{"id":4196,"date":"2021-06-13T13:49:25","date_gmt":"2021-06-13T13:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/?p=4196"},"modified":"2024-09-10T06:45:10","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T06:45:10","slug":"stock-photos-for-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/stock-photos-for-video\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Stock Photos in Video"},"content":{"rendered":"

Making videos can be an expensive and time-consuming process. Just establishing the story that you are trying to tell\u2013let alone writing a script, hiring cast and crew, gathering the equipment, location scouting, and then shooting the video\u2013can take more time than you realize or have to spend. But there are things you can do to help reduce cost and time, and one of those might surprise you. It\u2019s using stock photos as part of your video making process.<\/p>\n

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Not sure what we mean by stock photos or how to integrate them into your filmmaking? Not to worry! We\u2019ll walk you through what stock photos are, where to find them and how to make a video with photos. You\u2019ll see how to make the most of stock photos when creating videos because there\u2019s more than one way to include them in your films.<\/p>\n

What are stock photos?<\/h2>\n

First, let\u2019s talk about stock photos. In the same way that you can\u2019t use any song that takes your fancy as\u00a0background music in a video<\/a>\u00a0because you\u2019d infringe on someone\u2019s copyright, you can\u2019t simply download a photo from the internet and include it in one of your videos. Photographers own the copyright to their images and can decide who gets to use them and how much they need to pay to do so.<\/p>\n

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If a photographer does want to make an image available for other people to use, they will often release it through a stock house or stock agency. These are image libraries where you can search for an image, obtain a license to use it and be sure that you won\u2019t be infringing on someone\u2019s copyright.<\/p>\n

The license will probably not be exclusive, which means that other people would be able to obtain a license to the same image as you and use it in their projects, too, but you can be certain that you won\u2019t be violating someone\u2019s copyright. Licenses do vary, though, so you will need to check that the image or images you want to use are suitable for your needs. For example, some stock photos cannot be used for commercial purposes, and others are time-limited.<\/p>\n

Why would you want to include stock photos in your videos?<\/h2>\n

If you want something short and quick to put together, for example, in a\u00a0social media video<\/a>\u00a0post, you can combine a series of stock photos to make a video. You could think of it a bit like a\u00a0timelapse video<\/a>\u00a0where you stitch together a series of photos to make a film. It\u2019s easy to overlay images with text to convey your message clearly and to create title cards and credits for simple, informative videos. This is especially important if you think that people will be watching a video without the sound on or if you\u2019ll be using background music but no voice-over.<\/p>\n

To take your video content up a notch, try\u00a0using stock footage<\/a>\u00a0in combination with stock photos.<\/p>\n

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Even if you\u2019re making a more \u201ctraditional\u201d video, you might find that including stock photos in your work brings something fresh and more exciting to your filmmaking. Or you might find that including stock photos in video is more practical. You can insert stills into videos to serve as cut-aways or establishing shots. Or you can include more still images, perhaps along with text, together with film footage for more intricate and detailed videos.<\/p>\n

Where can you find stock photos for video?<\/h2>\n

Finding stock photos for videos is fairly simple. There are lots of stock agencies out there where you can license photos to include in your videos. Some offer images for free, some require a subscription or operate a one-off payment option if you need a limited number of images, and some have a mixture of both free and paid royalty-free image licenses.<\/p>\n

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We think that\u00a0Motion Array<\/a>\u00a0is a great place to find stock photos for video. It has everything from abstract photos of glass exploding to gorgeous lavender field landscapes in Provence. If an image includes identifiable people, it is marked clearly if you can use it commercially. As well as having thousands of stock photos, Motion Array membership entitles you to a huge selection of filmmaking tools that includes templates, presets and plugins as well as remote working and collaboration platforms.<\/p>\n

Using a mixture of stills and video works really well, too. And, of course, when it comes to stock video<\/a>, look no further than Artlist!<\/p>\n

How to use stock images in videos<\/h2>\n

Now that we\u2019ve established why you should think about including stock photos (and video) in your videos and where to find stock photos<\/a>, it\u2019s time to think about how to make a video with photos.<\/p>\n

First, you need to plot out a\u00a0storyboard<\/a>\u00a0for your video and establish what type of photos you will need and any text that has to be included, too. If you are making a mixed photo and video production, you will need to think about the video clips you want, too.<\/p>\n

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Next, you will need to search for the photos you want. With Motion Array, you can search by photo genre, for example, \u201cFood & Drink<\/a>\u201d or \u201cBusiness & Finance<\/a>\u201d, or type a more specific term into the search box, such as \u201cwedding rings<\/a>\u201d or \u201cdog running on beach<\/a>\u201d to find the content you need. If you\u2019re searching for video clips on Artlist, you can do so by entering your key terms into the search bar.<\/p>\n

In addition to the photos that will make up your video, you will require\u00a0editing software<\/a>\u00a0to create the video itself. The choice of editing software is extensive, ranging from free online editors to premium, subscription-only packages such as\u00a0Adobe Premiere Pro<\/a>. If you\u2019re creating a one-off photos-to-video project, then a free editor will be all that you need. But if you think that you are likely to be creating them regularly and perhaps going on to creating your own video content, you might want to consider a more powerful, paid-for option.<\/p>\n

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After that, it will be a case of opening your video editor and importing all of the licensed stock images into it. You then arrange them in the correct order in the timeline and add any text, transitions, background music, or voiceovers and save it. This is an excellent opportunity to include a logo or branding, so don\u2019t forget to do that. Finally, you need to select the correct format for the platform where you\u2019ll share the video and export it.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re wondering how to make a video with pictures and videos, it\u2019s a similar process. For a film that\u2019s both photos and video clips, import all the files and arrange them in the order they should appear. For a video that is mostly video with added photos, open the video, import the images, and then drag the photos into the video\u2019s timeline where you want them to appear. Save and export in the correct format. It\u2019s even possible to re-edit a YouTube video using its editor and add pictures to a YouTube video.<\/p>\n\t\t

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Want an example?<\/h2>\n

I\u2019ve made 2 examples using different editing options for comparison. The story is the same for both videos, and I have tried to keep them as similar as possible in their production.<\/p>\n

I imagined that I am a cake maker, wanting to make a short social media promotion for wedding cakes. My storyboard asks, \u201cWhat are the ingredients for a perfect wedding?\u201d<\/p>\n

I decided on:<\/p>\n