Stock footage and stock video elements are a greatly useful aid in video and filmmaking, that saves you both time and money while completing your projects. And Royalty Free videos maximise those benefits.

Working under a flexible, clear and easy to understand licensing model, these assets ready to download and use let you realise your vision at the lowest costs and with the less possible hassle. It’s no coincidence this is the license we offer in our awesome Free Video Footage collection!

Today we’ll give you a guided tour through the world of Royalty Free video clips, showing you what they are, where can you find them, and why you should make use of them. Let’s begin!

What are Royalty Free Videos and What Makes Them Different to Other Stock Videos?

In few words, Royalty Free Videos are stock video clips that are under a Royalty Free license type. This licensing model grants you a number of usage rights over the content, for a one-time and usually very low fee.

Important! The license name refers to the absence of royalty obligations. You will never have to pay royalties for your use of the video, hence the name “Royalty Free”. It does NOT mean that all video clips under this license are free of charge. They may be either paid or free depending on the case.

It is precisely the license type what makes them different from other stock footage resources: on most other license models you get a custom price according to your intended use, are limited to said use specifically, and often times you need to pay royalties for continued use of the content.

With Royalty Free footage, on the other hand you get:

  • Right to use the content in commercial and personal work, without limitations of time, geographic region, or number of projects
  • Very few restrictions – often regarding distribution width and/or media
  • No extra costs – you pay once and get to use the videos forever

This is why Royalty Free videos are not only different, but in many ways more convenient than other stock videos in the market. They’re very flexible, affordable, and usually very easy to get. 

You can find more detailed info in this great article about Royalty Free stock footage and its uses. 

Where Can I Find Royalty Free Video Clips that are Cheap, High Quality and Safe to Use?

When it comes to Royalty Free video clips (or stock footage in general) you aim for the perfect trifecta: cheap, high quality, and legally safe. And there are several places where you can find exactly that! Here’s our favourites:

iStock Video

iStock logo smalliStock is one of the most renowned stock media agencies on the web –also backed by parent company Getty Images, the most prestigious stock photography agency in the world–, and their offer includes a huge collection of royalty free videos with a unique perspective and unbeatable price.

iStock videos are priced according to collection/status, and sold on demand with credit packs (the larger the pack you get, the cheaper each video will cost). They have two tiers:

  • Essentials: Non-exclusive, budget videos. Between $48 and $60
  • Signature: Exclusive, high value videos. Between $144 and $170

See all iStock plans and prices here. 

What’s distinctive in this offer is that clips are not priced based on resolution – a Web sized videos costs the same as a 4K one. That’s why iStock has the lowest prices for 4K stock footage in the market!

Sign up for free at iStock to discover their amazing video collection.

Shutterstock Video

Shutterstockshutterstock logo new is one of the most popular agencies on the web, owners of one of the largest stock media collections around. Their stock footage division offers millions of high quality videos that you can buy on demand, and variety is the key: they have lots and lots of Royalty Free video clips for every topic or genre you can think of.

Their prices are according to resolution, and you can buy them by the unit, or with download packs from 5 and up to 25 downloads that save you a lot of money:

  • Web: $49 per clip. Between $37,95 and $43,80 with packs
  • SD: $65 per clip. Between $51,95 and $59,80 with packs
  • HD: $79 per clip. Between $63,15 and $71,80 with packs
  • 4K: $199 per clip. Between $159,15 and $179,80 with packs

See all Shutterstock prices here. 

Shutterstock video service is great if you love options in content: they have over 10 million videos and you have plenty of choices in every theme available. They’re also affordable and Royalty Free, and it’s a very reliable company.

Sign up for free at Shutterstock to explore their stock video collection.

StockPhotoSecrets Shop Video

StockPhotoSecrets ShopStockPhotoSecrets Logo White is a stock media agency tailored for small and medium sized businesses, with high quality content and flexible, affordable plans thought to fit in all budgets. The stock footage offer includes lots of HD videos, covering most popular topics and genres, available on demand with download packs.

The Shop prices their footage clips according to the pack you buy, the larger the number of downloads, the cheaper each video costs. And if you have a subscription to one of their great still images plans, you get a huge 50% discount in video packs:

  • 5 HD videos: $198 – or $99 for members
  • 10 HD videos: $380 – or $190 for members
  • 25 HD videos: $900 – or $450 for members

This is a super affordable offer in HD footage, that lets you buy clips for as little as $18 each! You should definitely seize the possibility to get both still imagery to complement your projects, plus royalty-free videos at the lowest price in the market!

Visit StockPhotoSecrets Shop video division and buy your pack!

Are There More Places to Buy Royalty Free Footage?

You may also explore other alternatives in this cool list of the Top 5 Cheap Stock Footage Agencies. 

What About Free Stock Videos?

Of course, nothing beats getting free stock videos. But you must know the vast majority of free video download sites out there are not really safe to use. Most of them crowdsource videos, and they offer them under Creative Commons license without real policy practices, leading to lots of those “free videos” being illegal to use.

That illegality becomes a real problem when you use these video clips in commercial projects: if the Creative Commons content you’re using is invalid, you’re in for lots of legal issues and a potentially large loss of money in fines and legal costs.

Free Video Footage LogoThere is, however, one resource that you can trust: Free Video Footage, of course! We offer you over 200 free stock video footage clips under Royalty Free license, and all free of charge! And rest assured: all stock footage and videos we offer are either ours or licensed to us (meaning we know exactly where they comes from) and all videos have been legally verified. That’s a win!

What Kind of Content Can I Find in Royalty Free Video Collections?

Pretty much anything! Stock photo agencies tend to have pretty large collections with hundreds and up to millions of video files covering all elements needed in video production. This includes but is not limited to:

And What About Complements for Video Production?

That too! The stock media market is very broad and offers all you need to create professional videos with perfect finish. Often times the same stock footage agency will offer complementary assets like

  • Royalty-Free music
  • Sound effects tracks
  • Stock photos
  • Stock vectors

And more!

Why Should I Use Royalty Free Stock Footage in My Productions? What's In It for Me?

Royalty Free video clips come to solve two big problems in video production, specially in the low-budget segment:

Money – A good video or film has a lot of different elements in play, and that, of course, has a cost. The main footage, the b-roll, the motion graphics, the overlays, the special effects, even the sound effects and the music: all has to come together to make a great video. Producing all this material can be very expensive! By using RF video footage you can get all these additional assets for a fraction of that cost.

Time – Any video creative or filmmaker knows how time consuming it can be to bring your vision to life. Custom creating all the elements for a production can take anything from days to months to complete, and then you still have to edit it all! Royalty Free video clips are already created, available for immediate download. By skipping the creation part and jumping straight to editing, you’re saving considerable amounts of time.

This is why RF stock footage is such a valuable resource in filmmaking: it solves two of the main issues with video creation in a simple way. So if you would like to be able to deliver fully finished videos that fulfill your vision and stay within budget, and deliver them speedy, you should definitely make use of Royalty-Free stock footage.

How Can I Use Royalty Free Footage in My Work?

It’d be shorter to try and answer how can you not use it! Stock video footage has endless uses in video production. Be it for personal or commercial purposes, you can use stock footage clips for nearly anything. Here’s some ideas:

  • B-roll: use royalty-free stock footage to add secondary shots that complement your storytelling and fill in gaps in main footage. Want more info? Read this cool article explaining B-roll and its value!
  • Video backgrounds: get attractive motion backgrounds and edit your custom elements in
  • Intros: Use motion graphics or footage clips to create introduction segments for your videos
  • Transitions: stock videos can make for great transition clips to unify your content
  • Overlays: royalty-free video resources include great graphics for overlays, like lower thirds, frames, animations, and more
  • Special effects: amongst stock video elements you will find special effects files that you can use to add that little extra to your native footage

Now you know possible uses, check out this great article with tips for editing footage like a pro!

The beauty in royalty-free videos is that all these uses are possible: you don’t need to pay royalties for every listed use, you don’t need to buy a new license for every project. Pretty cool. And you can complete this list with any ideas you come up with!

As for media, these stock clips can be used in pretty much any way you want: films, documentaries, adverts, corporative videos, social media, personal projects, and so much more.

We told you they were awesome!

Embrace the Power in Royalty-Free Stock Footage and Produce More and Better Videos

Royalty-free stock videos are one of the most valuable resources for video production out there. They save you time, money, and effort in getting all the footage and video elements you need to complete your projects and bring your ideas to life.

So don't hesitate using them in your work to deliver more, and better, videos in less time!

Remember:

We're looking forward to the awesome videos you'll create!

Owner at Free Video Footage

I am a publisher and entrepreneur in the stock imagery field. I focus in providing knowledge and solutions for buyers, contributors and agencies, aiming at contributing to the growth and development of the industry. I am the founder and editor of Stock Photo Press, one of the largest networks of online magazines in the industry.