5 Places to Find Free Stock Footage for Your Videos

Stock footage is an amazing tool to add value to your videos. Well-placed footage can add life to your video. You can easily describe the situation without adding text or audio. While there are hundreds of options to get footage, you may want to find sources for free to use stock footage.

Are you using an online video maker to create videos? Many video editors have a royalty-free stock library and you can use them in your videos. If you haven’t found an online video maker yet, visit this link and enjoy the premium video editor.

With an editing tool, you can create or edit videos on the go. It gives you freedom and easier access. However, you need to be smart enough to use it intelligently. Make sure that you add some stock footage without overdoing it. Why use stock footage? Let’s find out.

Advantages of Free Stock Footage

When you use stock footage intelligently, you can keep the audience at the end of their seats. Many popular productions use stock footage in their content. There is no reason why you should ignore it.

Here are a few situations online video maker when content producers add free stock footage.

• When you are talking about a place you haven’t visited, stock footage can rescue you. From outer space to the deep ocean, you can find a video clip of everything.
• Stock footage is excellent for describing a mood, throwing an idea, or promoting a scene.
• To smooth out transitions, stock footage is probably the best idea. Most importantly, if your video has gaps due to any issue, stock footage can cover it.

Understand the Legal Side

Before we talk about the best places to get free stock footage, it is important to understand the legal side. It is important to understand which footage is free to use and which one has limitations.

1. Royalty-Free

Royalty-free images or footage are considered free to use. You don’t need to pay the creator. Once you download the content, it is yours. Since anyone can download this footage, other companies or brands may be using the same footage in their videos.

2. Rights-Managed

With a strict set of rules, rights-managed content is quite expensive. The licensing authority also restricts how many times and where you can use the content. It is exclusive content and you may be the only person using it.

If you are looking for inexpensive content, stay away from right-managed footage.

3. Creative Commons License

The license allows you to use or distribute the content without any restriction. However, there are some creative commons licenses that apply few restrictions. So, it is important to check the type of creative commons license before using footage.

CCO is the most common license and it allows you to use the content without giving any credit to the creator. On the other hand, CC BY 4.0 license asks you to give credit to the creator. So, if you make any changes, you need to explain why you made these changes. Some other creative commons license types are CC BY-NC 4.0, CC BY –SA 4.0, and CC BY-ND 4.0,

5 Places to Find Free Stock Footage

Here are the top websites that offer free stock footage with minimum to no restrictions.

1. Promo

One of the most popular and detailed libraries of stock photos and videos! Promo allows you to access a huge library. They provide a mind-boggling variety of stock footage from a variety of sources and themes. Most importantly, you don’t need permission or give credit to creators. Promo provides watermark-free footage so you can have as much creative freedom as you desire. 

Promo also offers easy drag-and-drop features to make your life exponentially easier when adding documents or files to the editing process.

2. Pexels

Similar to Pixabay, Pexels offer free stock images and footage. You don’t need any subscription to browse or download content. Thankfully, you can download content in various resolutions.

Pexels don’t add a watermark on the content. Furthermore, you can use the footage for commercial purposes as well.

3. Videvo

With some restrictions, Videvo offers you an extensive library. While using footage, you must read terms and conditions carefully. The Videvo Attribution license means that you have to give credit to the creator. The CC BY 3.0 has the same restrictions. The Videvo standard license means that you use the content in any manner. Whereas, you can’t upload the content to any other website.

They ask you to give credit on social media after using footage. However, it is not mandatory. Videvo has more than 80 thousand stock footage. Unfortunately, some clips may have a watermark. To get the most out of the website, you can get a paid plan.

4. Videezy

Apart from paid content, Videezy offers a lot of free-to-use content. From HD to 4K, you can find videos in many resolutions. Click license information under each footage to see the restrictions.

Videezy offers you to download footage in various formats. However, you need to give credit to the owner.

5. CuteStockFootage

With a responsive search feature, CuteStockFootage is an excellent option to get footage. Looking at the website, you may think that it doesn’t have a lot to offer. However, that’s not the case.

The website may not have the best layout but offer a variety of stock footage. Moreover, you have to give credit to the creator while using the footage. Unfortunately, 4K footage is not available.

Conclusion on Online Video Maker

While using an online video maker, you get access to the stock library as well. However, if your online video maker doesn’t have your required footage, you can visit the above websites.

Using footage will enhance your video and deliver the message perfectly. Don’t be shy to add more than one footage in your video.