If you watch a lot of educational videos, you might notice that the best ones use a rich assortment of sounds, photos, and footage. And if you want to do the same, you might wonder where to start. Where does a history creator find that 1940s newscast that’s just right for their piece? Where do science creators get vivid images of amoebas or the cosmos? 

This article will share some of the places to start looking, but know that there are countless options to choose from. Some are free, others require subscriptions, and some might involve sending someone an email and trying to negotiate a licensing fee.

It’s important to understand basic copyright laws wherever you’re creating. Paid services can help you skip some of that hassle, and give you some peace of mind about what you can use and how you can use it. 

What is stock?

Stock footage, photos, and sounds are used to describe any existing media that creators are not recording or creating themselves. Stock media often portrays generic situations useful to creators, like “man smiling while using a phone,” or “New York City at night.” But it can also be far more specific, and include historical recordings and photos, which are often called archival media. While licensing some stock might be a complicated and expensive process, many services exist today that provide royalty-free stock options for creators. 

General stock 

For creators regularly looking for a source that will have everything from the generic (man laughing) to hyper-specific (a close-up for a solar flare), access to a stock library is an invaluable tool. Unlike other options we’ll get into later, stock libraries usually require a monthly subscription.

Storyblocks, for instance, gives creators access not just to photo and video, but also a library of music and sounds. If you’re looking for “birds chirping in a park,” dramatic movie trailer sound effects, or smooth jazz, Storyblocks likely has it. Their plans start at $15/month, which is a little cheaper than some of their competitors. Descript subscribers can use Storyblocks for free, right in the Descript editor, as well as images from Unsplash.

Envato similarly offers videos, photos, music and sound effects. Like Motion Array, there are also animation and graphic templates. Plans start at $16.50 a month.

Shutterstock is known for their still images, but also includes video and sound. Shutterstock allows you to buy individual assets, if you don’t want to shell out for a subscription. But their subscriptions are a little more complicated, with separate plans for music, images, and videos.

Ultimately, you’ll want to browse around any of these libraries before committing to a subscription. Trying searching for assets you’re likely to need, or topics you cover. 

If you’re on a really tight budget, you can try searching through Creative Commons media on Flickr and YouTube. Sometimes you get lucky, and find a library of 100,000+ plant illustrations for all your botanic content needs.

Sounds and music

While many general stock libraries include music, some may want a separate subscription just for music and sound effects. Or, for podcasters, a library that focuses on audio might be preferable.

Many creators prefer subscriptions like Epidemic Sound, which starts at $9.99 a month. One feature unique to Epidemic Sound is the ability to search by reference tracks. That is, you can search for royalty-free tracks that sound like a track you might not be able to license.

Blue Dot Sessions offers a subscription for minimalist acoustic music. It’s a little pricer, at $50 a month, but offers creative commons licensing for newer creators who are not monetizing their projects.

If you’re looking for more free resources consider Freesound.org which has a library of over 600,000 music tracks, sounds, and sound effects. YouTube has a free music library, perfect for scoring a video, as does Pond5, which is another all-around stock subscription service.

Some creators also like to browse free-to-use music on SoundCloud.

Archival content

Historical media can bring the past to life for any podcast or video. Hearing a scratchy recording of a historical figure immerses your listener in the past.  Documentaries often employ specialized archival producers who have spent years acquainting themselves with special collections and resources, but here’s a few to get you started.

The Library of Congress has extensive digital collections of audio, video, photographs, and manuscripts. It’s a great resource, especially if you’re looking for any historical content produced by a government agency.

Wikimedia Commons is the sister project of Wikipedia and warehouses files that are public domain or freely available to use. It’s often best when searching for still photos, and especially helpful for any science creators who are looking for photos of the microscopic world or the cosmos, as well as helpful graphs for popular principles.

NASA is an invaluable resource for science creators, with a rich library depicting the cosmos as well as individual NASA missions.

Archive.org is the workhorse of many internet sleuths. Creators can find millions of free-to-use sounds, images, and videos, and browse special collections like old television commercials. 

Newspapers.com is an incredible tool for anyone who wants to include headlines and news coverage from the past. It does require a subscription, though creators may be able to browse for free through their public library.

News archives

Many news organizations maintain digital archives. Those include C-SPAN and CNN, Getty, and the AP. A comprehensive news archive is also housed at Vanderbilt University, although creators have to request specific items. 

Museums

Many museums are also digitizing their collections and may allow creators to use certain assets. The Smithsonian, for instance, has digitized over 35,000 books. The Rijksmuseum lets users browse over 800,000 works of art.

For archival in general, the best option for creators is to understand what resources exist in their specific niche. Museums, government agencies, and local media are all good places to start.