What is Stock Footage?

Stock footage libraries provide creators and producers access to professionally shot video clips that would be expensive or impractical to film independently. Major stock footage platforms include Pexels (free), Pixabay (free), Shutterstock, Getty Images, and Artgrid. Stock footage is widely used in faceless video production, documentary-style content, corporate video, and news programs. Licensing terms vary: royalty-free licenses allow broad use after a one-time fee, while rights-managed licenses restrict use by geography, duration, or medium. The rise of AI video generation is increasingly complementing stock footage workflows, with creators using AI-generated clips for scenarios not well covered by stock libraries. BlitzReels integrates both AI-generated visuals and stock footage sources so creators can mix-and-match based on prompt complexity.