Free images, video and music for YouTube: a licensing and copyright guide

Finding free images, video and music is easy; using them with the right license takes discipline. If you don't have the right to use something, your video can get a Content ID claim, lose its revenue and even earn your channel a copyright strike. This guide summarizes the license terms of the most-used sources. It is not legal advice; check each file's license on its own page.

Learn to read the license first

Image and video sources

Pexels. Allows commercial use of photos and videos; attribution isn't required (but is appreciated); you can modify them. Prohibited: selling unaltered copies, implying that people or brands in the imagery endorse your product, registering the imagery as a trademark or service mark, and showing identifiable people in an unflattering or offensive context (Pexels license).

Pixabay. The Pixabay Content License allows commercial use and modification without required attribution; but selling or distributing content on a standalone basis with no creative effort, using recognizable trademarks, logos or brands commercially, showing people in an immoral or illegal way and any misleading use are prohibited (Pixabay license summary). The page gives no assurance about YouTube Content ID or music-related claims; read the terms on a track's page before using the music.

Unsplash. You can use the photos commercially and modify them; attribution isn't required. Selling unaltered copies or compiling the images to replicate a competing service is prohibited (Unsplash license).

Wikimedia Commons. Very valuable for photos of real people, places and events, but each file has its own license. The file page states the license, author and attribution format. Licenses such as CC BY-SA require a modified work to be shared under the same license; public-domain and CC0 files have no legal attribution requirement but crediting the source is recommended. The Wikimedia Foundation gives no warranty on license accuracy; if you are unsure, don't use it (Commons reuse guide).

Music and sound effects

YouTube Audio Library. Found in YouTube Studio; it contains royalty-free music and sound effects. If you are in the YouTube Partner Program you can monetize videos with these tracks, and they won't be claimed through Content ID. Some tracks (those under a Creative Commons license) require you to credit the artist in the description; the "Attribution not required" filter avoids these. YouTube says only tracks from the Audio Library are known to it as copyright-safe and that it is not responsible for problems from "royalty-free" music from other libraries (YouTube Help).

Freesound. Sound effects uploaded by the community; each sound is licensed CC0, CC BY or CC BY-NC. Don't use CC BY-NC sounds on a channel that earns money; write attribution for CC BY sounds. Freesound's own FAQ notes that a Content ID match can usually be resolved by a dispute (Freesound FAQ).

Other music libraries. On platforms where the artist gives the license directly, keep the track's license document or page; if a Content ID claim arrives, that document is your evidence for the dispute.

When a Content ID claim arrives

1. Look at what the claim is (Studio > Content > Copyright). The claim may only send the revenue to the rights holder, or it may block the video.
2. If you have license documentation, dispute it: a screenshot of the track page, the download date and the license name may be enough.
3. If you don't have documentation, replace the track or edit the video.

How to write attribution

Follow the format in the license text; a general template:

Music: “Track title” by Artist (source link), licensed CC BY 4.0.
Photo: “Image title” by Author / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

For example, the music we use in Mecra's promo video is licensed CC BY 4.0 and the artist and source are credited on the page; you can follow the same approach in your own videos.

When you use AI and automation

A tool that fetches images automatically should take every image from sources whose license is verified and show the source with any image that requires attribution. Ask which sources it pulls from, how it verifies licenses and how it handles attribution (tool selection guide). Mecra shows a real photo, with its source, for a person, team or place named in a scene; generic visuals come from licensed sources such as Pexels.

Checklist

• [ ] I read each asset's license on its own page.
• [ ] Commercial use is allowed (not CC BY-NC).
• [ ] I wrote attribution in the description where required.
• [ ] I kept the license documentation for music.
• [ ] I didn't use images with people, logos or brands in a misleading way or one that implies endorsement.
• [ ] I didn't use questionable content.

Sources

• Pexels license
• Pixabay Content License summary
• Unsplash license
• Wikimedia Commons: reusing content
• YouTube Audio Library (YouTube Help)
• Freesound FAQ