Engage your audience with authentic stock video
Discover our diverse collection of powerful, pre‑shot video and 4K footage, including exclusive visuals you won’t find anywhere else. With millions of exceptional, royalty‑free stock video clips to choose from, you’ll find the styles and formats you need to stand out and inspire your audience.
Explore this week's most popular search terms
Trending stock video categories
Ready to learn more?
Stock footage essentials
What is stock footage?
Stock footage, also known as stock video or B‑roll, is pre‑filmed footage that can be purchased and used in a variety of projects and films. Stock footage can be licensed and saves filmmakers the time and money of shooting original material.
Common types of stock footage include sports clips, animal clips, family videos, nature videos, aerial videos, cityscape videos, food videos, slow‑motion clips, transportation clips, and more.
Common types of stock footage include sports clips, animal clips, family videos, nature videos, aerial videos, cityscape videos, food videos, slow‑motion clips, transportation clips, and more.
Why do people use stock videos?
Using stock videos for your next project comes with many benefits.
For companies and brands that do not have the means or budget to hire a professional photographer for a custom video shoot, stock footage provides an alternate solution to sourcing high‑quality videos (for a fraction of the price).
Stock videos can be used for marketing and advertising, personal projects, commercial and for‑profit projects, and on blogs and websites. The wide variety of uses and instant turnaround time make stock videography a common choice for independent graphic designers and businesses alike. Simply download the selected video clip in seconds, and you are ready to go!
- Saving time
- Saving money
- Ability to edit a stock video clip to fit your specific project needs
For companies and brands that do not have the means or budget to hire a professional photographer for a custom video shoot, stock footage provides an alternate solution to sourcing high‑quality videos (for a fraction of the price).
Stock videos can be used for marketing and advertising, personal projects, commercial and for‑profit projects, and on blogs and websites. The wide variety of uses and instant turnaround time make stock videography a common choice for independent graphic designers and businesses alike. Simply download the selected video clip in seconds, and you are ready to go!
What are some ways to use stock video?
While the potential uses of stock footage are only limited by your own imagination, these are the ways stock footage is most commonly used.
Stock footage as B‑roll
One of the most consistent uses of stock footage is as B‑roll. B‑roll is supplemental footage that’s used in films, television shows, and news broadcasts. It is secondary to primary footage and is used to intercut or tie different primary shots together.
These are a few familiar examples of B‑roll.
Stock footage in commercials and ads
Stock video can also be used as primary footage or as B‑roll in commercials, ads, and other videos that don’t require original footage.
For example, an advertisement for medication might rely on voice‑over narration and use stock footage of smiling couples, a person participating in recreational sports, or happy families gathered around a dinner table. Those types of footage could cost thousands of dollars per scene to film specifically for a commercial, whereas stock footage would cost just a few hundred dollars for several stock videos cut together.
Stock video backgrounds
Sometimes, all you need is a good stock background video. Stock footage can be a source of background videos for websites, green screen uses, or just a nice video to display on a screen while folks are waiting for the event to begin.
Stock footage as B‑roll
One of the most consistent uses of stock footage is as B‑roll. B‑roll is supplemental footage that’s used in films, television shows, and news broadcasts. It is secondary to primary footage and is used to intercut or tie different primary shots together.
These are a few familiar examples of B‑roll.
- Shots of people walking down a street to cut two urban scenes together
- Video of farm animals to establish the video is set on a farm
- Aerial stock videos of a city to establish a geographical setting
- Time lapse stock videos to show the passage of time between two scenes
Stock footage in commercials and ads
Stock video can also be used as primary footage or as B‑roll in commercials, ads, and other videos that don’t require original footage.
For example, an advertisement for medication might rely on voice‑over narration and use stock footage of smiling couples, a person participating in recreational sports, or happy families gathered around a dinner table. Those types of footage could cost thousands of dollars per scene to film specifically for a commercial, whereas stock footage would cost just a few hundred dollars for several stock videos cut together.
Stock video backgrounds
Sometimes, all you need is a good stock background video. Stock footage can be a source of background videos for websites, green screen uses, or just a nice video to display on a screen while folks are waiting for the event to begin.
Can I download the video in the size and quality I need?
At Getty Images, you can download most of our stock footage in the following sizes and resolutions.
Standard Web 640×360 @ 30 fps H.264
HD Web 1280×720 @ 30p H.264
HD 1920×1080 @ 30p H.264
4K @ 30p ProRes 422 (HQ)
Standard Web 640×360 @ 30 fps H.264
HD Web 1280×720 @ 30p H.264
HD 1920×1080 @ 30p H.264
4K @ 30p ProRes 422 (HQ)