
        generation_id = await ai.submit("runway-avatar-video", {
            "prompt": "A serene mountain lake at golden hour, ultra detailed",
        })

        # Polls until the job completes; raises ApiError if it fails or is cancelled.
        result = await ai.result("runway-avatar-video", generation_id)

        print(result.url)  # video URL


asyncio.run(main())

bash

# 1. Submit the job
curl -X POST 'https://api.picsart.com/workflows/v1/models/submit' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer $PICSART_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
  "params": {
    "model": "runway-avatar-video",
    "params": {
      "prompt": "A serene mountain lake at golden hour, ultra detailed"
    }
  }
}'
# → { "status": "success", "response": { "id": "task_abc123" } }

# 2. Poll until response.status is COMPLETED
curl 'https://api.picsart.com/workflows/v1/models/task_abc123/result' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer $PICSART_API_KEY'

Parameters

4 parameters, the same for the SDK and for the inner params over REST. Required ones must be supplied; the rest fall back to their defaults.

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Details
`style`	`enum`	no	`game-character`	game-character, music-superstar, game-character-man, cat-character, influencer, tennis-coach, human-resource, fashion-designer, cooking-teacher
`voiceId` The voice to speak with, by id from the voices catalog.	`catalog`	no	`victoria`	options from runway/v1/catalog/voices
`prompt` What to make, in plain language: the subject, style, composition and motion. With an input image or video, what to change.	`text`	no	`—`	max 1500 chars · e.g. "Write the script your avatar will speak..."
`audioUrl` The audio to work on, as a URL.	`file (audio)`	no	`—`	—

Response

generate() resolves once the job completes. A video URL. Over REST the output is at response.result, inside the gateway's status envelope with the task id, its status and the amount charged.

json

{
  "items": [
    {
      "url": "https://cdn.picsart.com/…/result"
    }
  ],
  "model": "runway-avatar-video"
}

json

{
  "status": "success",
  "response": {
    "id": "task_abc123",
    "status": "COMPLETED",
    "result": {
      "url": "https://cdn.picsart.com/…/result",
      "items": [
        {
          "url": "https://cdn.picsart.com/…/result"
        }
      ],
      "model": "runway-avatar-video"
    }
  }
}

Overview

Alongside the unified model APIs, we expose compatibility APIs that take each vendor's original parameters exactly as the vendor defines them — nothing renamed, nothing reshaped on the way through.

That makes them the shortest path onto Picsart if you already work with the vendor directly: the request bodies you've already written keep working as they are. You keep their parameter names and defaults, and you get the vendor's full parameter set rather than the subset that is shared across every model.

The cost is that a request is written for one vendor — switching models later means rewriting it, and results come back in the vendor's own shape. When you'd rather write once and change models freely, use the unified API.

Make a request

Call the workflow with ai.apis.run() in TypeScript or Python, or hit /workflows/{workflow}/execute directly — params is passed through untouched either way.

These endpoints are addressed by workflow name rather than model id: the one in this model's header, since one model runs as one workflow. Authentication is unchanged — your Picsart API key as a bearer token (see Authentication).

import { createClient, ApiRunMode } from '@picsart/ai-sdk';

const ai = createClient({
  apiKey: process.env.PICSART_API_KEY,
  apiUrl: 'https://api.picsart.com',
});

// Calls the 'runway/avatar/video' workflow directly — params are sent as-is.
const { result, usage } = await ai.apis.run('runway/avatar/video', {
  avatarType: "runway-preset",
  speechType: "text",
  text: "Hello, welcome to our product demo."
}, {
  mode: ApiRunMode.SYNC,
});

console.log(result); // workflow-specific output
console.log(usage?.credits); // amount charged, in $

python

import asyncio
import os

from picsart_ai_sdk import ApiRunMode, create_client


async def main() -> None:
    async with create_client(
        api_key=os.environ["PICSART_API_KEY"],
        api_url="https://api.picsart.com",
    ) as ai:
        # Calls the 'runway/avatar/video' workflow directly — params are sent as-is.
        response = await ai.apis.run("runway/avatar/video", {
            "avatarType": "runway-preset",
            "speechType": "text",
            "text": "Hello, welcome to our product demo.",
        }, mode=ApiRunMode.SYNC)

        print(response["result"])  # workflow-specific output
        print((response.get("usage") or {}).get("credits"))  # amount charged, in $


asyncio.run(main())

bash

curl -X POST 'https://api.picsart.com/workflows/runway/avatar/video/execute' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer $PICSART_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
  "params": {
    "avatarType": "runway-preset",
    "speechType": "text",
    "text": "Hello, welcome to our product demo."
  }
}'

Async (submit & poll)

This model can run longer than the sync limit (~20s). In the SDK, ai.apis.run() with ApiRunMode.ASYNC polls for you; over HTTP, submit and poll yourself.

import { createClient, ApiRunMode } from '@picsart/ai-sdk';

const ai = createClient({
  apiKey: process.env.PICSART_API_KEY,
  apiUrl: 'https://api.picsart.com',
});

// mode: ASYNC submits the job and polls under the hood — you just await.
const { result } = await ai.apis.run('runway/avatar/video', {
  avatarType: "runway-preset",
  speechType: "text",
  text: "Hello, welcome to our product demo."
}, {
  mode: ApiRunMode.ASYNC,
});

console.log(result);

python

import asyncio
import os

from picsart_ai_sdk import ApiRunMode, create_client


async def main() -> None:
    async with create_client(
        api_key=os.environ["PICSART_API_KEY"],
        api_url="https://api.picsart.com",
    ) as ai:
        # mode=ASYNC submits the job and polls under the hood — you just await.
        response = await ai.apis.run("runway/avatar/video", {
            "avatarType": "runway-preset",
            "speechType": "text",
            "text": "Hello, welcome to our product demo.",
        }, mode=ApiRunMode.ASYNC)

        print(response["result"])


asyncio.run(main())

bash

# 1. Submit the job
curl -X POST 'https://api.picsart.com/workflows/runway/avatar/video/submit' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer $PICSART_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
  "params": {
    "avatarType": "runway-preset",
    "speechType": "text",
    "text": "Hello, welcome to our product demo."
  }
}'
# → { "status": "success", "response": { "id": "wf_abc123" } }

# 2. Poll until response.status is COMPLETED
curl 'https://api.picsart.com/workflows/runway/avatar/video/wf_abc123/result' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer $PICSART_API_KEY'

Parameters

8 parameters, sent inside params. These are the vendor's own names, so they line up one-for-one with the vendor's documentation. Required ones must be supplied; the rest fall back to their defaults.

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Details
`avatarType` Avatar type: "runway-preset" or "custom"	`string`	yes	`—`	`runway-presetcustom`
`presetId` Preset avatar ID. Required when avatarType is "runway-preset".	`string`	no	`—`	`game-charactermusic-superstargame-character-mancat-characterinfluencertennis-coachhuman-resourcefashion-designercooking-teacher`
`avatarId` Custom avatar ID. Required when avatarType is "custom".	`string`	no	`—`	—
`speechType` Speech input type: "text" or "audio"	`string`	yes	`—`	`textaudio`
`text` Text for the avatar to speak. Required when speechType is "text".	`string`	no	`—`	—
`audio` HTTPS URL to audio file. Required when speechType is "audio".	`string`	no	`—`	—
`voice` Voice config. Optional, only for speechType "text".	`object`	no	`—`	—
└`type` Voice type	`string`	yes	`—`	`presetcustom`
└`presetId` Preset voice ID	`string`	no	`—`	`victoriavincentclaradrewskyemaxmorganfelixmiamarcussummerrubyaurorajasperleoadrianninaemmablakedavidmayanathansamgeorgiapetraadamzachvioletromanluna`
└`id` Custom voice ID	`string`	no	`—`	—
`options` Options controlling safety checks and drive integration	`object`	no	`—`	—
└`safety_checks` Safety check settings	`object`	no	`—`	—
└`enabled` Whether to run content moderation. Defaults to true.	`boolean`	no	`—`	—
└`drive` Save result to Picsart Drive	`object`	no	`—`	—
└`name` File name in Picsart Drive	`string`	yes	`—`	—
└`attributes` Custom attributes to attach to the file	`object`	no	`—`	—
└`folder` Target folder in Picsart Drive	`object`	no	`—`	—
└`inputs_transformation` Input transformation settings	`object`	no	`—`	—
└`downscale_oversized_images` Whether to downscale oversized input images. Defaults to false.	`boolean`	no	`—`	—

Response

Over HTTP the output arrives inside a status envelope, at response.result. ai.apis.run() unwraps that envelope for you and resolves to { result, usage } instead. Either way the result itself is the vendor's own shape.

json

{
  "result": {
    "url": "https://cdn.picsart.com/…/result.mp4",
    "mimeType": "video/mp4",
    "driveFile": {
      "id": "wf_abc123"
    }
  }
}

json

{
  "status": "success",
  "response": {
    "id": "wf_abc123",
    "status": "COMPLETED",
    "result": {
      "url": "https://cdn.picsart.com/…/result.mp4",
      "mimeType": "video/mp4",
      "driveFile": {
        "id": "wf_abc123"
      }
    }
  }
}

RunwayRunway Avatar API

Params

Result

Other models from Runway

Install the SDK

Authenticate

Make a request

Async (submit & poll)

Parameters

Response

Overview

Make a request

Async (submit & poll)

Parameters

Response

Rates