How to score free video loops (and more!) online
Video loops are basically an incredible shortcut to producing some really killer interest in your videos. These are little snippets of video that have been created by another user (most often a video professional) that you can insert in any popular video editing software giving you a really quick way to boost the background or effects of your own videos.
There are a lot of different sites that you can use to find free video loops, motion background effects, and other pieces of stock video and it really all boils down to what you’re looking to do with your video. Different sites serve different niches, and they all provide their own licensing for their free video loops and other elements.
One of the most popular places to get royalty free video loops and elements is a site called MovieTools. There you have access to literally thousands of community shared motion backgrounds and stock video that you can use in any of your video editing projects. The quality will definitely vary from user to user, and it can often times take a bit of time before you hit on a real gem, but it’s worth doing the digging especially if you’re kind of new to video editing.
It’s also important to realize that the free video loops and elements should be used to spice up your video – not to take the whole thing over. A lot of first time editors go hog wild when they find out they can find free video loops, motion backgrounds, and stock video online and end up with a polluted mess. This website provides you with unlimited downloads for a 7 day period! Browse their collection of 50,000 video loops and create a database for you to base future projects on! Try and resist the temptation to add more and more effects, and keep your project as simple and clean as possible. I’m definitely not telling you to back off from the razzle dazzle of the effects, but I am suggesting that you keep the focus on the action in your video, and not turn the whole thing into some Michael Bay nightmare with free video loops.
There are other sites out there to find motion backgrounds and stock video for free, but if you’re looking to do anything other than keep the video for your own personal viewing you should check into the licensing agreements. Most people are really cool with letting you use the free video loops for personal projects but have a problem with it if you’re going to use their work in a commercial project. This can usually be remedied by giving the author some credit or a shout out in your video, but sometimes they’ll want some money thrown their way before they let you use their stuff commercially.