Why talking-head videos need B-roll and sound
A face on screen for three minutes is hard to watch, even a friendly one. Editors keep it moving with three layers:
- B-rollPictures and clips over your voice. They hide cuts and show what you're talking about.
- MusicA quiet bed under your voice that sets the mood and smooths the cuts.
- Sound effectsSmall accents on a cut or a new picture, so the edit feels deliberate.
In the EasyPrompter video editor each one has its own track, around the Main video track with your takes. If you haven't cut your takes yet, start with how to edit a talking-head video.
Step 1: Put your files in Your videos
Everything the editor uses comes from Your videos. Gather your B-roll, music and sounds there first: in the web app, open Your videos from the tools next to your script and press Add files. In the iPhone, iPad and Mac app, add them from Photos or Files.
- B-roll: phone clips, screenshots, product photos, slides saved as pictures, logos.
- Music and sounds: MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC or OGG files you have a license for.
The editor lists Your videos at the top of the Media tab. Press the refresh button there if you added something while it was open.
Step 2: Add B-roll over your words
Move the playhead to the word the picture goes with, then press B-roll under the picture or clip in Your videos. It lands on the B-roll track at the playhead, drawn over your take, while your voice keeps playing.
- Drag its edges until it lasts as long as the idea: 3 to 6 seconds is usually right.
- Place B-roll over a jump cut and nobody sees the cut.
- A picture that doesn't fill the frame? Use Scale or Crop in its Transform tab.
Step 3: Smooth it with transitions
A picture that pops in and out is fine for a fast video. For a calmer one, open the Transitions tab on the left and drag a transition onto the start or the end of a B-roll clip.
Keep to one or two kinds of transition per video. A short Crossfade almost always works; Dip to Black marks a new chapter.
Step 4: Add music
Move the playhead to the start and press Music under your music file in Your videos. It lands on the Music track. Trim its end where your video ends.
Pick music without words: lyrics fight with your sentences. Match the mood: calm piano for advice, something brighter for a product launch.
Step 5: Set the music under your voice
Music that fights your voice is the most common mistake in talking-head videos. Select the music clip and open its Audio tab:
- Volume: start around 15 to 20% and listen. You should notice the music when it stops, not while you talk.
- Fade in over a second or two at the start, and Fade out over two or three at the end.
- Audio Ducking lowers the music further while you talk and brings it back up in the pauses.
Check the balance in Sound levels, above the timeline.
Step 6: Add sound effects
Press Sound effects under a sound in Your videos to put it on the Sound effects track at the playhead. Good places for one:
- A whoosh just before a B-roll picture appears
- A pop or a click when a chart, a logo or a word lands
- A ding on the call to action
Less is more: three or four in a minute is plenty, and keep them quieter than your voice.
Step 7: Add a title
Many people watch without sound. A short title on each new idea helps them follow. Open the Text tab on the left, add a title at the playhead, then type it and set its font, colors, position and animation on the right.
Step 8: Make music, sound effects and B-roll with AI
No music, no sounds, no pictures? Make them in the editor. Open the AI Generate tab on the left. Every button shows its price in credits before anything is made, and if something fails, the credits come back.
Music
Pick a style (Corporate, Lo-fi, Cinematic, Acoustic, Electronic or Calm), add your own touch if you like (“slow build, no drums”) and press Make music. It takes about a minute. The track is made as long as your video and lands on the Music track at the start. Then set its level as in step 5.
Sound effects
Under Sound effect, describe it in a few words, such as “a soft whoosh” or “a cash register ding”, and press Make sound. It lands on the Sound effects track at the playhead, so park the playhead on the cut first.
B-roll from your words
Save your take to Your videos first: the AI listens to it to find where pictures help.
- Under B-roll from your words, pick the take, how many shots (Fewer, Some or More) and a look: realistic photo, cinematic, flat illustration, 3D render, minimal or retro film.
- Press Plan B-roll. EasyPrompter writes out what you say and suggests a picture for each moment that needs one.
- Read the plan. Change what a shot shows, or untick the ones you don't want.
- Press Make. Each still lands on the B-roll track at its moment, for its length, and is saved in Your videos.
Pick the model for the stills and for moving clips before you press Make: Fast · Z-Image Turbo is the cheapest, the others add detail or follow your words more closely, and each one shows its price.
Want motion? Select a still, choose the clip length (5 or 10 seconds, 15 with some models) and press Make it move: the clip replaces the still, in place. It takes one to three minutes.
Credits
AI Generate is paid with credits, which Pro members buy in the editor: 900 credits for €9 or 10,000 for €99, VAT included, paid once with Stripe. Credits don't expire. Tick the consent box to buy: you get a full refund within 14 days if you haven't used any credits from the pack.
| What you make | About |
|---|---|
| A music track, up to about 3 minutes | 60 credits |
| A longer music track | 170 credits per started minute |
| A sound effect, up to 5 seconds | 3 credits |
| Planning B-roll from a take | 10 credits per started 3 minutes of take |
| A B-roll picture | 3 credits (Z-Image Turbo), 20 (FLUX.2 Pro), 35 (GPT Image 2, Nano Banana 2), 45 (Nano Banana Pro) |
| A moving clip, per 5 seconds | 45 credits (Seedance), 60 (H3 Max Turbo), 100 (Kling 2.5 Turbo), 140 (Gemini Omni Flash), 190 (Kling 3.0 Pro) |
AI-made files are marked as AI-generated inside, and count towards your 10 GB like any other file.
Frequently asked questions
What is B-roll?
Any picture or clip that shows something other than you while you keep talking: the product, a screen, a place, a chart. It hides cuts, keeps the eye busy and shows what words can't.
Where do I find B-roll, music and sound effects?
Your own phone clips, screenshots and product shots are the best B-roll. For music and sounds, use a stock library you have a license for, or the free libraries the platforms offer. Add the files to Your videos and they're in the editor.
Can I use any music I like?
Only music you have the right to use. A track you bought to listen to isn't licensed for your videos, and platforms may mute it or block the video. Stock libraries and the platforms' own music libraries are the safe choices.
How loud should background music be?
Much quieter than you think: start around 15 to 20% and turn Audio Ducking on, so it dips further while you talk. You should notice the music when it stops, not while you speak.
Can the editor make music and B-roll with AI?
Yes, in the AI Generate tab: music in a style, as long as your video, sound effects from a few words, and a B-roll plan from what you say, which you check before the pictures are made. It's paid with credits: 900 for €9 or 10,000 for €99, and every button shows its price first.
Can I put text on screen too?
Yes. The Text tab adds titles, which you can style and animate. A short title on each new idea works like B-roll for viewers who watch without sound.
Give your next video a soundtrack
Open the video editor in EasyPrompter, add your B-roll and music from Your videos, and export.