Use case
B-roll for Instagram Reels: how to add it, by hand or automatically
You can add b-roll to a Reel by hand in CapCut, or let Cutroom add it. Cutroom plays a clip each time you mention something it can show, and adds captions, in about a minute.
In short
- B-roll for a Reel is short clips of what you talk about, played over your video. You add it by hand in CapCut, or Cutroom adds it for you.
- The best b-roll for a Reel shows your product close up, your product in use, or the place you work.
- Cutroom takes one Reel of you talking, up to 3 minutes, and gives back a finished 1080 by 1920 Reel.
- Cutroom uses your own clips first, then picks from millions of free Pexels and Pixabay clips.
- Your first video is free. After that, Lite is $19.99 a month.
- what comes back, at 1080 by 1920
- 9:16
- the longest video you can upload
- 3 min
- roughly how long the edit takes
- 1 min
What b-roll to use in a Reel
B-roll should show what you are talking about. For a Reel about your business, that is usually your product or your work.
- Your product close up, so people can see what it is.
- Your product in use, in a real kitchen, car, gym or workshop.
- A before and after, when your product changes something you can see.
- The place you work, like your shop, studio or warehouse.
- Free stock clips of places and actions, for the things you never filmed.
How to add b-roll to a Reel by hand
You can add b-roll yourself in a free editor like CapCut, with clips from your camera roll, Pexels or Pixabay.
- Pexels and Pixabay clips are free to use, and neither site asks you to credit it.
- CapCut also has a built-in stock library. On a computer, you click Import, then Stock materials.
Adding b-roll to a Reel in CapCut on a phone
The Overlay steps as CapCut describes them on capcut.com, checked 21 September 2026.
Find a clip
Your camera roll, Pexels or Pixabay
Open your Reel in CapCut
Tap Overlay, pick the clip, tap Add overlay
Trim it so it plays while you talk about it
Repeat for every clip, then export
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
What Cutroom does to your Reel
You upload a Reel of yourself talking. About a minute later you get it back edited.
- Cutroom plays a clip each time you mention something it can show, like a place, a product or an action.
- Captions are timed to your voice and are part of the picture.
- On Punch and Native, the ums and uhs that show up in your transcript are removed and the long pauses between your words are shortened.
- Transitions are added between shots. Flow, Punch and Native add short sound effects where the picture changes; Straight cut adds none.
- Music is off at first, so the first thing you hear is your own voice. One tap turns it on.
- The video comes back at 1080 by 1920, so there is nothing to resize or crop.
Where a finished Reel ends up
It comes back at 1080 by 1920, the size Instagram Reels use.
Where the b-roll goes
Cutroom writes out what you said, then plays each clip while you talk about what it shows.
- If you say "our warehouse in New York", a warehouse clip plays during those five words.
- The clip starts when you start saying the words and stops when you stop.
- To move a clip, you drag it onto other words. There is no timeline.
A warehouse clip plays while you say "our warehouse in New York"
Drag the clip onto other words and it plays there instead.
Using your own clips
Upload what you have already filmed. Cutroom tags what is in each clip and uses yours first.
- If you say "back in my workshop", Cutroom shows a clip of your own workshop.
- When you talk about your product, Cutroom shows your own footage of it, or keeps you on screen, instead of a stock clip.
- Free Pexels and Pixabay clips cover what you never filmed.
A stock warehouse clip next to your own
If you upload your own clips, Cutroom uses them before stock clips.
Changing the edit
You change the one part that bothers you. The rest stays where it was.
- You can fix a word it misheard.
- You can swap a clip for another one.
- You can move the captions up when they cover your face.
- You can pick a different caption style.
- Every change is free, and you can undo it.
Move the captions off your face, and nothing else changes
You change the one thing that bothers you. The rest of the edit stays as it was.
Captions for Reels
Cutroom adds captions to every Reel, with nothing to set up.
- Cutroom has 40 caption styles, and you choose the colour, the size and the position.
- Captions are timed to your voice word by word, so each word appears as you say it.
- Captions are part of the picture, so they stay on when the Reel is reposted.
One of the 40 caption styles: a coloured box behind the word you are saying
The captions are part of the picture and appear word by word as you say them.
What it costs
You pay credits for the edit and the export. Editing and previewing are free. Exporting an unchanged video again is free too, unless the renderer was updated or your watermark changed.
- A 30-second Reel costs 110 credits: 100 for the edit and 10 for the export.
- Your free video comes with 600 credits, 7 days to make it and a Cutroom mark across the middle.
- Unused credits stay in your account.
Plans
| Plan | Price | Credits | About how many 1-minute Reels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 600, once | 1, with a Cutroom mark across the middle |
| Lite | $19.99 a month | 1,250 a month | About 10, no mark |
| Basic | $39.99 a month | 2,500 a month | About 20, plus avatars and music |
| Premium | $79.99 a month | 5,000 a month | About 40, plus animated drawings and product photos |
Plan: Free
- Price
- $0
- Credits
- 600, once
- About how many 1-minute Reels
- 1, with a Cutroom mark across the middle
Plan: Lite
- Price
- $19.99 a month
- Credits
- 1,250 a month
- About how many 1-minute Reels
- About 10, no mark
Plan: Basic
- Price
- $39.99 a month
- Credits
- 2,500 a month
- About how many 1-minute Reels
- About 20, plus avatars and music
Plan: Premium
- Price
- $79.99 a month
- Credits
- 5,000 a month
- About how many 1-minute Reels
- About 40, plus animated drawings and product photos
Reel specs and limits
One size comes back, and it is the size Reels use.
What goes in and what comes out
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Longest upload | 3 minutes |
| Shape | Upright only. Landscape is refused before any credits are charged |
| Sound | Required. Silent videos are refused |
| What you get | 1080 by 1920 MP4, with the captions in the picture |
| 4K | No. A 4K upload comes back at 1080p |
| Languages | 8: English (US and UK), Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), German, French, Dutch and Italian |
Spec: Longest upload
- Detail
- 3 minutes
Spec: Shape
- Detail
- Upright only. Landscape is refused before any credits are charged
Spec: Sound
- Detail
- Required. Silent videos are refused
Spec: What you get
- Detail
- 1080 by 1920 MP4, with the captions in the picture
Spec: 4K
- Detail
- No. A 4K upload comes back at 1080p
Spec: Languages
- Detail
- 8: English (US and UK), Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), German, French, Dutch and Italian
Questions people ask
- How do I add b-roll to Instagram Reels automatically?
- Upload your Reel to Cutroom. It writes out what you said, finds a clip for each thing you mention that it can show and places it there. About a minute later you get a finished 1080 by 1920 Reel.
- Where can I find free b-roll for Reels?
- On Pexels and Pixabay. Their clips are free to use, and neither asks you to credit them. Pixabay clips that show a brand or logo cannot be used commercially. Cutroom searches both for you, so you do not download anything.
- Can I download my Reel, or is there a paywall at the end?
- You can download it. The export price shows on the Export button before you press it. The free video carries a Cutroom mark across the middle; paid plans put nothing on it. You get 600 credits and 7 days to make it.
- Will it work with my kind of video?
- Yes, if it is one upright video of a person talking, up to 3 minutes, with sound. Landscape and silent videos are refused at upload, before any credits are charged. For horizontal or 20-minute videos, this is not your tool yet.
- How many Reels do I get?
- About 10 a month on Lite and 20 on Basic. A 30-second Reel costs 110 credits: 100 for the edit, 10 for the export. Editing and previewing are free. Re-exporting an unchanged video is free too, unless the renderer was updated or your watermark changed. Unused credits stay in your account.
- Does it work on my phone?
- Yes. Cutroom runs in your phone's browser, so it works the same on iPhone and Android. A bigger screen is more comfortable for editing, but nothing is locked away.
- Can I get my money back?
- Yes for your first charge, in full, if you tell us within 7 days. Later, we refund unused time when something went wrong on our side. Credits spent on finished videos are not refunded. A failed export refunds its credits by itself.
Upload a Reel you already filmed and see where the b-roll goes. Your first video is free.