Use case
B-roll for ads: what to show and how to add it
Good b-roll for an ad shows your product: close up, in use and with real customers. You can add it by hand, or Cutroom adds it for you.
In short
- B-roll for an ad works best when it shows your product: close up, in use, before and after, or with customers.
- Free b-roll comes from your own phone, Pexels or Pixabay. You add it by hand in an editor like CapCut.
- Cutroom adds b-roll to your video ad for you, and plays each clip while you talk about what it shows.
- Cutroom uses your own product clips first, so your ad shows what you sell, not a stock product.
- Cutroom edits a 30-second ad for about $2 on Basic. Freelance editors charge $250 to $1,200 an ad, per Krock.io's 2026 rate guide.
- per 30-second ad, on Basic
- About $2
- the longest video Cutroom accepts
- 3 min
- your first video, no card
- Free
What b-roll works in an ad
In an ad, b-roll should show what you are talking about. Most of the time, that is your product.
- Your product close up, so people can see what they would buy.
- Your product in use, in a real kitchen, car, gym or workshop.
- A before and after, when your product changes something you can see.
- Real customers using it or unboxing it.
- The place you work, like your warehouse, shop or studio.
How long each clip should run, and how often to use b-roll
A b-roll clip should play while you talk about the thing it shows, then cut back to you.
- Each clip should last as long as the words it shows. In a short ad, that is usually a second or two.
- Cut to b-roll each time you name something people would want to see, like your product, a place or a result.
- Stay on your face when you say nothing that can be shown, so people keep seeing who is talking.
- Keep b-roll to about half the ad or less. Cutroom covers at most 40 to 52% of a video by itself, depending on the style you pick before you upload.
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Where to get b-roll for ads
You can film it yourself or use free stock clips.
- You can film your product on your phone, a few seconds at a time, from a few angles.
- Pexels and Pixabay have free stock clips you can use in ads without paying.
- Pixabay clips that show a brand or logo cannot be used commercially, so check before you use one.
- Stock clips never show your own product, so film that part yourself.
How to add b-roll to an ad by hand
In CapCut or any other editor with a timeline, you place each clip over your video yourself.
Adding b-roll to an ad in CapCut on a phone
The Overlay steps as CapCut describes them on capcut.com, checked 21 September 2026.
Film or find a clip
Your phone, Pexels or Pixabay
Open your ad 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
How Cutroom adds b-roll to your ad
You upload one video of yourself talking, up to 3 minutes. About a minute later you get a finished 1080 by 1920 ad.
- Each b-roll clip plays while you talk about what it shows. Say "our warehouse in New York" and a warehouse clip plays during those words.
- To move a clip, you drag it onto other words.
- Captions come in 40 caption styles, and each word appears as you say it.
- Transitions are added between shots. 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 you hear your own voice. One tap turns it on.
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 product clips
Upload what you have filmed. Cutroom tags each clip and uses yours before the free library.
- 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 the things you never filmed.
A stock warehouse clip next to your own
If you upload clips of your product, Cutroom uses them instead of a stock clip.
Changing the ad
You change the one part that bothers you. Every change is free, and you can undo it.
- You can fix a word it misheard.
- You can swap a clip for another one.
- You can move the captions or pick a different caption style.
What each ad costs
A 30-second ad costs 110 credits in Cutroom, about $2 on Basic. Freelance editors charge about $250 to $1,200 to edit an ad of 15 to 30 seconds. That range is from Krock.io's 2026 rate guide.
- Lite is $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 10 ads, and removes the Cutroom mark.
- Basic is $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits, about 20 ads, so about $2 each.
- Premium is $79.99 a month for 5,000 credits and adds AI product photos, made without a photo shoot, and animated drawings.
- The export price shows on the Export button before you press it: 20 credits per minute of video.
- A failed export gives its credits back by itself.
Cutroom against a freelance editor
Freelance prices from Krock.io's 2026 rate guide, read 21 September 2026.
| What | Cutroom | Freelance editor |
|---|---|---|
| One 30-second ad | 110 credits: 100 for the edit, 10 for the export. About $2 on Basic | $250 to $1,200 for an ad of 15 to 30 seconds |
| 20 ads a month | Basic: $39.99 for 2,500 credits | $5,000 to $24,000 at those rates |
What: One 30-second ad
- Cutroom
- 110 credits: 100 for the edit, 10 for the export. About $2 on Basic
- Freelance editor
- $250 to $1,200 for an ad of 15 to 30 seconds
What: 20 ads a month
- Cutroom
- Basic: $39.99 for 2,500 credits
- Freelance editor
- $5,000 to $24,000 at those rates
What it works for, and what it does not
Cutroom takes one video of up to 3 minutes, so it fits short video ads, not long webinars.
- It works for short ads where you talk to the camera, up to 3 minutes long.
- It does not work for a 20-minute webinar or a studio shoot with several cameras.
- It makes one upright 1080 by 1920 video. There is no widescreen and no 4K.
Questions people ask
- What is the best b-roll for ads?
- Clips of your own product: close up, in use and with real customers. Stock clips from Pexels or Pixabay work for places and actions, but they never show what you sell.
- Where can I get free b-roll for ads?
- From your own phone, Pexels and Pixabay. Pexels clips are free for commercial use with no credit needed. Pixabay clips that show a brand or logo cannot be used commercially.
- Can I use it for a long ad or a webinar?
- Not if it is longer than 3 minutes. Cutroom takes one video of up to 3 minutes, checked at upload. Short video ads fit. A 20-minute webinar does not, and no plan changes that.
- How long should a b-roll clip be in an ad?
- As long as the words it shows, usually a second or two in a short ad. Cut to b-roll each time you name something people would want to see, and come back to your face in between.
- Can I download my ad, 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. You get back an upright 1080 by 1920 video. Landscape and silent videos are refused at upload, before any credits are charged. A 4K upload comes back at 1080p.
- What is on each plan?
- The editor is on every plan, including free. Lite at $19.99 removes the mark. Basic at $39.99 adds avatars, generated music and 2,500 credits. Premium at $79.99 adds animated drawings, AI product photos made without a photo shoot, and 5,000 credits. Every plan exports the same size at the same speed.
Upload an ad you already filmed and see where the b-roll goes. Your first video is free.