# Free stock footage for commercial use: what the licences mean

> Free footage is safe for a commercial video when its licence allows commercial use and nothing in the frame needs a release. CC0 and public-domain clips need nothing; CC BY and NASA media need a credit line; CC BY-SA forces your whole video under the same licence; NC and ND licences rule it out. Separately, footage showing identifiable people, logos or insignia without releases is editorial-only: fine for news and documentary, not for ads.

Licensing guide, updated 2026-10-28. Which free stock video you can use in ads, client work and monetised videos: CC0, public domain, CC BY, share-alike, NC, NASA and editorial footage.

## Two questions, not one

Whether a clip can go into a commercial video depends on two separate things:

1. **The copyright licence.** Does the owner of the footage allow commercial use, and on what conditions (credit, share-alike, no changes)?
2. **What is in the frame.** Do identifiable people, logos, products, artworks or insignia appear, and were releases signed for them?

A clip can pass the first test and fail the second. NASA footage of astronauts is a good example: not copyrighted in the US, but NASA asks for permission before identifiable astronauts appear in ads. That is why every result here carries both a **verdict** and an **editorial** flag.

## The licences, from most to least permissive

| Licence | Commercial use | Conditions | Verdict here |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Public domain, CC0 | Yes | None | Commercial use OK |
| US federal government work | Yes | None in the US; trademarks and people still apply | Commercial use OK |
| NASA media | Yes | Credit NASA, no insignia, no implied endorsement | OK with credit, editorial |
| CC BY | Yes | Credit title, author, source, licence; note changes | OK with credit |
| CC BY-SA | Yes, but | Your whole video must carry the same licence | Restricted |
| CC BY-NC | No | Non-commercial only | Non-commercial only |
| CC BY-ND | In practice no | No adapted versions: trimming and grading inside an edit generally counts | Non-commercial only |
| Free stock site licences (Pexels, Pixabay…) | Yes | No reselling the clips as they are; rules about people | Read on the site |
| Paid stock | After you pay | Per clip or subscription | Needs a paid licence |

## What "commercial" means

Creative Commons defines non-commercial use as use "not primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation". In practice, treat these as commercial: ads and sponsored posts, client and agency work, product and marketing videos, monetised channels, paid courses, and anything made for a business. Personal projects, school assignments and non-profit educational screenings are usually not.

## Where free, commercial-safe footage comes from

- **Wikimedia Commons** only accepts free licences, mostly CC0, public domain, CC BY and CC BY-SA, and records the licence per file.
- **NASA** (the Image and Video Library and the Scientific Visualization Studio) publishes footage that is generally not copyrighted in the US, with credit and endorsement rules.
- **The Internet Archive** holds public-domain and Creative Commons films, but most licences there are set by uploaders, so they need checking.
- **Free stock sites** such as Pexels and Pixabay have their own free licences. They can't be searched automatically, so every search links to the same query there.

Turn on **Commercial-safe** in the search (or `commercial=true` in the API) to keep only the green verdicts, then check the editorial flag before you put a clip in an ad.

## Questions

**Does a monetised YouTube channel count as commercial use?**

For licence purposes, treat it as commercial: the video earns money. Creative Commons defines non-commercial as use not primarily intended for commercial advantage or monetary compensation, and many rights holders read monetised channels as commercial. Use clips that are cleared for commercial use.

**Is 'royalty free' the same as 'free'?**

No. Royalty free means you don't pay per view or per use after getting the licence, which may itself cost money. It also says nothing about credit, redistribution or editorial restrictions: read the licence.

**Can I use public-domain footage of a famous person in an ad?**

Copyright is only one layer. A person's right of publicity (or their estate's) and trademark law can still apply, so footage of a recognisable person in an ad needs their or their estate's permission even when the film itself is public domain.

**What if the source states no licence?**

Treat it as all rights reserved: you would need the owner's permission. Such clips get the 'check the terms' verdict here.

## Try it

- [Only commercial-safe clips: ocean waves](https://video.shep.bot/search?q=ocean+waves&commercial=true)
- [Commercial-safe timelapses in 1080p+](https://video.shep.bot/search?q=timelapse&min_resolution=1080&commercial=true)
- [Abstract backgrounds](https://video.shep.bot/search?category=background&commercial=true&q=abstract)

## Collections

- [Free ocean footage: waves, beaches and seas](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-ocean-footage.md): Free ocean stock video: breaking waves, beaches, coastlines and open sea, plus ocean science from NASA, with resolution, length and licence on every clip.
- [Free motion backgrounds and abstract loops](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-motion-backgrounds.md): Free motion backgrounds: abstract animations, particles, gradients and data-driven loops for titles, slides, stage screens and websites.
- [Free cloud timelapses: skies, storms and sunsets](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-cloud-timelapses.md): Free cloud and sky timelapse videos: racing clouds, sunsets, storms and fog for intros, transitions and backgrounds, with resolution and licence.

## Related guides

- [How to credit CC BY video in your own videos](https://video.shep.bot/guides/credit-cc-by-video.md): The credit line a CC BY clip needs (title, author, source, licence, changes) and where to put it on YouTube, social posts and client work, with examples.
- [Editorial vs commercial: model releases and logos in stock footage](https://video.shep.bot/guides/editorial-vs-commercial-footage.md): Why a free clip can still be editorial-only: model releases, property releases, logos and insignia, and how to tell if footage is safe for an ad.
- [NASA footage: what you can and can't do with it](https://video.shep.bot/guides/nasa-footage-rules.md): NASA video is generally not copyrighted in the US, but it comes with rules: credit, no NASA logo, no implied endorsement, astronauts in ads, partners.
- [Public-domain archive films (Prelinger) and how to use them](https://video.shep.bot/guides/prelinger-public-domain-films.md): Where public-domain archive footage comes from, why the Prelinger Archives differ from other Internet Archive uploads, and how to edit old film.

## Sources

- [Creative Commons: about the licences](https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/cclicenses/)
- [CC BY-NC 4.0 legal code, definition of NonCommercial](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode.en)
- [CC0 1.0 public domain dedication](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [USA.gov: government works and copyright](https://www.usa.gov/government-copyright)
- [NASA images and media usage guidelines](https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/images-and-media/)

This guide is practical information, not legal advice.

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Source: https://video.shep.bot/guides/free-stock-footage-commercial-use