Shutterstock Video Review – Awesome and Affordable Stock Footage

BRAND NEW! SHUTTERSTOCK VIDEO SUBSCRIPTIONS

We bring you the best offer in stock video just yet, with Shutterstock's new video subscriptions, plans that let you download from 10 to 20 stock videos per month, billed monthly or yearly at your choice, and paying as little as $8 for HD and 4K clips! Even better, our exclusive Shutterstock Footage Coupon Code applies for these subscriptions, so you can get them with an additional 15% discount! Get a video subscription today!

JUST IN: SHUTTERSTOCK ENHANCED VIDEO LICENSE

If you are looking for stock videos for your production with extended usage coverage, you will be happy to learn that Shutterstock now has an Enhanced Video license available for their clips. Just like with image licensing, the Enhanced option has everything included in the Standard license (which is the default license and pricing displayed across the site), but it adds extra usage rights, mainly unlimited audience size for pretty much all uses, from web and streaming platforms to TV, film and theatrical releases. You can buy Enhanced Video clips by the unit or with an Enhanced video pack. Shutterstock is one of the most popular sites to buy stock videos. The company is at the top of the stock imagery industry, and they have been selling stock media for over a decade. Shutterstock Stock Footage offer includes millions of high-quality, Royalty-free video clips in varied themes and styles, that can be bought on demand, by a clip, or with discount video packs. They are one of the tops in the Best Stock Video Footage Sites guide we built for you! To browser Shutterstock's libraries full of premium content, you need a member account, but you can sign up for free. They only charge you when you buy assets. If you need quality footage and you're looking for discounts to buy Shutterstock stock videos, we have a great deal: our Shutterstock Coupon Code will save you 15% in your stock footage purchases.

Shutterstock Footage Coupon Code

This coupon gives you 15% off your stock footage purchase with video subscriptions and video packs!

Shutterstock Subscription and Image Packs Coupon Code

This coupon will save you 15% on any image subscription and any prepaid image package!

 

Want to know more about this company and its great stock video service? Let's have a look:

Essentials in Shutterstock Footage Offer

In short, it's all about this:

• Over 18 Million stock video clips, most of the high definition, including HD and 4K
• Flexible licensing model: pay once, use forever
• Standard and Enhanced licenses are available
• Priced in USD, according to video resolution
• Single video clips a la carte
• Video packs on demand to save hundreds of dollars. Packs are valid for one year and renewable.
• Video subscriptions for the best deal in HD and 4K content
• All downloaded clips are available for re-download for up to one year after the pack expired
• Payment options: credit card, bank wire, or checks.
• Collection organized by categories, featured artists, director's choice, and more
• Highly searchable library, with an intelligent search engine that analyses content to deliver the best and higher quality results.
• The company pushes the newest and most popular clips.
• Dedicated Shutterstock Editorial catalog with editorial-use only content, complete with editorial subscription plans

The Details in Shutterstock Footage Offer

Shutterstock stock video service offers different image resolutions and formats, and they are all priced accordingly. The pricing structure is very simple, and prices are affordable (very cheap compared to other agencies and licensing types). The clips are sold with a Royalty-Free license, that allows multiple usages within your business or project. Now, let's go by parts:

Image Resolution and Formats

The stock video clips on Shutterstock are available in Web, SD, HD, and 4K resolution. And each resolution has a different price point, with Web being the cheapest, and 4K obviously the most expensive. Clips can be in NTSC/ATSC or PAL/576i formats.

Some contributors make their clips available in more than one format, but Shutterstock does not control this. Both resolution and format are indicated on the particular video page.

Shutterstock Footage Prices

As you learned, Shutterstock footage clips can be bought on demand. On-demand purchases for footage can be done by a single clip (which is an option that is not available for still images). The default prices are for the Standard Video license.  Shutterstock Standard Single clip pricing:

• SD: $65
• HD: $79
• 4K: $179

Or they can be bought with Video Packs that cut a percentage from single clip price, discounting more the larger the pack is. They are paid upfront and used whenever you want. Video packs expire when all downloads have been used, or after a year from the purchase date (whatever happens first). A great advantage of this buying option is that even when your pack expired, all the videos you downloaded are available to re-download for up to one year as well, so you can use them in a new production easily.

The packs are priced according to resolution, and another great benefit is that each pack allows downloading clips in the consigned and also in lower resolutions, at no extra cost. For example, if you buy an HD video pack, you can use it to download videos shot in HD and SD resolution. Packs are also renewable. If you wish, you can set up your video packs to renew periodically. This way, every time your pack expires, whether because you used all the downloads or because the time was due, Shutterstock will automatically refill your downloads (and charge you, of course). Plus, you are allowed to have as many video packs active in your account simultaneously as you wish, and you can choose which one to use when you select a video to download.  

Shutterstock Standard Video Packs Pricing

• SD: 5 for $229 (saving $16), 10 for $549 (saving $101) and 25 for $1,299 (saving $326)
• HD: 5 for $359 (saving $36), 10 for $669 (saving $121) and 25 for $1,579 (saving $396)
• 4K: 5 for $599 (saving $296), 10 for $999(saving $791) and 25 for $2,299 (saving $2,176)

Shutterstock Video Subscriptions

The video subscriptions offer the best prices for stock footage on Shutterstock. One good thing about subscriptions is they do not discriminate based on video resolution: an HD or 4K clip will cost you the same, one download.

There are three volume tiers, and each of them has three plan options: month to month, annual with monthly billing, and annual with upfront payment. The price per clip gets lower with the more downloads per month you buy, and also with the longer you're willing to commit to your plan: 5 videos a month

• Monthly: $189/mo
• Annual billed monthly: $99/mo
• Annual billed upfront: $949/yr

10 videos a month

• Monthly: $359/mo
• Annual billed monthly: $159/mo
• Annual billed upfront: $1,599/yy

20 videos a month

• Monthly: $669/mo
• Annual billed monthly: $199/mo
• Annual billed upfront: $1,999/yr

Videos downloaded with a subscription come with a Standard license. So it's worth noting with this buying option you can cut down the cost of a 4K video clip from $179 a piece, to as low as $8.32 each (with an annually billed upfront plan for 20 downloads per month). This offer is a great help for those who need lots of videos constantly.

Enterprise Plans

Shutterstock has a special Enterprise subscription to its video segment, oriented to brands and corporations, as it provides access to entire creative teams within one account. 

Shutterstock corporate plans offer team usage and volume discounts, license flexibility, and a number of other perks. These plans are bespoke, so you must contact the agency directly for them to give you a quote based on your team's specific needs. 

Shutterstock Enhanced Video License Prices

If you need extra coverage for your intended use of Shutterstock clips, you now have the option to buy them with an Enhanced Video license, which extends the legal usage rights of the Standard license and gives you greater use flexibility (more details on Standard and Enhanced license are found below). Enhanced license videos are available on-demand only, by the unit, or with an Enhanced video pack, and they come at a higher price point. Shutterstock Enhanced video single clip pricing: 

• SD: $189
• HD: $229
• 4K: $359

If you wish to save, the Enhanced packs reduce the price per clip significantly, and you have several volume options to choose from. Shutterstock Enhanced Video pack pricing:

• SD: 5 for $669 (saving $276), 10 for $919 (saving $971), 25 for $1,669 (saving $3,056)
• HD: 5 for $729 (saving $416), 10 for $1,039 (saving $1,251), 25 for $1,949 (saving $3,776)
• 4K: 5 for $969 (saving $826), 10 for $1,369 (saving $2,221), 25 for $2,669 (saving $6,306)

As you can see, the prices for Enhanced videos are steeper, but if you can invest in large video packs, you see very big savings. See Shutterstock Footage full price and plans here.

How You Can use Shutterstock Footage with Royalty-Free License

Stock footage is useful because instead of buying a camera and improving your knowledge of video shooting to start creating your own footage, you can license videos that are already created, paying for the right to use them in your projects. This saves time, money, and effort while giving you access to professional content for your goals. All Shutterstock stock videos are sold under a Royalty-Free license. This means you only pay for the license once, and you get a variety of usage rights forever. Please note that Shutterstock footage clips are paid, Royalty-Free license means you don't have to pay for further royalties, but they are not free videos and cannot be used without a valid, paid license. 

However, we feel that the benefit of avoiding the main legal issues that you can face when using other people's work –copyright infringement, infringement of right of privacy or trademarks, etc.– via a verified and legally backed up license far exceeds the (affordable) cost you pay for it. 

Each stock footage agency sets its own licensing terms. While a Royalty-Free license has some main features in common with all agencies, each has its own particular license. Shutterstock's Commercial license allows you to use stock video clips in film, video, tv, social media, advertisement, or other multimedia productions, distributed to the public in any way. You can also use the clips on the Internet (on websites) or as part of a live performance such as corporate video demos. The Standard Video license has restrictions for the audience size for all these intended uses, with the cap normally being at the 500,000 viewers mark. For productions intended to be used on YouTube or similar streaming services, they also restrict the total budget size of the project: it has to be $10,000 or less. The Enhanced Video license, however, gives you unlimited audience size coverage, plus the right to use content in theatrical, film, and TV broadcast productions (which is forbidden with a Standard license) but comes at a higher price point. Once you buy a license to a clip, either Standard or Extended, you can use it for as long and as many times as you want. Just as with still images, restrictions forbid the use of the content in any morally questionable or defamatory way. Make sure you read Shutterstock's licensing terms carefully and that you understand which uses are allowed, and which are forbidden. Note: Shutterstock's licensing terms detailed here are for individual use. If you work with a team and want all the members to access your Shutterstock account and the downloaded videos, you need to contact the agency to discuss the possibility of an account with multi-seat support.

Buying Shutterstock Footage

If you liked what you read and you're ready to buy clips, all you have to do is to sign up for a Shutterstock account (and don't worry, it's free). Once you do this, you can explore the Shutterstock Footage offer by clicking on the main menu at the top of the homepage. In the Video segment, you can explore curated galleries, trending and modern content, and popular categories, as well as search footage based on keywords and narrow down results based on parameters like resolution, frame rate, aspect ratio, duration, number of people, among others.

Using your account, you can create lightboxes with the clips you are interested in (all for free), and of course, buy them when you're ready. But wait. If you would also want to maximize your budget, you can seize our special deal and save 15%% on your stock video purchases with our Shutterstock Coupon Code!

What Makes Shutterstock Cool

Shutterstock was amongst the first companies in noticing the rising popularity of video content in marketing, advertising, and other graphic or visual design purposes. Three years after their launch, in 2006, they introduced Royalty-Free stock footage to their offer, centered on the same premise of high quality and affordable pricing that is at the company's core. In the 15+ years since its introduction, Shutterstock Stock Video offer has grown to over 18 million video clips in varied image resolutions and formats, covering a wide range of themes, topics, and styles. In addition to their contributor-supplied content, which grows exponentially every month with the loading of fresh files, they also have great clips from high-profile video producer brands like Red Bull Media House and Associated Press as you can read in this and other related articles.

Innovation and Wide Tech Services for Shutterstock Footage Buyers

This company defines itself by its focus on customer experience. They aim at providing an elegant, flexible, and user-friendly service. For this reason, they invest a lot in user functionality, with many great improvements in the almost two decades their website has been live. Today, Shutterstock's interface works in multiple languages besides English, and they've added mobile apps for both buyers and contributors. One of their main additions to their site is a new search engine based on computer vision that we covered in this article, that boosts up search and discovery of images and videos in their library, as well as a whole Shutterstock AI platform that offers creative workflow solutions. Shutterstock's search function uses artificial intelligence to analyze images and videos in terms of visual composition and content, instead of just keywords. This technology allows them to find and display the best and more fitting matches for any search as well as to suggest better-matching similar content. But they also added a reverse image search feature, in which you can drag and drop an image in their search bar and the system finds matching results in their collection. This tool was extended to their mobile apps, and the company says it will be available for video soon. They also have Shutterstock Labs, a portal with different apps to boost up your work with digital imagery, which includes Sequence, a web-based, simple video editing tool where you can search, select and edit clips from the Shutterstock Footage collection. See it in action in this video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTYwn9O-x7s

Shutterstock Music

They have a stock music and sound effects collection to complement stock footage and video productions. You can use them in audio production projects, too. Shutterstock Music is a very large library with 13,500+ tracks and growing. And you can buy tracks on-demand by the item, or with the new Unlimited Music Subscriptions that give you all the downloads you want, from the entire music and SFX library, for a flat monthly or annual fee. A plus in the Unlimited Music offer is that if you go for the Premium plan, it includes a selection of thousands of PremiumBeat tracks –which are exclusive and very high-end–, also with unlimited downloads! All of this makes Shutterstock, in our opinion, a very good partner when it comes to creating video content easily and on the cheap. Their offer is one of the most complete around the web.

Buying at Shutterstock, Pros, and Cons

Shutterstock Videos: Frequently Asked Questions

These are some of the most common questions about Shutterstock video service, answered.

What is Shutterstock footage?

Shutterstock footage is the segment of Shutterstock dedicated to stock footage, which includes stock video clips, motion graphics, video effects, and more. You can find it on the top menu on Shutterstock's website.

Does Shutterstock have free videos?

Usually no. On special occasions, Shutterstock releases freebies that include free video clips or free video resources like motion graphics, backgrounds, and similar. But by general rule, Shutterstock videos are paid.

Is Shutterstock footage free?

No. Shutterstock footage is a paid service, and you have to pay for the right to download and use clips in your projects.

How much do videos cost at Shutterstock?

Depends on the buying method you use, and how many videos you buy in advance. By the unit, videos cost between $65 and $179 depending on the resolution. With video packs, the price per clip goes down to a minimum of $52 to $92. And with a video subscription, you can get videos for as little as $8.32 each.

Can I see my footage on Shutterstock?

You can sell your footage on Shutterstock: you sign up on their Contributor portal, submit your videos and if they are approved, they'll be up for sale in their collection. You earn a percentage for every sale.

Can I use Shutterstock videos?

Yes. When you pay for a license and download a Shutterstock video, you get the right to use said video in your projects. And the license is very flexible, so you can use them in multiple ways, both for commercial and personal purposes.

Where can I find stock video footage?

Shutterstock is a great place to find stock video footage. They have over 18 million videos in their library, so you are certain to find what you need, and it's all royalty-free, legal for commercial use, and very affordable.

Shutterstock Footage Review: Yes or No?

Despite the negative points in their offer, we think Shutterstock is a great and reliable option to buy stock footage. Their user-friendly and customer-oriented technologies add value to already good service. They have cheap prices and a simple buying process that saves you hundreds of dollars, millions of assets covering any imaginable topic, and edgy technologic tools to make it better, faster, and easier for you to find and use the clips you want. What's more to ask? If you want to buy stock footage clips to complement your audiovisual production projects, Shutterstock Footage is the place to go. And remember you can save 15%% on your purchases with our special Shutterstock Coupon Code.