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Understand these terms before using free videos
    

Here is what you need to know before you start. The following terms will come up often when you go to free video sites. Read the terms and conditions of each site you try so that you know exactly when and what type of license and attribution is required.

What is Creative Commons?
Creative Commons is a non-profit organisation that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools. There are different types of Creative Commons licenses, ranging from allowing any type of use without attribution to allowing only certain uses without modification.

What is the public domain?
Public domain works are those whose copyrights have expired, been confiscated or are unenforceable. Just because something is on the internet does not mean it is in the public domain.

What is a royalty-free video?
Royalty-free videos are not necessarily free. In most cases, you will have to pay a one-off fee to obtain the rights to use the video. You can then use it as many times as you like. The word "free" in "royalty-free" only means that you do not have to pay royalties to the owner of the video every time you use it..     

Once you’ve got your free stock footage ready to roll, check out our 10-step guide to creating great social videos. And then don’t forget to track your social video stats to see just how it resonated with your audience

Pixabay

Pixabay offers over 2.3 million images and videos, all released under a simplified Pixabay License. All content on the site can be used for free, whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes, for print or digital. (Though certain downloads may specifically clarify “what is not allowed”.) You don’t need to get permission or give credit to the artist to use or modify the content, (but it’s still best practice to always credit the owner

Videvo

Videvo offers thousands of free stock video footage as well as motion graphics, music and sound effects created by their community of users.

The clips you download from Videvo will be licensed in a variety of different ways: some you may not be able to use for specific types of projects. There’s a complete breakdown here of all the difference license types, but here’s a quick summary:

  • Videvo Attribution License allows you to use a clip for free, but you have to credit the original author.
  • Clips with a Creative Commons 3.0 can also be used for free, with credit, and may be remixed or adapted.
  • Public Domain licenses mean that they’re yours to do with as you wish!

Pexels

Pexels began as a free photo site, but has since added a large library of free HD and 4K stock videos.

With Pexels’ license, all photos and videos can be used for free, and without attribution (though giving credit to the videographer is certainly appreciated). Videos are OK to be edited and modified however you like.

Videezy

Videezy offers a large collection of royalty-free video clips for personal and commercial use, but always be sure to check the specific licensing information for each clip to ensure that you can use the chosen video correctly.

You can choose from a wide variety of high quality video clips in HD and 4K resolution. When you search for videos, all results marked "Pro" are premium clips that are only available by paying with credits.

   

Coverr

Coverr offers thousands of free videos, which have been downloaded over five million times. All videos are in high definition and can be downloaded in MP4 format.
No need to register, no attribution required, just instant downloads of free video clips. Use these lovely clips in commercial or personal video projects, and copy or edit them as you like.

Clipstill

Each month, Clipstill makes a selection of its web-quality "cinemagraphs" available for free download. So it's well worth looking at and storing them for future use.
If you don't feel like waiting for the right footage to come along (and have a few dollars to spend), you can also sign up for unlimited downloads for a one-off fee of $49.

Vidsplay

There are new videos added every few weeks to the Vidsplay collection, which makes it a great resource for keeping your social video content fresh. And since it’s been around since 2010, there’s a huge backlog of older content to pursue, too.

You can download and use any video without paying royalties, although you do need to provide attribution

Mazwai

Mazwai describes its free stock footage and moving images as “hand-picked,” though it doesn’t really specify by who. But whatever mysterious forces are choosing the videos that wind up here for download, you’re going to get high-definition content that’s either licensed under the Creative Commons 3.0 license (use for whatever, just make sure to credit the author) or under the Mazwai License (use for whatever, no credit required).

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