How is this different from stock footage?

Stock is retrieved from a shared library, so everyone covering your topic tends to use the same clips. AI b-roll is generated for your specific script, which means it isn't shared with competitors and can depict subjects no stock library has footage of.

Does AI-generated video look fake?

It depends on the subject. Conceptual and abstract imagery holds up well. Anything relying on believing a real person or place exists is where generated visuals become noticeable, which is why mixed mode is usually the better default.

Do I have to disclose that visuals are AI-generated?

TikTok, Instagram and YouTube all provide an AI-content disclosure at upload and expect it to be used. Doing so is straightforward and does not by itself reduce reach. The strict rules concern synthetic depictions of real people.

Can I mix AI visuals with real footage?

Yes, and for most channels that's the right call. Use real footage where authenticity carries the claim and generated imagery for abstract or conceptual sections where no useful footage exists.

Do the visuals match what the narration says?

Visual selection is driven by the script's content and timed to the voiceover, so imagery corresponds to the line being spoken. A specific, concrete script produces noticeably better matching than a vague one.

Configuring here is free. Generating and publishing runs in the ShortFast app, which starts with a 3-day trial for $1. The hook generators and username checkers on this site need no account at all.

[ Video generator ]Configure here, generate in the app

AI B-Rolls Video Generator

Unique AI-created visuals that stand out from stock footage.

Video prompt

0/400

Voice

B-roll style

Preview

Preview after generation

Stock libraries are finite and shared. Once enough people make videos on the same topic, everyone ends up using the same twelve clips, and the visuals stop carrying any information at all.

AI-generated b-roll is generated per script rather than retrieved from a catalogue, so the visuals correspond to what the narration is actually saying, including for subjects no stock library covers.

[ 01 ]How it works

Using the AI B-Rolls Video Generator

01
Provide the script or prompt
Paste narration or describe the topic. Visual selection is driven by the script's content, so a specific script produces more specific imagery.
02
Select the AI visual style
Set b-roll to AI images to generate every visual, or mixed to combine generated imagery with real footage where real footage is stronger.
03
Pick a voice
Choose the narrator. Visuals are timed to the narration, so the voice and pacing determine when each image appears.
04
Review the visual sequence
Check that the images match the claims being made. This is the step worth spending time on, since a mismatched visual is more distracting than a plain one.
05
Generate and publish
The finished video goes to your posting queue for TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts.

The problem with stock footage is saturation, not quality

Stock clips are well shot. The difficulty is that every creator in a niche draws from the same libraries, searching the same keywords and getting the same results, so viewers develop a kind of blindness to them. The footage stops registering as information and becomes wallpaper.

There's a second problem: stock is organised around generic concepts. Search "teamwork" and you get people in a meeting room pointing at a whiteboard. If your script is about a specific mechanism, an accounting quirk, an algorithm change, a chemical process, nothing in the library depicts it, so people default to something vaguely related and the visual carries no meaning.

Generated b-roll addresses both. It's produced for your script rather than retrieved, so it isn't shared with everyone else in your niche, and it can depict things that were never filmed.

When real footage is still the better choice

AI visuals are not universally better. For anything where authenticity is the point, a real product, a real location, a real person, real footage is more persuasive and generated imagery actively undermines the claim.

Generated visuals are strongest for abstract or conceptual material: explaining a system, illustrating a metaphor, depicting a scenario that would be impractical to film. They're weakest where the viewer is implicitly being asked to believe something exists.

This is why mixed mode is the sensible default for most channels. Use real footage where reality matters and generated imagery where it doesn't, rather than committing to one for the whole video.

Disclosure and platform rules

TikTok, Instagram and YouTube all now expect AI-generated content to be labelled, and each provides a disclosure toggle at upload. Using it is straightforward and does not suppress reach on its own.

The rules that carry real consequences concern synthetic depictions of real people and misleading content presented as authentic. Generated b-roll illustrating your own narration is not what those policies are aimed at, but generated footage of an identifiable person is a different matter.

The practical guidance is simple: label it, don't use it to imply something happened that didn't, and keep generated imagery away from claims about real events.

[ 02 ]FAQ

Common questions

How is this different from stock footage?: Stock is retrieved from a shared library, so everyone covering your topic tends to use the same clips. AI b-roll is generated for your specific script, which means it isn't shared with competitors and can depict subjects no stock library has footage of.
Does AI-generated video look fake?: It depends on the subject. Conceptual and abstract imagery holds up well. Anything relying on believing a real person or place exists is where generated visuals become noticeable, which is why mixed mode is usually the better default.
Do I have to disclose that visuals are AI-generated?: TikTok, Instagram and YouTube all provide an AI-content disclosure at upload and expect it to be used. Doing so is straightforward and does not by itself reduce reach. The strict rules concern synthetic depictions of real people.
Can I mix AI visuals with real footage?: Yes, and for most channels that's the right call. Use real footage where authenticity carries the claim and generated imagery for abstract or conceptual sections where no useful footage exists.
Do the visuals match what the narration says?: Visual selection is driven by the script's content and timed to the voiceover, so imagery corresponds to the line being spoken. A specific, concrete script produces noticeably better matching than a vague one.
Is this free?: Configuring here is free. Generating and publishing runs in the ShortFast app, which starts with a 3-day trial for $1. The hook generators and username checkers on this site need no account at all.