It wasn't that long ago that aerial footage required renting a helicopter and camera crew, and that meant spending big to get a top-down video view.
Now, UAV's (unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones) are relatively inexpensive and produce high-quality video. You'd be hard-pressed to find a modern video with no drone footage. This footage is creating never-before-seen angles of scenes we're all now familiar with. The clip below is the perfect example of the type drone footage that can provide exposition for a production:
Even though drones are more widely used than ever, you won't always have the travel and equipment budget to produce the footage yourself. Luckily, you can source drone footage from talented cinematographer-pilots of Envato Elements. Let's learn more in this round-up.
How to Source Unlimited Drone Stock Footage
If video production is a part of your everyday work, you might need to source stock footage from time to time. And if you're buying stock footage regularly, you know how expensive it can be to purchase clip after clip.
That's where Envato Elements comes into play. Instead of paying for each and every clip, a single subscription will unlock a huge library of stock footage, including top-notch UAV clips you can use for flyover effects.
Even though Elements is a subscription-based model, the licensing is simple: as long as you enter a license use while subscribing, you retain rights to use the footage in the project even if you decide to cancel. In addition to stock footage, Elements is the perfect service for video producers thanks to the templates that you can use in popular video editing apps. Those templates can serve as the starting point for your next production. Mix and match templates with stock footage to create a polished video rapidly.
Here are a few round-ups where you'll see the best of Elements across top video apps:
Video20 Minimal Templates for After Effects
Video20 Top Templates to Make Great Videos in Final Cut Pro X
Video20 Top Business Slideshow Templates for Premiere Pro
15 Top UAV Shots (Drone Stock Footage)
The Envato Elements library is deep, so it helps to have a curated list of the top footage. The selections below are 15 of my favorite drone stock footage clips that you can use on your next project.
Let's check them out, and make sure that you play the preview! Then, click the item title to jump to Elements and download the clip for yourself.
1. Shanghai Skyline in the Morning
Take your viewer across China's largest city as the sun comes up with this clip.
2. Old Town With Classic Buildings
Set by the sea, this flyover footage combines the best of both worlds: historic architecture and a beautiful blue ocean view.
3. Modern Highrise Block of Flats
Fly past this modern highrise in a snowy scene with this 4k drone footage.
4. Town with Amazing Nature
This beautiful, lush footage set in Kiev brings together the beauty of nature and urban living, all from a drone's perspective.
5. Hong Kong Skyline and Victoria Harbour
This moody, dark shot really puts the viewer in the midst of the nightlife of Hong Kong and finishes over the beautiful Victoria Harbour.
6. Berlengas Island (Portugal)
Set in Portugal, this gorgeous cliffside shot features a light house at the summit, making it fit for many productions with a nautical feel.
7. Green Fields and Farms
This 4k footage of a field is almost mesmerizing and is flexible enough to be used in many productions that have an outdoor feel.
8. Aerial View of Plantation
This mountainside view of a plantation shows the beautiful arrangement of modern agriculture, with neatly arranged rows of trees and bushes. Use it to set the stage in a countryside, outdoor video.
9. Industrial Plant Aerial View
This 1080p footage features a flyover view of a countryside manufacturing area, including the active exhaust columns.
10. Winter Pine Forest and Snow Path
Winter is coming! And you can set the scene using this beautiful, top-down view of the a snowy forest and trail.
11. Winter Alps Valley Panorama
Here's the perfect follow-up to the prior clip, featuring a more mountainous flyby view of the Alps, set in Austria.
12. Wind Power Drone Footage
This beautiful clip puts you so close to the wind turbine that you can practically feel like the breeze!
13. Highway Drone Footage
Making a video about transport or infrastructure? This highway drone footage might be the perfect fit.
14. Clear Blue Sea and Villas
This footage from Crete has all the makings of spurring an impulse vacation, thanks to the crystal clear sea and beautiful villas.
15. Agricultural Field
Rounding out our selections, here's another great video that focuses on acgriculture and wildlife from an aerial view.
Pay-As-You-Go Drone Footage on Envato Market
Know exactly the drone footage you're looking for? Envato Market might be the more frugal choice for your next project. Instead of paying for an all-you-can-download subscription to Elements, Market allows you to pay for individual clips (with unlimited use for all future projects).
More UAV Footage Resources
The drone footage trend is here to stay. Inexpensive, high-quality UAV's are producing angles and perspectives that haven't existed in the past. Want to learn more about the art of using drones for video? Check out our resources below.
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