Every editor should have a variety of video assets, plug-ins, presets, and music at their disposal. Build up your video editor toolbox with all these free assets and plugins. From overlays and LUTs that change the look of your image, to transitions and plug-ins to help you edit more effectively — here are over 1,000 free video assets you can use on nearly any project.
Free Overlays and Transitions
If you need to distort your footage or cover up some rough cuts with some smooth transitions, check out these free overlays and transitions. Overlays allow you to to change the look of your clips. You can add some glitch effects or a VHS look in an instant. You can use film grain overlays to make your video clips look like they were shot on film. You can even use the camera overlays to make it look like you’re in the action as it’s being recorded.
- 13 Free 4K Light Leaks
- Digital Distortion: Free Glitch Overlays
- Free VHS Footage Overlay
- 10 Free Film Grains
- Free Film Grain and Film Burns — Gorilla Grain
- 5 Free Camera Overlays
- 16 Free Colorful After Effects Transitions
- Free Split Layers Transition
- Andy’s Swish Transitions — FxFactory
- 16 Free Circle Transitions
- Space Wipes — FxFactory
- 352 Free Letterbox Templates
- DSLR Letterbox Masks — Indie Tips
If you like working with all these free overlays and transitions, consider one the many popular video packs over at RocketStock. If you find yourself needing many more transitions, the Stanza video pack includes over 200 pre-rendered video transitions.
If the digital distortion freebie gives you the glitch you need and makes you want more, check out the Corruption pack that includes 120 distortion elements and 20 SFX. If the 13 free light leaks add that simple touch of elegance, check out the Illuminate bundle of 120 4K light leaks. For the most authentic film look, the Emulsion pack is an overlay of actual film stock captured on real cinema cameras. These tools are designed to elevate your video projects with a simple drag-and-drop workflow.
Free Music & SFX
Need some free ambient music tracks to set the scene, or perhaps some high-octane sound effects to add an action-packed punch to your trailers? Check out these bundles of free music and SFX.
- Trailer Sound Effects Lite: 20 Free Epic SFX
- 15 Free Ambient Noise Tracks
- 10 Free Glitch SFX
- 30 Free Horror SFX
If you need some great royalty-free music tracks for your projects, be sure to check out the highly curated selections over at Shutterstock Music. You’ll find everything from heartbroken anthems to uplifting tunes. For more royalty-free tracks and a wide selection of SFX, check out the massive music and SFX libraries at PremiumBeat.com.
Free Plug-ins and Effects
For those video editors working heavily in After Effects, many of the best plug-ins come from Video Copilot.
- Free FX Console Plug-in for After Effects — Video Copilot
- Free Saber Plug-in for After Effects — Video Copilot
- Free Color Vibrance Plug-in for After Effects — Video Copilot
- Free Sure Target 2 Plug-in for After Effects — Video Copilot
- Free Copy to Clipboard Plug-in for After Effects — Video Copilot
- Free mLut Effect for Final Cut Pro X — MotionVFX
- Free Timecode 35mm 4-perf Effect for Final Cut Pro X — Alex4D
- Free Feature Overlays Effect for Final Cut Pro X — Alex4D
- 7 Free Deadpool Handheld Camera Shakes for Premiere Pro — VashiVisuals
- 40mm Anamorphic Filter for After Effects — VashiVisuals
- Andy’s Gradient Filter — FxFactory
- Andy’s Elastic Aspect — FxFactory
Free Color Grading LUTs, Looks, and Presets
Most video editors are not expert colorists, but many jobs now require editors to know how to handle color grading and color correction. Editors need to know how to correct things like white balance. Sometimes video editors may also need to come up with the final look in post. Many editors have turned to LUTs (look-up-tables) to get a specific look and then tweak it to their needs. For some quick color grades, check out these free LUTs, looks, and presets.
- 35 Free LUTs
- Hollywood Color: 14 Free Lumetri Looks
- Free DSLR Color Grading Presets for After Effects — Indie Tips
- 29 Free LUTs for Video
- 20 Free After Effects Color Presets
- 3 Low Contrast FCPX Color Board Presets — Noam Kroll
- Free GH4 Cine-D LUT — Noam Kroll
- Free Sony a7SII S-Log 3 LUT — Noam Kroll
Free Titles, Logo Reveals, Animated Typefaces, and Lower Thirds
Whether you need a powerful intro or outro, or some slick lower thirds for your documentaries, these free titles, logo reveals, animated typefaces, and lower thirds are must-have tools in your video editing kit.
- 24 Free 4K Lower Thirds
- 10 Free 4K Lower Thirds — Pulse
- Free Premiere Pro Cinematic Title Library
- Galaxy Battle Titles for FCPX and Motion — MotionVFX
- Movie Pop Blockbuster Title Recreations for FCPX — FXFactory
- Ribbon: Free Animated Typeface
- Franchise: Free Animated Typeface — Animography
- Mobilo: Free Animated Typeface — Animography
- Free Animations for Helvetica Neue
- 10 Free After Effects Typeface Templates
- 3 Free Animated Logo Reveals
- Click: 3 Free Logo Reveals
- Ironclad: Metallic Logo Reveal
- Hiro: Anime Logo Reveal
Free Assets
- Circle Bursts: Free Animated Shapes
- Shapes: 35 Free Drag-and-Drop Animated Assets
- Messenger: Free Smartphone Text Bubbles
- 20 Free Animated Icons
- Technicons: Free Animated Business Icons
Plenty of these great free video assets are from RocketStock.com, our home for exclusive After Effects templates and video assets for motion designers, filmmakers, video editors, and cinematographers. Be sure to visit their Freebies section for new free video assets every month.
Cover image by elenabsl.