How to Download and Purchase Stock Footage from Motion Places

Motion Places lets you browse royalty-free stock video collections, then license and download clips by purchasing a Motion Places Pro License. According to the site, licensing a clip through that license makes it available for both personal and commercial projects, and the download is instant once the license is purchased. This guide covers the browsing, licensing, and download flow, plus what to check before you commit.

What you can browse before buying

The homepage organizes footage into collections rather than a single undifferentiated library. The visible collection headings are location- and subject-based:

• Cities: Los Angeles, Paris, New York City, Seattle, London, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Chicago, Hong Kong
• Landmarks and scenery: Golden Gate Bridge, Venice, Skyscraper, Waterfall, Lake, Forest

The page also shows pagination (‹ Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next ›) and a "View more" link, so the collection extends beyond the first page of results. The site states the clips are high quality and available in 4K, which it frames as a way to confirm the footage is a good fit for your project before you license it.

Step-by-step: from browsing to download

1. Open a collection. Start from a collection that matches your subject — for example, "Paris Stock Video" if you need city footage, or "Waterfall Stock Video" for nature B-roll. Use the pagination controls to move through pages within a collection.
2. Preview the clips. The site's stated purpose for browsing in 4K is to check that a clip fits your project. Review the footage at this stage, since the licensing decision comes next.
3. Select the clip you want to license. The site describes licensing "any and all clips from this collection," so the unit of purchase is the individual clip rather than the whole collection.
4. Purchase a Motion Places Pro License. This is the step that grants the license for the clip. The site describes it as the way to "instantly license" clips from the collection.
5. Download the footage. The site states you can download the clip immediately after licensing, and that the licensed footage can be used in personal and commercial projects.

Expected result: you hold a licensed clip and a downloaded file you can use in personal or commercial work.

What the site does and doesn't tell you

Because price, payment methods, and the full license text aren't on the page, treat those as things to confirm at the point of purchase rather than assumptions.

Common sticking points

• "Royalty-free" is not the same as "no license needed." On Motion Places, royalty-free footage still requires purchasing the Pro License before download. Browsing is separate from licensing.
• Per-clip licensing. The site describes licensing individual clips from a collection, not buying a whole collection in one action. If you need several clips, plan for multiple licenses.
• Check the license terms before a commercial project. The page confirms personal and commercial use, but doesn't spell out restrictions. For client work or anything involving redistribution, read the actual license terms at purchase.
• 4K files are large. If you're downloading several clips, confirm you have the storage and bandwidth before starting.

Quick decision guide

• You need city or nature B-roll for a personal or commercial edit: browse the matching collection, preview in 4K, then license the specific clip via the Pro License and download.
• You need to know the cost first: the page doesn't list pricing, so check at the licensing step before committing.
• You need a clip you can redistribute or resell as stock: the page doesn't grant that, so verify the license terms rather than assuming.