Auto b-roll

How to Add B-Roll to a Video Automatically on iPhone (2026)

B-roll is what separates a video that looks produced from one that looks like a webcam recording, but it is also where editing time secretly goes. Finding the right clip, dragging it onto the timeline, trimming it, and lining it up with what you are saying, ten times per video, quietly eats half an hour per post.

Wavcut removes that work. Your b-roll lives in an organized library inside the app, and Wavcut places it onto your clip automatically as a first pass, so you go from a blank timeline to a rough cut with b-roll already in place. You review and nudge a few moments instead of assembling every cutaway by hand, all on-device on your iPhone.

Quick answer

To add b-roll automatically on iPhone, keep your clips in Wavcut’s b-roll library and let it place them onto your talking-head or voiceover as a first pass. Instead of scrubbing the timeline and dragging each clip in by hand, you start from a rough cut with b-roll already placed and only fine-tune the moments you want to change.

How to add b-roll to a video automatically on iPhone with Wavcut

1
Build your b-roll library
Add your b-roll clips, filmed footage, stock, screen recordings, into Wavcut’s library so they live where you edit.
2
Import your main clip
Open the talking-head clip or voiceover you want to cut b-roll into.
3
Let Wavcut place the b-roll
Run the auto b-roll pass. Wavcut drops clips from your library onto the timeline at sensible moments as a first cut.
4
Review and nudge
Scrub the rough cut and adjust any b-roll moment, swap a clip, shift the timing, or remove one.
5
Export from your phone
Render straight from your iPhone, no watermark at 720p on the free tier.

The two b-roll problems: storage and placement

B-roll hides two separate time sinks. The first is storage: most creators scatter footage across the camera roll, cloud folders, and downloads, so editing starts with minutes of hunting and you forget half of what you have. Wavcut fixes this with a real b-roll library that lives inside the editor, so the "find the clip" step disappears.

The second is placement: deciding where each clip cuts in, dragging it onto the timeline, trimming it, and syncing it to your words. Do that repeatedly per video and it dominates your edit. Wavcut handles the first pass of placement for you and lets you adjust, which is one of the largest time savings in short-form editing.

Automatic placement, then you tweak

The goal is not to hand the whole edit to a machine. It is to skip the repetitive assembly. Wavcut drops b-roll in at sensible moments based on your settings, producing a rough cut you refine rather than build. You keep control over every cutaway, you just do not start from an empty timeline.

Combine automatic b-roll with automatic silence cuts and captions and you get a finished first pass in one pass: tightened pacing, styled subtitles, and b-roll already placed. What is left is a quick review, which is how a clip can go from camera roll to post-ready in about the time it takes to watch it.

Consistency through presets

Save how much b-roll you like and how often it should cut in as part of a preset, alongside your caption style and silence-cut sensitivity. Every future video inherits that behavior in one tap, so your edits stay consistent without rebuilding the look each time.

Because everything runs on-device, your b-roll and your footage stay on your phone. No upload, no server round-trip, and the whole shoot-edit-post loop stays on one device.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add b-roll to a video without a timeline full of dragging?

Keep your b-roll in Wavcut’s library and run the auto b-roll pass. Wavcut places clips onto your timeline as a first cut, so you start from a rough edit with b-roll already in place and only nudge the moments you want to change.

Where does the b-roll come from?

From your own b-roll library inside Wavcut, filmed footage, stock clips, screen recordings, product shots. You add clips once and they stay organized where you edit, ready to place automatically.

Can I control where the b-roll goes?

Yes. Auto-placement gives you a first pass, not a locked edit. Every b-roll moment is visible on the timeline and adjustable, so you can swap a clip, shift its timing, or remove it.

Does adding b-roll require uploading my footage?

No. B-roll placement runs on-device, so your library and your footage stay on your phone. There is no upload or render queue.

Can I reuse the same b-roll behavior across videos?

Yes. Save how much b-roll you want and how often it cuts in as part of a preset, and every future video applies it in one tap for a consistent look.

Does auto b-roll work for faceless and voiceover videos?

Yes. Placing b-roll over a voiceover is exactly the faceless workflow, and Wavcut can build that first pass for you from your library, then let you refine it.