Use case
B-roll for TikTok: how to add it, by hand or automatically
B-roll is the clips that play over you while you talk. You can add them by hand in the TikTok app, or Cutroom adds them for you, with captions, in about a minute.
In short
- B-roll for TikTok is short clips of what you talk about, played over your video. You add it by hand, or Cutroom adds it for you.
- The TikTok app can add b-roll itself: tap Edit, then Overlay, and pick a clip from your phone. CapCut works the same way.
- The best b-roll for a TikTok shows your product close up, your product in use, or the place you work.
- Cutroom takes one upright TikTok of you talking, up to 3 minutes, and plays each clip while you talk about what it shows.
- Your first Cutroom video is free. After that, Lite is $19.99 a month, and the b-roll clips cost nothing extra.
- roughly how long the Cutroom edit takes
- 1 min
- your first Cutroom video, no card
- Free
- the longest video you can upload
- 3 min
What b-roll to use in a TikTok
B-roll should show what you are talking about. For a TikTok 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 TikTok by hand
You can add b-roll in the TikTok app itself, or in a free editor like CapCut. The clips can come from your camera roll, Pexels or Pixabay.
- TikTok lets you add up to 8 overlay clips to one post, according to its help centre.
- In CapCut on a phone, you tap Overlay, pick the clip and tap Add overlay. On a computer, CapCut also has a stock library under Import, then Stock materials.
- Pexels and Pixabay clips are free to use, and neither site asks you to credit it.
Adding b-roll in the TikTok app
The Overlay steps as TikTok's help centre describes them, checked 21 September 2026.
Get the b-roll clips onto your phone
Film them, or download them from Pexels or Pixabay
Tap Add post +, then Upload your video
Tap Next, then Edit on the side panel
Tap Overlay at the bottom, pick a clip, tap Next
Pinch the clip to fill the screen, then drag its arrows to set how long it plays
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
How Cutroom adds b-roll to a TikTok
You upload the video, and the edit is ready about a minute later.
- You upload one upright video of yourself talking, up to 3 minutes.
- Cutroom writes out what you said and finds a clip for each thing you mention that it can show.
- On Punch and Native, it removes the ums and uhs that show up in your transcript and shortens the long pauses it finds between your words, never in the middle of a word.
- It adds captions and transitions: a cut, a whip, a punch, a glitch or a sweep.
- Music is off at first, so the first thing you hear is your own voice. One tap turns it on.
- You get a 1080 by 1920 video, ready to post.
Where a finished TikTok ends up
It comes back upright at 1080 by 1920, with the captions in the picture, so there is nothing to crop.
Where the clips come from and where they go
Each clip plays while you talk about what it shows.
- If you say "our warehouse in New York", a warehouse clip plays during those five words.
- The clips come from your own uploads first, then millions of free Pexels and Pixabay clips. You do not type a search.
- The clip search is included in the 100 credits for the edit. You pay nothing extra for it.
- In the editor, each clip is marked on the words it plays over. To move a clip, you drag it onto other words.
A warehouse clip plays while you say "our warehouse in New York"
Drag the clip onto other words and it plays there instead.
Changing the edit
You change the one part that bothers you. The rest stays where it was.
- You can fix a word it misheard, or swap a clip.
- You can move the captions up when they cover your face.
- You can pick a different caption style, or turn music on or off.
- 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 TikTok
Captions are part of the picture, so they stay on when the video is downloaded and reposted.
- 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.
Meme, one of the 40 caption styles
White outlined text, top and bottom, timed to your voice word by word.
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 TikTok 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 TikToks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 made from a mood you describe |
| Premium | $79.99 a month | 5,000 a month | About 40, plus animated drawings and AI product photos |
Plan: Free
- Price
- $0
- Credits
- 600, once
- About how many 1-minute TikToks
- 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 TikToks
- About 10, no mark
Plan: Basic
- Price
- $39.99 a month
- Credits
- 2,500 a month
- About how many 1-minute TikToks
- About 20, plus avatars and music made from a mood you describe
Plan: Premium
- Price
- $79.99 a month
- Credits
- 5,000 a month
- About how many 1-minute TikToks
- About 40, plus animated drawings and AI product photos
Specs and limits
One size comes back, 1080 by 1920, the size TikTok uses.
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
- Can I add b-roll in the TikTok app?
- Yes. In TikTok's editor, tap Overlay at the bottom, pick a clip from your phone and tap Next. You then size the clip and set how long it plays. TikTok allows up to 8 overlay clips in one post.
- How do I add b-roll to a TikTok automatically?
- Upload your TikTok to Cutroom. It 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 video.
- Where do the b-roll clips come from, and do they cost extra?
- From your own uploads first, then millions of free Pexels and Pixabay clips. No, they cost nothing extra: the clip search is included in the 100 credits for the edit.
- Can I download my TikTok, 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. Cutroom does not edit horizontal videos or videos longer than 3 minutes.
- Does it work on my phone?
- Yes. Cutroom runs in your phone's browser, so it works the same on iPhone and Android. Every feature works on a phone, though a bigger screen is easier for editing.
- Does it work in my language?
- Yes, in eight: English (US), English (UK), Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), German, French, Dutch and Italian. You pick yours when you upload.
Upload a video you already filmed and see where the b-roll goes. Your first video is free.