Lay marketplace B-roll onto a locked A-roll, not onto a draft
get_available_broll and search_broll surface stock UGC; compose_video_with_overlay inserts it. Covering a miss with B-roll, or inserting before picture lock, spends a composite on a narration you will recut.
get_available_broll lists clips you can already use — free plus purchased. search_broll searches the full marketplace of stock UGC (reactions, talking heads, scenarios). Premium previews may be watermarked until purchase. Insertion is compose_video_with_overlay or a full edit_video. Free B-roll is free until the edit operation. Covering a draft A-roll with perfect stock is how you delay admitting the A-roll is wrong.
Add B-roll to a video is the job. The AI B-roll generator is the generate-your-own cousin. Marketplace insert is stock. Generated B-roll is a different miss rate. Both wait for an A-roll you believe.
Illustration is not a first step
B-roll illustrates a line. If the line is still changing, the illustration is a guess. If the A-roll talking head is getting regenerated, the cutaways will not match the new pauses. Spot B-roll on a locked VO.
get_available_broll will not search the full store. Empty library is not a bug. search_broll is the store. Buying a premium clip to cover a maybe is a purchase plus a composite you will redo. Preview watermarks exist so you do not confuse a shop window with a master.
This inserts existing stock. If you needed footage generated to a script, that is a video generate, still not a first finishing step.
Order
- Lock the A-roll (picture and VO).
- List owned clips; search if you must.
- Purchase only what the locked cut needs.
- Insert. Caption the A-roll, not the B-roll, unless the B-roll is the speaker.
The UGC generator may be the A-roll. Stock is the cover. Cover later.
FAQ
Can I build the whole video from B-roll first?
You can make a temp. A billed compose of temps plus a later A-roll is two timelines. Sign the A-roll, then cover.
Why did search return watermarked clips?
Premium marketplace. Unlock through the app if that clip is for a keeper. Do not buy five to "see them on the draft."
Is reaction B-roll this task or the reaction task?
Emotion-tagged punctuation is reaction clips. General illustration is this page. Same later-step habit. Different browse.
Should I generate B-roll instead of searching?
If the script needs a specific product, generate. If you need a generic nod, search. Generate-vs-search is a content decision. Both happen after the A-roll is real.