> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://captions.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Add B-Roll Like a Pro

> Use stock footage, AI-generated images and video, or your own media to add visual context, break up talking-head shots, and keep viewers engaged.

B-roll is supplementary footage that plays over your primary talking-head shot. It illustrates what you're saying, breaks up the monotony of a static shot, and keeps viewers watching. Well-placed B-roll is one of the biggest separators between amateur and professional-looking video.

This guide covers all three ways to add B-roll in Captions: importing your own media, using stock, and generating with AI.

## The three sources of B-roll

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Your own footage">
    The most authentic option. Screen recordings, product demos, behind-the-scenes clips, photos from your camera roll: anything that visually supports what you're saying.

    **Best for:** personal brands, product demos, tutorials, any content where showing your specific context matters.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Stock imagery and video">
    Captions has a built-in stock library with photos, videos, GIFs, and stickers. Searchable and free to use.

    **Best for:** general concepts, supplementary visuals, quick fills when you don't have specific footage.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="AI-generated images and video">
    Type a prompt and generate a custom image or short video clip. Powered by multiple AI models including Flux, Imagen, DALL-E, Pika, Ray, and more.

    **Best for:** original, on-brand visuals; concepts that are hard to find in stock libraries; maximum creative control.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Adding B-roll manually

<Steps>
  <Step title="Position your playhead">
    In the timeline, move to the moment where you want B-roll to appear.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tap Media Overlay">
    In the editor toolbar, tap **Media** (or **Media Overlay**).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose your source">
    * **Import:** select from your camera roll or files
    * **Import → Stock:** search the stock library for photos, videos, GIFs, or stickers
    * **Generate:** enter a prompt to generate a custom image or video clip
  </Step>

  <Step title="Place and resize">
    After adding the media, it appears as an overlay in the timeline. Drag it to position it over the right moment. Pinch to resize. Move it on the canvas by dragging with one finger.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the duration">
    Drag the start and end handles in the timeline to adjust how long the B-roll appears.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Generating B-roll with AI

<Steps>
  <Step title="Tap Media → Generate">
    Open Media Overlay and tap **Generate**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose image or video">
    Select whether you want a still image or a short video clip. Video clips are more engaging but take longer to generate.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write your prompt">
    Describe what you want. Be specific:

    * ❌ "a person using a phone"
    * ✅ "close-up of hands typing on a smartphone screen, warm natural lighting, shallow depth of field"

    Specific prompts produce dramatically better results.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose your AI model">
    Different models have different strengths. For photorealistic images: Flux 1.1 Pro, Google Imagen 3, or DALL-E 3. For stylized or illustrated looks: Ideogram. For video: Pika 2.2 or Luma Ray 2.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate and place">
    Tap **Generate**. Preview the result and regenerate if needed. Once you're happy, place it in the timeline.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  AI-generated images you create in one project are saved and available to reuse in future projects, so you don't need to re-generate the same visuals every time.
</Tip>

## Editing B-roll after placing it

Tap any media overlay in the timeline to edit it:

* **Position presets:** Caption Aware (auto-repositions so B-roll doesn't cover captions), Top Half, Bottom Half, Full Screen, Freeform
* **Transitions:** Fade, Pop, Zoom, Scale, Slide Left, Slide Up, or None
* **Animate:** for still images, tap **Animate** to add slow zoom or pan motion
* **Replace:** swap the media with a different image or clip
* **Split:** split the media overlay at the playhead

## Pro tips

* **Use Caption Aware positioning.** It automatically repositions B-roll so it doesn't cover your captions, which saves time and looks more polished.
* **Animate still images.** A slow Ken Burns zoom on a photo looks significantly more professional than a static image just sitting on screen.
* **Match the B-roll to the speech.** B-roll works best when it visually illustrates exactly what's being said at that moment, not just something vaguely related.
* **Keep clips short.** 2–5 seconds per B-roll segment keeps the edit moving. Longer clips need to be earning their place.
* **Use transitions sparingly.** Fade works everywhere. Pop and Zoom can be effective. Don't use a different transition on every clip.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Media Overlay reference" icon="film" href="/help/docs/visual/media">
    Full feature documentation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Go from Raw Footage to Finished Video" icon="sparkles" href="/help/guides/creators/ai-edit-workflow">
    Let AI Edit place B-roll automatically.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>