AI video editing

AI B-roll

What is AI B-roll?

AI B-roll is supplementary footage generated or automatically matched by AI to accompany a primary video, based on the script or narration. Generative AI B-roll creates custom clips from a text description, while AI-matched B-roll selects relevant footage from a library based on the video's content.

When you'd use it

  1. 1When the script references a concept, location, or scenario you have no footage of.
  2. 2When the primary talking-head footage needs visual breaks to hold attention.
  3. 3When stock library results do not match the specific scene described in the script.
  4. 4When you need custom visuals quickly and a shoot is not feasible.

Example

A finance explainer uses generative AI B-roll to visualize an abstract concept like compound interest as cascading geometric shapes. The three-second clip airs behind a voiceover and no viewer notices the AI origin because no real-world reference exists to contradict it.

Use cases

  1. 1Generating a cityscape clip to accompany a voiceover about market expansion.
  2. 2Cutting away from a talking head to illustrate an abstract concept mentioned in the script.
  3. 3Generating warehouse footage from a text description to cover a logistics product demo.

FAQ

What is the difference between AI B-roll and regular B-roll?

Regular B-roll is pre-recorded footage, either original or from a stock library. AI B-roll is either generated from scratch using a text prompt or automatically selected from a library by an AI matching your script. The role in the edit is the same; the source differs.

Make on-brand short-form video from the footage you already have.