Artbeats clip collections: Artbeats delivers impressive royalty-free content.(Royalty-Free Stock Footage)

Many situations can require the use of stock film and video footage, and many sources from which to acquire it exist. Few companies, however, offer the wealth, breadth, and quality of selections provided by Artbeats.

Established in 1989, Artbeats quickly made a name for itself by providing affordable, high-quality, royalty-flee still images; and in 1996, it added royalty-free video footage to its product line. Soon after, Artbeats released the first high-definition, royalty-free stock collection. Today, with well more than 200 royalty-free stock footage collections from which to choose, including 61 in high definition, Artbeats is a video producer's best friend. Whether you need NTSC or PAL, SD or HD, Artbeats should be on your shortlist of vendors.

Artbeats offers royalty-free footage on a wide range of subject matter, from high-definition cityscape aerials to African animals to time-lapsed flowers. Its original source material is shot on 35mm film, 16mm film, or HD-CAM, or is computer-generated; and, its V-Line products contain footage from various sources, including DV, Digi-Beta, and Betacam SP. Each file goes through a preparation process to remove flaws and for color correction. The final clips are delivered on CD or DVD in QuickTime format (NTSC 720x486, PAL 720x576, and HD 1920x1080 pixels at 30 fps), accompanied by a full-color reference sheet with thumbnails, file numbers, and clip duration information.

When bringing the clips into a 720x480 non-linear editor (NLE), you'll need to allow the NLE to scale the clip or you'll have to crop it. If you choose to crop the clip, make sure to do so while maintaining the lower field first. Because most NLEs support QuickTime importation, format shouldn't be a problem. Just in case, every Artbeats collection ships with a converter that will translate the QuickTime file to a Targa sequence; or, you can use QuickTime Pro. The CD sleeves and reference sheets are three-hole punched to make organizing in binders a breeze.

Visitors to Artbeats' Web site are able to browse the Artbeats collections by category, volume name, or keyword search. Using the keyword search field, you also can specify category or format. There's a lot of footage to go through, so be prepared to spend some time on the Web site. Alternatively, after registering for a free account on the Artbeats site, you can request a free demo DVD with which you ...