Why Slowing Down Normal Video Looks Terrible
Think of a video like a paper flipbook. When you shoot at 24 frames per second, your camera draws 24 pictures for every second of real time. When you play it at normal speed, your eyes see smooth motion.
What happens when you slow that video down to 50% speed on your timeline? Your editing software now has to stretch 24 pictures across two full seconds. It displays each frame twice. The motion looks choppy, jittery, and amateur.
In the past, editors tried using tools like Optical Flow. The software tried to guess where pixels were moving between frames. Most of the time, it created weird visual glitches: warping around fingers, tearing around faces, and jelly-like backgrounds.
Runway's New Answer: 'Enhance Frame Rate' to 120 FPS
Runway released a dedicated tool called Enhance Frame Rate. Instead of basic pixel blending, it uses neural interpolation to draw brand-new, photorealistic in-between frames from scratch.
You can upload any 4K video clip up to five minutes long. The tool can boost your footage to 60 fps or 120 fps. This means you can take normal footage shot on an iPhone or standard mirrorless camera and slow it down four times without losing a single drop of smoothness.
It does not downscale your footage to 1080p. Your high-resolution textures, hair details, and skin tones stay crisp.
It supports fractional television standards like 23.98, 29.97, and 59.94 fps. This keeps your audio tracks and timecodes in perfect sync.
You pay based on the length of your input video (1 credit for every 2 seconds of source footage). Converting to 120 fps costs the exact same as converting to 60 fps.
Kling 3.0 & Motion Control: Digital Puppetry for Video
Alongside frame rate tools, Kling introduced its updated Motion Control system. If you ever tried generating AI video, you know the frustration: characters move randomly, fingers melt, and camera angles drift out of control.
Kling's Motion Control works like digital puppetry. You upload a static photo of a character or product. Then, you provide a reference video showing the exact movement you want (for example, an actor turning their head, smiling, and waving).
The AI transfers the motion path from the reference video onto your image. The character's face stays consistent, the lighting follows the movement, and the camera follows the exact pan or zoom you directed.
When to Use Frame Rate Upscaling vs. In-Camera Slow Motion
While AI interpolation is powerful, knowing when to use it saves time and avoids mistakes:
Simple 3-Step Workflow for Editors
To use 120 fps upscaling in your next project without wasting credits:
- Trim First: Never upload a full 3-minute raw clip if you only need 4 seconds of slow motion. Cut your highlight on your timeline first, then export only that 4-second section.
- Check Shutter Speed: Footage shot with a slightly faster shutter speed (like 1/100 or 1/200) converts much cleaner than footage with heavy motion blur.
- Set Your Timeline to 24 FPS: When you bring your 120 fps clip back into Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve, right-click the file, go to Clip Attributes (or Interpret Footage), and set it to 24 fps. It will immediately play back at smooth 20% slow motion.
The Practical Rule for Editors
Do not let budget limits stop you from creating cinematic video. Good lighting and steady camera movement matter far more than an expensive camera body. With modern frame upscaling, any standard shot can become a clean, elegant slow-motion sequence.
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