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The Top 17 Websites for Royalty-Free Video Footage

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

When you are creating a video for your small business, you can run into the issue of having the right footage. If you can’t capture it yourself, royalty-free footage is the way to go. For example, when I created this video for trakAxPC, I purchased 6 or 7 royalty-free videos. I have put together my top 17 resources for royalty-free video below.

iStockphoto

http://www.istockphoto.com/video
Always a great source for high-quality videos (and photos).  There is a huge range of videos and the standard is normally very good. Prices have increased over the last year, so don’t expect too many bargains. The minimum you are looking at for “small video” (320 x 180px) is 15 credits (12 credits cost €15.75) but for better quality, you will probably want to work with at least “big video” format which start at 25 credits (640 x 360px). HD prices start at around 90 credits (120 credits cost €151).

Shutterstock

http://footage.shutterstock.com
Excellent choice and high standard of video clips. Prices start at $10 for low-resolution MPEG’s. HD clips cost around $50. Definitely one to look at.

Video Hive – Stock Footage

http://videohive.net/category/stock-footage
Probably the most affordable choice of footage with prices starting at $6. Although the choice isn’t amazing, what footage is there, is normally good quality and available in HD.

Pond 5

http://www.pond5.com
I hadn’t seen this site before and it has some really great clips at very affordable prices. HD clips can cost as little as $10 (although clips featuring people tend to cost more). I was very impressed with the choice of clips and the quality of the footage.

Anistock

http://www.anistock.com
A range of mainly animated video clips – can be useful for video intros or abstract clips if you are explaining business concepts that don’t lend well to actual footage. Prices are around $11 per clip.

Free Stock Footage

http://www.freestockfootage.com
The name is slightly misleading as medium res clips cost $14.50 and high-res cost $24.50. The quality is very mixed, with some very average clips, but may be handy if budget is very tight.

Wavebreak Media

http://www.wavebreakmedia.com
The video clips are quite professional on this site - if a little generic. Prices are around €50 to €199 for HD clips and anywhere from €10 to €45 for low-res clips.

A Luna Blue

http://www.alunablue.com
Some very interesting nature and time-lapse footage, but the choice is limited. Prices are around $40 per clip. If you are creating a Faith or Religious video, you may find this a useful resource.

Clip Canvas

http://www.clipcanvas.com
Impressive range and extremely good quality. From what I can see all clips are HD and prices start at around €49 onwards (which is pretty good for HD clips).

Artbeats

http://www.artbeats.com
A more expensive choice but some interesting documentary style and vintage footage. Low res clips start from $49 to $99 / $199 for high-res and HD clips.

DVArchive

http://www.dvarchive.com
Some interesting video clips and many have a real TV quality about them. Prices start at $59 for low-res and continue to $199 for high-quality / HD footage.

BBC Motion Gallery

http://www.bbcmotiongallery.com
It is the BBC, so quality is second to none. The majority of clips are rights-managed, but there is a large selection of royalty-free clips. Prices are quite expensive – low-res clips €79 and high-res or HD from €199 to €249, but you are getting some of the best clips out there.

Always HD

http://www.alwayshd.com
Some interesting footage, but the small print was slightly confusing. Quite a few clips did not have model releases or claim “Any non-editorial use may require additional clearance” which sounds slightly dubious. However, there are some interesting “real life” clips and prices range from around $50 to $80 or so.

BigFoot HD

http://www.bigfoothd.com
Some really interesting footage with a real documentary feel. Although the prices often reflect this - I saw some interesting “city” and “leisure” footage costing around $50, but prices often soar to $600 / $700 plus.

Thought Equity

http://www.thoughtequity.com
Although used mainly for rights-managed footage, Thought Equity is a great (if expensive) resource if you need extremely high-quality, professionally produced content. Prices vary depending on the clip, but low resolution clips start at €79 and go from €399 to €999 for high-res / HD clips.

Footage Firm

http://www.footagefirm.com
Rather than individual clips, the Footage Firm sells bundles of clips together. Prices vary from $149 - $249 per bundle. The quality does vary from some nice documentary style footage to some cheesy graphic-style footage, but still worth a look at.

Royalty-Free HD

http://www.royaltyfreehd.com
Clips are placed in themes such as People, Places, Things, Business etc. The footage is all very good quality although I found the choice quite limited. Clips cost $149 (HD) or you can buys a pack of clips in a theme for $499 onwards.

Let me know if I missed some sites or if you can recommend any, please drop me a comment below.

Remember trakAxPC can be used for all your video editing needs. Take advantage of our lowest price - buy trakAxPC today for just $24.95.

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