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Add free, public-domain film shots to your video from the Vintage videos section of Overlay in the editor sidebar. You can also pick them from Browse → Vintage videos in the media library to use one as B-roll in a layout. The shots come from public-domain films from the Internet Archive, NASA, Open Beelden, the Library of Congress and Wikimedia Commons.

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Where to find vintage videos

  1. Open your video in the editor.
  2. Open Overlay in the sidebar, or press V.
  3. Scroll to the Vintage videos section.
The section shows a row of featured shots and a set of topics, such as Space, Cities, Cars, and Trains.

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Add a vintage video as an overlay

  1. Move the playhead to where you want the shot to appear, or select a time range.
  2. In Vintage videos, click a featured shot to add it right away.
  3. To see more, click Browse all, a topic, or the search button (Search vintage videos).
  4. Click a shot to add it.
Tella places the shot on top of your recording at the playhead, the same way as any other media overlay. The library closes once the shot is placed.
Hover over a shot to play a preview inside its tile. Each tile in the full library shows how long the shot is.

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Search for a vintage video

In the full Vintage videos library, type in the search box in the header to look through film titles and descriptions. Click a topic to search for it, and click it again to clear the search. Scroll down, or click Load more, to see more results. You can also type in Search overlays at the top of the Overlay panel. Matching shots appear under Vintage videos alongside text styles, stickers, and sounds.

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Use a vintage video in a layout

Use a media layout when the shot should replace your screen recording for part of your video.
  1. Open your video and click Layout.
  2. Select a time range or layout section, then choose a Media layout. You can also open Customize layout and change Screen or Camera to Media.
  3. In the media library, click Browse, open its menu and choose Vintage videos.
  4. Pick a topic or search, then click a shot.
Tella adds the shot to the current video’s library and puts it in the layout section you had selected. Vintage videos is also under Browse when you click Browse all in the Media section of Overlay.

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Edit a vintage video after adding it

A placed shot is an ordinary video. Trim it, resize it, fade it in and out, or put it behind you just like any other clip. See Add media overlays or Add media (B-roll).

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Why can’t I add a vintage video?

If a shot can’t be added, Tella shows Could not add that item. Try another shot, or try again in a moment. If the library shows Vintage videos are unavailable right now., the library couldn’t load. Reopen it later.

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Use vintage videos from the API or an AI agent

The Media library API and the MCP server’s library tools can search vintage shots and bring one into Tella, so the editor agent, another AI agent, or a script can place them in your videos.
Last modified on October 28, 2026