Add media (B-roll)

Media lets you replace your screen recording with an image or video clip for part of your Tella video — what video editors call B-roll. Use it to cut to a product screenshot, a stock video, a diagram, or an AI-generated visual while your camera keeps you on screen.

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What you can use as media

Anything you put in the Media slot of a layout becomes your B-roll for that section. You have three sources:

• Upload — drop in an image (PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF) or a video file (MP4, MOV, WebM, etc.) from your computer.
• Media library — pick from media you’ve uploaded or generated before. Items are organized into Personal (only you) and your Workspace library (shared with teammates).
• Generate with AI — describe what you want and Tella generates an image for you. You can attach a reference image to steer the look.

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Add media to a layout

Every layout section has two slots — Screen (the main panel) and Camera (the bubble) — and each slot has its own source. You can put media in either slot, so B-roll works on any clip: two-track recordings, screen-only clips, camera-only clips, and uploaded videos.

1. Open your video in the editor and select the clip you want to work on.
2. Move the playhead to where you want the cut to media to start, then click Add Layout in the Layouts panel. This creates a new section on top of the base layout. (See Multi-layouts for more on adding sections.)
3. With the new section selected, open the Customize panel in the sidebar. You’ll see a Screen section and a Camera section, each with its own Source dropdown.
4. Pick which slot you want the media in and switch its Source to Media:
   • Screen → Media — media fills the main panel (classic B-roll). Your camera recording, if present, stays in the bubble alongside it.
   • Camera → Media — media takes over the bubble while your recording in the main panel keeps playing. Use this for inset visuals like a reaction GIF, a logo, or an illustration over your demo.
5. The Media row appears. Click Browse media to open the Media Library and pick an item, upload a new one, or generate one with AI.

That section of your video now shows the media in the slot you picked, while the rest of the layout — your camera, background, borders, and so on — stays the same.

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On camera-only or screen-only clips

The same two-slot controls apply when your clip has only one recording:

• Camera-only clip — set Screen → Media to cut to a full-frame visual with your camera tucked into a bubble, or set Camera → Media to keep yourself on camera with media floating beside you.
• Screen-only or uploaded clip — set Screen → Media to fully replace the screen, or Camera → Media to add an inset bubble of media over your screen recording.

When you add a B-roll section to a single-recording clip, Tella switches the layout to a two-slot style (like Camera Bubble or Side-by-side) so both slots have somewhere to render. Pick a different style from the Style picker any time.

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Audio during media sections

Your microphone audio keeps playing during a media section — swapping in media doesn’t remove your voiceover. Audio from any recording whose video is hidden (e.g. a screen recording displaced by full-frame media) also keeps playing, so system audio doesn’t drop out unless you set that slot to None. If the media file has its own sound (e.g. a video clip with audio), it’s mixed in on top of your voice. To balance or mute it:

1. Select the media section in the editor.
2. Open the Audio panel in the sidebar and expand Advanced audio settings.
3. Adjust Media volume (this layout) — drag it to zero to fully mute the media’s sound.

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The Media Library

Clicking Browse media opens the Media Library panel. From here you can:

• Search — type to filter by name across your Personal and Workspace libraries.
• Upload — drop files into the panel or use the upload button. Each upload is added to your Personal library by default.
• Move between Personal and Workspace — drag a tile from one section to the other to share it with your workspace, or pull it back to keep it private.
• Reorder — drag tiles within a section to put your most-used media at the top.
• Rename, download, or delete — open the tile’s menu (three dots) to manage existing items.

Items in your Workspace library are visible to everyone in your workspace and stay available across all of your videos.

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Generate media with AI

At the top of the Media Library panel, the Generate section lets you create an image with a prompt:

1. Describe what you want in the prompt box, e.g. “a soft pastel gradient with abstract shapes” or “a person typing on a laptop, warm lighting.”
2. (Optional) Click the photo icon at the bottom-left of the prompt box to add a reference image. Tella uses it as visual inspiration. You can upload a PNG, JPEG, or WebP up to 10 MB. The selected reference image appears as a thumbnail inside the prompt composer — click the × to remove it. Use the ⋯ menu next to the photo icon to pick Current image as reference and iterate on whatever’s already in the slot.
3. Click Generate. The new item appears as a placeholder while it’s processing and turns into a real tile when it’s done.

Generated media is saved to your Personal library so you can reuse it in other videos.

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Combine media with layout styles

Media works with all of Tella’s layout styles, so you can stage it however you like:

• Camera Bubble — your media (or screen) fills the frame with the other slot as a small bubble in a corner.
• Side-by-side — the two slots split the frame.
• TV Presenter — one slot takes the spotlight with the other floating alongside.
• Screen only / Camera only — show just one slot, full-frame.

Pick the style from the layout picker just like you would for any other layout. Each slot’s Source and the media you’ve picked stay attached as you switch styles, so you can experiment freely. If you choose a single-slot style, the other slot’s source switches to None automatically; switching it back to Recording or Media restores the slot.

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Use media across multiple sections

Because each layout section has its own sources, you can cut between camera and different B-roll throughout a clip. A common pattern:

1. Start the clip on your base layout (just you and your screen recording).
2. Add a section, set Screen → Media, and pick a product screenshot.
3. Add another section later in the clip — this time try Camera → Media for a quick inset cutaway over your screen.
4. The base layout continues between sections, so you cut back to yourself in between.

Transitions between sections work the same as for any multi-layout video — see Multi-layouts for how to adjust them.

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Auto Layouts and media

Auto Layouts can add image B-roll automatically based on what you’re saying. When you generate auto layouts, Tella may insert media sections with AI-generated images that match the content of your clip. You can swap, regenerate, or remove any of these the same way you’d edit any other media section.

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Tips

• Match your aspect ratio. Tella will fit your media to the layout’s frame, but media shot or generated in the same orientation as your canvas (landscape, portrait, square) looks best.
• Keep B-roll short. Cutting to media for 2–5 seconds at a time keeps the pace lively.
• Reuse media across videos. Anything in your Personal or Workspace library is available in every video — no need to re-upload or re-generate.