Guide
B-roll is extra footage shown over your main shot
Updated
B-roll is extra footage shown over your main shot while the sound keeps playing. In a video ad, the main shot is usually a person talking, and b-roll is the product, hands or screen you cut to.
In short
- B-roll is extra footage shown over your main shot, while the voice underneath keeps playing.
- A-roll is the main shot, usually a person talking to the camera.
- B-roll shows what the speaker is talking about, proves a claim, or covers a jump where something was cut out.
- Keep b-roll to about half the video or less, so the person talking stays the focus.
- Pexels, Pixabay and Mixkit give you b-roll for free, and you do not have to name the person who filmed it.
- Free stock clips on Pixabay
- 240,000+
- Price of a clip on Pexels, Pixabay or Mixkit
- $0
- How much of a talking video b-roll should cover
- Half or less
What is b-roll?
B-roll changes what you see, not what you hear. The voice from the main shot keeps playing underneath.
- A-roll is the main shot and its sound. In an ad, it is usually a person talking to the camera.
- B-roll is any other footage shown on top: product shots, hands at work, a screen recording or a stock clip.
- A cutaway is the moment the video switches to b-roll and back to the speaker.
- The name comes from film editing, when editors ran two rolls of film side by side, called A and B.
B-roll in a vertical ad
A clip covers the screen while the speaker keeps talking. When it ends, the speaker is back.
A-roll vs b-roll
The A-roll carries the story. B-roll only changes the picture on top of it.
A-roll and b-roll side by side
| Question | A-roll | B-roll |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The main shot, with the voice | Extra footage shown over that voice |
| In a video ad | A person talking to the camera | The product, hands, a screen or stock clips |
| Sound | Its own sound keeps playing | Usually silent, so you hear the A-roll voice |
| If you remove it | There is no video left | The video still works |
Question: What it is
- A-roll
- The main shot, with the voice
- B-roll
- Extra footage shown over that voice
Question: In a video ad
- A-roll
- A person talking to the camera
- B-roll
- The product, hands, a screen or stock clips
Question: Sound
- A-roll
- Its own sound keeps playing
- B-roll
- Usually silent, so you hear the A-roll voice
Question: If you remove it
- A-roll
- There is no video left
- B-roll
- The video still works
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
B-roll examples
These are the most common kinds of b-roll in a short video ad, and what each one does.
Examples of b-roll in a video ad
| Moment in the ad | B-roll you could show | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| The speaker names the product | A close-up of it in someone's hand | Shows the viewer what you mean |
| The speaker describes a result | The before and after, filmed for real | Proves the claim |
| The speaker explains an app or website | A screen recording | Shows how it works |
| A sentence was cut out of the middle | Any matching clip over the spot where it was cut | Covers the jump in the picture |
| The speaker talks for a long stretch | A new image for a second or two | Gives viewers something new to look at |
Moment in the ad: The speaker names the product
- B-roll you could show
- A close-up of it in someone's hand
- What it does
- Shows the viewer what you mean
Moment in the ad: The speaker describes a result
- B-roll you could show
- The before and after, filmed for real
- What it does
- Proves the claim
Moment in the ad: The speaker explains an app or website
- B-roll you could show
- A screen recording
- What it does
- Shows how it works
Moment in the ad: A sentence was cut out of the middle
- B-roll you could show
- Any matching clip over the spot where it was cut
- What it does
- Covers the jump in the picture
Moment in the ad: The speaker talks for a long stretch
- B-roll you could show
- A new image for a second or two
- What it does
- Gives viewers something new to look at
How much b-roll to use
Keep b-roll to about half the video or less, so the person talking stays the focus.
- Too much b-roll turns an ad into a stock montage, and viewers lose the person they were listening to.
- Keep each clip to a second or two, then go back to the speaker.
- Show the speaker's face in the opening seconds, so viewers see who is talking.
- Show the face again for the main claim and when the speaker asks viewers to act.
Where to get good b-roll
Your own phone clips usually fit best, because they show your real product and place. Free stock sites fill the gaps.
- Film 10 seconds of each thing you talk about, like the product, your hands at work or your shop.
- Pick clips where something moves. A still image can look as if the video has frozen.
- Skip clips everyone has seen, like a smiling team at a laptop or a city timelapse.
- Check the licence before you use a stock clip in a paid ad.
Free b-roll sites
Licence terms from each site, read 21 September 2026.
| Site | Price | Must you name the maker? | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pexels | Free | No | You may not sell the clips as they are |
| Pixabay | Free, 240,000+ clips | No, but you may | No commercial use of clips that show brands or logos |
| Mixkit | Free, no account needed | No | Some clips carry a restricted licence |
| Coverr | Free; 4K from $4.20 a month, billed yearly | No | 4K and premium clips need a paid plan |
| Vecteezy | Free; Pro price not shown | Yes, on free clips | Free clips require you to name the maker |
Site: Pexels
- Price
- Free
- Must you name the maker?
- No
- Watch out for
- You may not sell the clips as they are
Site: Pixabay
- Price
- Free, 240,000+ clips
- Must you name the maker?
- No, but you may
- Watch out for
- No commercial use of clips that show brands or logos
Site: Mixkit
- Price
- Free, no account needed
- Must you name the maker?
- No
- Watch out for
- Some clips carry a restricted licence
Site: Coverr
- Price
- Free; 4K from $4.20 a month, billed yearly
- Must you name the maker?
- No
- Watch out for
- 4K and premium clips need a paid plan
Site: Vecteezy
- Price
- Free; Pro price not shown
- Must you name the maker?
- Yes, on free clips
- Watch out for
- Free clips require you to name the maker
How to add b-roll in a free editor
In a free editor, b-roll goes on a second layer above your main video. These steps are for the free CapCut phone app. On a computer, most editors let you drag the clip onto the row above your main video.
Adding a b-roll clip in the CapCut phone app
The Overlay and Add buttons are named in CapCut's own guide, read 21 September 2026.
Open your video
Start a new project and add the video of the person talking.
Tap Overlay
Tap Overlay at the bottom of the screen, then Add, and pick your b-roll clip.
Move it into place
Drag the clip to the words it matches and trim it to a second or two.
Make it fill the screen
Pinch the clip larger until it covers the speaker.
Turn its sound off
Set the clip's volume to zero, so the speaker's voice keeps playing.
B-roll in Cutroom
Cutroom finds and places b-roll for you when it edits your video. You can change every clip afterwards.
- You upload a video of yourself talking, up to 3 minutes long.
- Cutroom finds free stock clips that match what you say and puts them over those words.
- You can put a clip over any phrase you select in the transcript, swap any clip, or search millions of free ones.
- Each clip can sit full screen, on a small card, in a band along the bottom or on a tilted card.
- B-roll covers at most 52% of the video, about half, so the speaker stays in view. The calmer styles, Flow and Straight cut, keep it to 45% or 40%.
- Finding b-roll is part of the 100-credit edit, so it costs nothing extra.
Questions people ask
- What is b-roll in simple terms?
- Extra footage shown over the main shot while the voice keeps playing. In an ad, it is anything on screen that is not the person talking.
- What is the difference between A-roll and b-roll?
- A-roll is the main shot with the voice, usually a person talking. B-roll is the extra footage shown on top of it. Remove the b-roll and the video still works.
- Can I use free stock footage in a paid ad?
- Yes, if the licence allows commercial use. Pexels, Pixabay and Mixkit allow it, and you do not have to name the maker. Pixabay forbids commercial use of clips that show brands or logos, and Mixkit marks some clips as restricted.
- Does b-roll have to match the words exactly?
- Not exactly. A clip of the thing being named helps viewers follow along. B-roll works best when it proves what was said, like a real before and after.
- How do I put b-roll over a video?
- Put the clip on a second layer above your main video. In the free CapCut phone app, tap Overlay, then Add, pick the clip and pinch it to fill the screen. Then turn the clip's own sound off.
- Is b-roll the same as stock footage?
- No. B-roll is the job a clip does, and stock sites are one place to get it. Your own product shots or a screen recording are b-roll too.
- Are b-roll and a cutaway the same thing?
- Nearly. B-roll is the footage. A cutaway is the edit that leaves the main shot for a moment and comes back to it.
Let Cutroom find and place the b-roll for you. Your first video is free.