Top Stock Video Resources
2016 is set to be the year of the video, with one of the year’s most popular emerging web design trends including video introductions and moving backgrounds on websites. Whether you’re looking to add an attention-grabbing new intro to your site or are creating a brand trailer to upload to YouTube, stock video footage is likely to make an appearance on your online shopping list.
When looking to purchase stock footage there are a few things to consider. First of all, pay careful attention to licensing and ensure you pay for the correct license. Some clips only come with a single use license, some require an additional license for commercial use and some may require you to pay royalties.
Second, make sure you pay attention to the video quality before you purchase. If you only need a web-quality clip then it’s pointless paying for 4K quality, which will be a lot more expensive. Likewise, if you want a top quality, razor sharp image then it’s worth investing money into the best quality clip your budget allows for.
Choosing stock videos can be a lot of fun but there’s so much on offer it’s easy to get overwhelmed, which is why today’s post rounds up eight of the web’s best stock video resources. If you see something you like the look of, just click to see more.
VideoHive
Envato’s stock video hub, VideoHive, offers over 208,000 stock footage items that can be purchased with either single or multi use licenses. With so many files available it could get confusing to find your perfect clip but VideoHive has a great search system, which allows you to determine everything from price, minimum resolution, frame rate and length. You can also browse by tags, which range from landscapes to business clips.
Shutterstock
They’re mostly known for being a stock image repository but Shutterstock also license video clips and music. In fact, they have one of the largest video libraries around with a whopping 3,890,000 clips available on the site. Prices start at £14 for a single clip and the quality of the videos is reflected in the pricing structure, with everything up to 4K available.
iStock
Part of Getty Images, iStock offer royalty-free HD videos in a range of different categories, including technology, family and animals. One of the most interesting sets to explore is their time-lapse section, which contains thousands of amazing clips. Whether you’re looking for a shot of busy commuters rushing to work, the sun rising over the ocean or a flower blooming for the first time, iStock’s time-lapse collection should be your first port of call.
Getty Images
Offering a choice of creative and editorial video clips, at Getty you’ll be able to find the perfect abstract clip for your latest project rubbing shoulders with footage from last night’s star-studded awards ceremony.
Video Blocks
With a customer base of over 90,000, including the likes of the History Channel, MTV and National Geographic, Video Blocks is a sorely underrated resource. They offer After Effects templates as well as motion backgrounds and stock videos, meaning you can buy everything you need for your visual project in one place.
Dreamstime
Dreamstime works on an easy to use credit system, allowing you to save money by bulk-buying credits in advance. As well as standard stock video clips, you can also buy 2D and 3D animation clips and video production elements.
Pond5
Billed as the ‘marketplace for creativity’, Pond5 allows independent creators to upload and sell their stock video footage. There are over four million clips available and include both 4K and drone footage, so this is the perfect place to visit if you’re looking for something particularly eye-catching.
Fotosearch
Fotosearch boast almost 400,000 royalty-free video clips and their category system is one of the most in-depth around. Rather than scrolling through pages of irrelevant footage to find what you’re after, you can easily pinpoint your search to bring up your ideal results. Categories from sunrise to soccer, Halloween to horses and currency to construction are all available.
