Custom b-roll

A stock footage alternative: render the exact shot

Instead of scrolling a library for something close enough, describe the shot you actually need — the place, the light, the camera move — and make it. Every clip is rendered for you, with no licence to track and no watermark to remove.

B-roll

Raw render, no post-production. Click the clip for sound.

Step by step

The exact sequence to get from blank prompt box to a downloaded MP4.

  1. 1

    Write the shot list line

    Describe it the way an editor would brief a shooter: "overhead of a busy market at midday, slow drift".

  2. 2

    Match your edit

    Choose the same aspect ratio and frame rate as the project you are cutting so the clip drops in without conversion.

  3. 3

    Draft a few variations

    Quick drafts are cheap. Try three wordings, keep the one that cuts best, then render it in HD.

  4. 4

    Download and lay it under the voiceover

    Save the MP4 and place it on the b-roll track. Done, with no licence paperwork.

When a stock library falls short

Stock works until you need a very specific thing: a particular city at a particular hour, an unusual camera angle, a product category nobody has shot, or a scene with no visible branding. Then the search takes longer than the edit. Rendering the shot from a description skips the search entirely and gives you footage nobody else is using.

Briefing the shot like a shoot

Good b-roll prompts read like a shot list: subject, setting, time of day, camera move, speed. "Slow aerial pass over a coastal road at sunrise", "macro of coffee beans tumbling into a grinder", "handheld through a crowded night market, neon signage". Each one is a single shot with a single purpose.

Leave out story. B-roll is texture under a voiceover or between talking points, so what you want is mood, movement and a clear subject.

Matching the rest of the edit

Set the frame rate to match your timeline (24 for a film feel, 48 for smoother motion), the aspect ratio to match the delivery and the resolution to match the rest of your footage. A 720p render cuts cleanly into a 1080p timeline for short inserts; render at 1080p if the shot will run full-screen for several seconds.

Rights, reuse and repeat renders

Clips you render are yours to use in your projects without per-clip licence fees or attribution. Because every render is unique, you can make a dozen variations of a shot for a series and never worry about another channel using the same footage.

Sample reel: custom b-roll

Hover a clip for the shot note it was rendered from. Click for sound.

9:16

Why use this maker

The shot you briefed, not a near miss

Describe the exact place, time and move and that is what comes back.

No licence tracking

No per-clip fees, no attribution lines, no watermark. Render and use.

Places you cannot send a crew

Remote landscapes, other eras, impossible angles — all one sentence away.

Questions before you start

How does the quality compare to a stock library?
Renders are sharp at up to 1080p with natural motion. Stock footage shot on cinema cameras can still beat a render for ultra-fine detail, but for inserts, backgrounds and short b-roll the difference is rarely visible once graded.
Can I render footage with no people or logos in it?
Yes. Say "no people, no text, no signage" in the prompt and the maker will keep the frame clean.
Is the footage unique to me?
Every render is created fresh from your prompt. Nobody else receives the same file.
What frame rates are available?
Standard 24 fps and a smoother 48 fps option. Pick the one that matches your project timeline.
Who owns a custom b-roll clip I make here?
You do. Clips you render belong to you and you can use them in commercial and personal projects, subject to our terms of service. For questions about a specific use, especially one involving other people's likeness or trademarks, check with a lawyer in your region.

Ready to make one?

Sign in, spend your two starter credits on a draft, and have a finished clip downloaded before your coffee cools.

Open the maker

Other makers in the kit