How to use B-roll: A practical guide to better videos
What B-roll footage is, why it makes videos better and simple tips to make your own.
Think of the last movie you watched. Chances are, B-roll helped build the story.
B-roll is supplementary footage that plays over or alongside the main video. While B-roll originated in film and broadcast, it's now essential for content creators, marketers, and anyone producing video for social media. This guide covers what B-roll is, the types you need to know, how to source it, and how to use AI to generate B-roll when you don't have the footage you need.
What is the difference between A-roll and B-roll?
B-roll is any footage that isn't your main shot. Your main shot (called A-roll) is where your main storyline and messaging live. It often shows a conversation between characters, someone speaking to the camera, or a planned sequence of events.
B-roll plays over or between those A-roll moments. It adds context, keeps things moving, and makes the overall video feel more polished and intentional.
In talking head videos, A-roll is the person speaking directly to the camera. B-roll helps make the video feel more complete with complementary scenery, related topics, or stylized transitions.
A cooking video's A-roll might be the host explaining a recipe. B-roll is the close-up of the knife on the cutting board, the steam rising from the pan, the finished dish plated. Without those shots, the video is just a face talking. With them, it's an experience.
A product review video's A-roll is you talking about your experience. The B-roll shows product details, other people using it, or related context that adds visual depth.
A-roll is where the message lives. B-roll is the visual context that helps your viewer follow along. B-roll usually can't stand on its own, because it's not a complete story in itself.
Why is B-roll important in video?
Good B-roll has a clear purpose: it reinforces the message, adds context, or gives the edit a place to breathe. B-roll does several things simultaneously that are difficult to achieve with A-roll alone:
It holds attention. A single static shot loses viewer engagement over time, even with a confident on-camera presenter. B-roll provides visual variety that keeps people hooked, without interrupting the narrative.
It covers other edits. This is one of the most practical reasons creators use B-roll. Filler words, restarts, and jump cuts are invisible when a B-roll clip is playing over the audio.
It adds context. B-roll makes abstract claims concrete. If you're talking about a process, showing it is more compelling than describing it.
It gives the edit rhythm. Cutting between A-roll and B-roll gives the video a natural pacing: fast where you need energy, slower where you need emphasis.
What are the different types of B-roll shots?
Here are the five most useful types, what they do, and when to use each one.
1. Establishing shots
What they are: Wide shots that set the scene to show where the story is taking place.
Use when: You're starting a new section, changing locations, or want to ground the viewer before cutting to close-up detail.
Editorial purpose: Establishing shots answer the question "where are we?" before the viewer has to ask it. Skipping them in longer videos makes location changes feel abrupt and disorienting.
Example: Opening a travel video with an aerial shot of a city skyline before cutting to street-level footage.
How long to hold it: 2-4 seconds is usually enough for an establishing shot. The viewer needs to register the location; they don't need to study it. Cut before the shot becomes static.
2. Detail shots
What they are: Tight close-ups that draw attention to a specific person, object, texture, or action. Detail shots create visual intimacy and help viewers focus on what matters.
Use when: You're explaining a process, highlighting a product feature, or want to slow the pace down and add emphasis.
Editorial purpose: Detail shots tell the viewer where to look. They're the visual equivalent of emphasis.
Example: A product review that cuts from the host talking to a close-up of the product's port layout or texture.
How long to hold it: 1.5-3 seconds. Detail shots are most effective when they're tight and brief: long enough to register the detail, short enough to maintain momentum.
3. Process shots
What they are: Footage that shows someone doing an actual process, step-by-step. Process shots are the backbone of tutorials, how-to content, and behind-the-scenes videos.
Use when: Your A-roll is explaining a sequence of steps that would be easier to follow if viewers could see them.
Editorial purpose: Process shots are the most direct form of "showing, not telling." If your script says "then you add the flour," a process shot of hands measuring and pouring is more informative and more engaging than the audio alone.
Example: A skincare routine video that shows each product being applied rather than just talked about.
How long to hold it: Varies with the complexity of the process, but aim to cut before the action is complete, then pick up in the next shot. Showing the full process in one unbroken shot usually runs longer than it needs to.
4. Reaction shots
What they are: Footage of people responding (things like smiling, nodding, or looking surprised). Reaction shots add a human, emotional layer and help viewers feel something, rather than just learn something.
Use when: You want to build trust, add social proof, or give the viewer a moment to breathe between dense information.
Editorial purpose: Reaction shots are one of the fastest ways to introduce human warmth and credibility into content that might otherwise feel clinical or product-focused.
Example: A testimonial video that cuts to customer faces reacting to a product result, not just talking about it.
How long to hold it: 1-2 seconds. Reaction shots that linger become uncomfortable. The flash of genuine expression? That's the shot. Cut after it lands.
5. Cutaway shots
What they are: Brief departures from the main scene to show a related (but not identical) visual.
Use when: You need to trim a pause or verbal stumble from your A-roll, or when you want to break up a long stretch of talking head footage.
Editorial purpose: Cutaways are a pacing tool that give the edit rhythm and let you hide cuts or jumps in the A-roll. Make sure they relate to what's being said to avoid creating confusion.
Example: A business podcast video that cuts away to a relevant graphic, stat card, or animation while the host keeps talking.
How long to hold it: 2-5 seconds. Long enough for the viewer to register the visual, but short enough that the audio doesn't outpace the cut.
How to film B-roll
Getting good B-roll doesn't need to be complicated. A little bit of planning goes a long way so you have the right footage to add in the edit.
If you're working on a physical video shoot, think ahead about the types of B-roll that would complement your story. Plan for close-ups, establishing shots, and process shots before you arrive, not on the fly. Make an extra stop to capture shots of the location or subject from angles you wouldn't naturally use for A-roll.
During your shoot, keep your eyes open for shots you didn't plan for. Pause after bigger scenes or dialogue to see if there are other details worth capturing. Record the same moment from different distances and angles for more flexibility in the edit. You may not always know how you'll use the clips later, but having a variety of options when you edit is what makes the difference between a tight, professional cut and a video that feels assembled from whatever was available.
How do you film B-roll by yourself?
Shooting B-roll solo is more achievable than it sounds, and creators do it every day. A few principles that help:
Shoot before and after your A-roll. Your setup is already in place, the light is already right. Use the first and last five minutes of your shoot to grab cutaways and detail shots while everything is still staged.
Lock off the camera. Place your camera or phone on a tripod or steady surface, frame the shot, and let it roll while you perform the action in front of it. You don't need a second operator, you just need stability.
Work with what's already in the scene. Hands handling objects, details of the environment, anything that relates to what you're talking about in your A-roll.
Use slow motion. Slow-motion B-roll (240fps on most modern phones) looks cinematic with almost no additional effort and stretches a 3-second clip into usable 8-10 seconds of footage.
How much B-roll should you shoot?
A useful starting principle: shoot 4-6 times as much B-roll as you think you'll need. You'll use maybe 20% of what you capture, and having a deep library of options makes the editing process dramatically faster.
The reason why creators consistently under-shoot B-roll is that it's easy to feel like you have enough on the day, and then get into the edit and realize every option you have is a slight variation of the same shot. Variety is what B-roll is for. Shoot from multiple angles, multiple distances, and multiple moments within the same scene.
What is the 60/40 rule for A-roll and B-roll?
The 60/40 rule is a rough guideline for how much of your finished video should be A-roll versus B-roll. The idea: approximately 60% of the video is A-roll (your main talking head or interview footage) and 40% is B-roll (cutaways, context shots, detail shots).
The 60/40 guideline is most applicable to YouTube-style talking head and tutorial content. Documentary content often runs 50/50 or even more B-roll-heavy. Meanwhile, short-form TikTok content might be entirely A-roll.
How to get B-roll when you don't have the footage
When you don't have the shots you need, you have two options: source stock footage or generate it with AI.
Stock footage
When stock footage is the better fit (usually for established visual styles, specific real-world locations, or footage types that benefit from authentic photography). Here are the most useful sources:
Free options:
Pexels: Large library of free-to-use clips, no attribution required
Pixabay: Strong for nature, city, and lifestyle footage
Mixkit: Curated free clips, strong for business and lifestyle
Paid options with broader libraries:
Storyblocks: Subscription-based, unlimited downloads, good for professional production
Artgrid: Premium cinematic stock footage, strong for brand video
One thing to keep in mind with stock footage: authenticity is increasingly valued on social platforms. Generic stock footage can undermine the credibility you've built with your A-roll. Use it selectively; when AI-generated B-roll would be more on-brand or more specific to your topic, that's usually the better call.
AI-generated B-roll
For most creators producing social video, AI-generated B-roll is the fastest path from "I don't have that footage" to "the edit is done." Captions' AI B-roll generator creates any kind of B-roll footage you need, on demand. In the Captions app, you can prompt the chat-based editor to create a specific type of footage. Just name the topic or type of shot you want, and you’ll get options right away.
You can also use Captions' AI Edit feature to apply B-roll automatically. Just upload footage or generate a talking avatar in the app. When you apply an AI edit style, it’ll automatically insert stylized B-roll that matches your video topic and vibe.
How to use B-roll in editing
Shooting B-roll is half the work. Using it well in the edit is the other half.
The basic workflow: Edit your A-roll first. Get your talking head or interview footage cut the way you want the audio to flow (pacing, timing, and content all sorted). Then lay B-roll on top to cover edit points, add context, and give the viewer's eye somewhere to go.
How to use B-roll to hide cuts and mistakes: Every time you cut out a pause, filler word, or stumble in your A-roll, you create a jump cut: a slightly jarring visual splice where the talking head appears to jump. The fix is a B-roll cutaway placed directly over the cut point. This is one of the most practical reasons B-roll exists and one of the most common uses in talking head and tutorial videos.
Using J-cuts and L-cuts with B-roll: A J-cut starts the audio from your next clip slightly before the video switches (you hear the next scene before you see it). An L-cut continues the audio from the previous clip over the beginning of the next visual. Both techniques make B-roll transitions feel smoother and more intentional. For more on these techniques, see our video editing tips guide.
How long should B-roll clips be? Individual B-roll clips should generally run 2-5 seconds. Long enough for the viewer to register what they're seeing; short enough that the video doesn't stall.
Three common B-roll mistakes that kill engagement
Even experienced creators make these. Avoiding them will immediately improve how your videos feel.
B-roll that doesn't match what's being said. If your voiceover says "our team works fast" and the B-roll shows someone looking stressed at a laptop, the mismatch breaks trust. Every shot should reinforce, not contradict, your message.
Holding shots too long. A static B-roll clip that runs for 8 seconds while you talk is almost as boring as no B-roll. Keep individual B-roll clips between 2-5 seconds for a dynamic feel. Cut before the viewer gets bored.
Reusing the same clip more than once. Viewers notice. It signals low production value even if everything else is great. Aim for variety: different angles, different subjects, different distances.
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Frequently asked questions
What equipment do you need to shoot B-roll?
Less than you think:
A modern smartphone shoots B-roll footage that performs well on every social platform.
If you're shooting solo, a small tripod or gorilla pod for stability is the most valuable piece of equipment you can add.
For more cinematic results, a gimbal (for smooth movement) and a clip-on wide-angle lens are useful but not essential.
The most important factor for quality B-roll is actually light; natural window light or a simple ring light will improve your B-roll quality more than any camera upgrade.
How do you match B-roll to your A-roll audio?
The principle: B-roll should illustrate, extend, or reinforce whatever is being said in the audio at that moment. Mismatches where the visual contradicts or confuses the audio erode credibility faster than almost any other editing mistake.
If you're using AI-generated B-roll, describing the specific point being made in the A-roll audio in your prompt produces better matches than generic descriptions.
How does B-roll relate to video scripting?
B-roll is most effective when it's planned at the scripting stage rather than improvised in the edit. If you're writing a video script, note B-roll cues in brackets as you write ([B-roll: hands opening product packaging]) so you know exactly what shots to capture during the shoot or generate after.
This prevents the most common B-roll problem: getting into the edit and having a 30-second stretch of talking head with nothing to cut to.
What is a cutaway shot?
A cutaway is a brief departure from the main scene to show a related visual, then cutting back to the main scene. It's the most common type of B-roll in talking-head and interview video.
Cutaways are used to hide edit points, add context, and give the viewer something to look at besides the primary shot. The key word is related; a cutaway should connect to what's being said in the audio, not just fill screen time.