Use case
B-roll for YouTube Shorts: how to add it, by hand or automatically
B-roll is the clips that play over you while you talk. Cutroom adds them to your YouTube Short for you, with captions and cuts, in about a minute.
In short
- B-roll for a Short 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 Short shows your product close up, your product in use, or the place you work.
- Cutroom takes one upright video of you talking, up to 3 minutes, and gives back a finished 1080 by 1920 Short.
- Cutroom Lite is $19.99 a month for about 10 Shorts. Basic is $39.99 for about 20.
- Cutroom does not cut Shorts out of long videos. It edits a video you filmed as a Short.
- credits for a 30-second Short, edit and export
- 110
- credits a month on Basic, about twenty Shorts
- 2,500
- the longest video you can upload
- 3 min
What b-roll to use in a Short
B-roll should show what you are talking about. For a Short 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 Short 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 Short 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 Short 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 Short
You upload one video of yourself talking. About a minute later you get a finished Short back.
- Cutroom plays a clip each time you mention something it can show, using your own clips first.
- 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.
- Music is off at first, so the first thing you hear is your own voice. One tap turns it on.
- It comes back upright at 1080 by 1920, the size YouTube Shorts uses.
Where a finished Short ends up
It comes back upright at 1080 by 1920, the size YouTube Shorts uses.
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 each clip and uses yours before the free library.
- 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.
- 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 shows your warehouse instead of a stock one.
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.
- Every change is free, and you can undo it.
Move the captions off your face
Nothing else in the edit changes.
Captions for Shorts
Cutroom adds captions to every Short, and they are part of the video, not a separate subtitle file.
- 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.
One of the 40 caption styles: big bold capitals with a shadow
The captions are part of the video, so they show on every phone.
What a month of Shorts costs
You pay for the edit and the export. Everything in between is free.
Credits per Short
| Step | Credits |
|---|---|
| The edit (transcript, cuts and b-roll search) | 100 |
| The export | 20 per minute of video |
| One 30-second Short, from upload to file | 110 |
| Lite plan, $19.99 a month | 1,250, about 10 Shorts |
| Basic plan, $39.99 a month | 2,500, about 20 Shorts |
| Editing, preview, undo, clip search, your own uploads | Free |
| Exporting the same video again, unchanged | Free, unless the renderer was updated or your watermark changed |
Step: The edit (transcript, cuts and b-roll search)
- Credits
- 100
Step: The export
- Credits
- 20 per minute of video
Step: One 30-second Short, from upload to file
- Credits
- 110
Step: Lite plan, $19.99 a month
- Credits
- 1,250, about 10 Shorts
Step: Basic plan, $39.99 a month
- Credits
- 2,500, about 20 Shorts
Step: Editing, preview, undo, clip search, your own uploads
- Credits
- Free
Step: Exporting the same video again, unchanged
- Credits
- Free, unless the renderer was updated or your watermark changed
What it will not do
Cutroom edits one video you filmed to be a Short.
- Your video can be up to 3 minutes long. It has to be upright and have sound.
- It does not pick Shorts out of a 10-minute video.
- One size comes back, 1080 by 1920. There is no 4K.
- The free video has a Cutroom mark across the middle. Lite at $19.99 a month removes it.
Questions people ask
- How do I add b-roll to YouTube Shorts automatically?
- Upload your Short 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 Short.
- Where can I find free b-roll for Shorts?
- 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 it clip Shorts out of my long videos?
- No. Cutroom edits one video you filmed as a Short. It does not pick moments out of a 20-minute video. If you want Shorts cut out of long videos, a clipping tool like OpusClip is the better choice.
- Can I download my Short, 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. A 4K upload comes back at 1080p.
- How many Shorts do I get a month?
- About 20 on Basic and about 10 on Lite. A 30-second Short costs 110 credits: 100 for the edit, 10 for the export. Unused credits stay in your account.
- 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 or stuck export gives its credits back by itself.
Upload a Short you already filmed and see what comes back. Your first video is free.