How to Get Clips for Edits (Without Getting Copyright Claims)

The safest way to get clips for edits is to use footage you're allowed to post: your own recordings, free stock video sites with a clear license, public-domain archives, Creative Commons videos, or source files from a creator who hires you. Movie, TV and anime clips are easy to find but often get muted, claimed or taken down. If you want to get paid for editing, the footage usually comes from the creator you work for. This guide covers each source and what you can do with it.

This page is general information, not legal advice.

Quick answer: the safest places to get clips

Source	Cost	Can you post it?	Best for
Your own footage	Free	Yes, it's yours	Practice, portfolio, your own channel
Free stock video sites	Free	Usually, under each site's license	Faceless edits, B-roll, practice
Public-domain archives	Free	Usually, but check each item	Old film, historical footage
Creative Commons (CC BY) videos	Free	Yes, if you credit the creator	Practice, commentary, remixes
Files from a creator who hires you	You get paid	Yes, on their terms	Paid clipping work
Clipping campaign content kits	Free to join	Yes, under the campaign rules	View-based clipping
Movie, TV and anime clips	Free to find	Risky, often claimed	Private practice only

The first six give you a clear right to use the footage. The last one usually doesn't.

Free stock footage sites

Free stock sites let anyone download video and use it under the site's own license. Two big ones are Pexels and Pixabay. We read their license pages in November 2026. Both said you can use their videos for free, change them, and skip giving credit. Both also had limits:

• You can't sell or share the videos as they are, with no changes, for example on another stock site.
• You can't suggest that a person or brand in the video supports your product.
• Pixabay says you can't use videos that show a known brand or logo to sell goods or services.
• Pexels says you can't show people in the videos in a bad or offensive light.

Other free sites have different rules. Some ask you to give credit. Some ban use in ads. Read the license page before you download, and read it again now and then, because sites change their terms.

Stock footage works well for faceless channels, motivation edits, travel edits and B-roll. Music is a separate license. See royalty-free music for clips before you add a track.

Public-domain and Creative Commons videos

Public domain means no one owns the copyright anymore, or it was never owned. Old films and government footage are common examples. Online archives such as the Internet Archive hold a lot of it. Check the rights note on each item, because not everything in an archive is public domain. A new copy of an old film, with added music or color, can still be owned by someone.

Creative Commons is a set of free licenses. The owner keeps the copyright but lets you reuse the work on certain terms. On YouTube, uploaders can pick the CC BY license. You can find these videos with the Creative Commons search filter. CC BY lets you reuse the video if you credit the creator. YouTube suggests listing the title, the creator, the link and the license, for example "licensed under CC BY."

Two warnings. YouTube says it "can't grant you rights to use someone else's content," so a CC label is only as good as the uploader's right to give it. And don't rip CC videos with third-party downloaders. Look for a download link in the description, or ask the uploader for the file.

Movie, TV and anime clips

Movie, TV and anime clips are the most searched kind of footage for edits. They are also the riskiest. Studios register their films and shows with matching systems such as YouTube's Content ID. When your upload matches, the owner can mute it, block it, put ads on it and keep the money, or take it down. A takedown can also add a copyright strike to your account.

Many people believe these myths:

• "I only used 5 seconds." There's no safe length. Short clips get matched too.
• "I gave credit." Credit is not permission.
• "No copyright intended." Writing this doesn't change anything.
• "It's fair use." Fair use is a narrow legal defense, decided case by case. Most fan edits are not clearly covered.

Plenty of fan editors post edits anyway, and some never get a claim. That's luck, not a right to use the footage. If you want to edit movie clips, practice in private. For anything you post or show clients, use footage you have rights to.

Getting clips as a clipper

If you want to edit for money, you rarely have to hunt for footage. Clippers work in one of three ways:

1. The creator sends you the files. When a streamer, podcaster or YouTuber hires you, they share their raw videos or VODs through a link or cloud folder. You edit, deliver the clips, and they post them on their own channels. This is how fixed-pay clipping works on Kreatli Marketplace, and you can browse open clipping jobs to see what creators ask for.
2. A clipping campaign gives you a content kit. Some creators and brands run clipping campaigns that invite people to clip approved footage and post it on their own accounts. They usually pay per 1,000 views. Follow the campaign rules on which footage you can use.
3. You ask for written permission. If you want to clip a creator who hasn't hired you, ask first. A short email or DM saying what you'll clip and where you'll post it is enough to start. Our guide on whether you need permission to clip streams has a free template.

Working from the creator's own files also gives you better quality than a screen recording or a re-download.

Practice footage for your portfolio

New editors need something to practice on before anyone hires them. Good options:

• Record yourself. Talk to the camera about a topic for 60 seconds. It's the closest match to podcast and talking-head clips, a common kind of paid work.
• Edit your own gameplay or streams. You own the recording, and gaming highlights are a real niche.
• Use stock footage for faceless edits.
• Ask a friend with a podcast or channel if you can clip a few episodes.
• Use CC BY videos and credit the creator.

Label practice work honestly. "Practice sample: podcast clip with captions" is fine. Don't present it as paid client work. See how to build a portfolio before you have clients for what samples to make.

How to save and organise your clips safely

Keep a simple source log for every project. A spreadsheet with these columns is enough:

Column	Example
Clip name	gym-motivation-03
Source	Pexels
Link to the original	(page link)
License	Pexels license, no credit needed
Date downloaded	2026-11-03
Credit needed?	No

If a post ever gets claimed, the log lets you show where the footage came from and what license you used it under. It also helps clients trust you.

Only download from the source itself: the stock site's own download button, an archive's download link, or files the creator shares with you. Don't use third-party downloaders or screen recorders to copy other people's videos.

If you're working from YouTube videos, our guide on how to clip a YouTube video shows the right way, and how to become a clipper explains how to turn editing into paid work.

FAQ

Where can I get free clips for edits?

You can get free clips from stock video sites like Pexels and Pixabay, public-domain archives such as the Internet Archive, and Creative Commons videos on YouTube. Each has its own license, so read it before you post. Your own recordings are free too and carry no copyright risk.

Can I use movie clips for edits?

You can practice with them in private, but posting movie clips is risky. Studios use systems like Content ID to find their footage. Your edit can be muted, blocked or taken down, even if the clip is only a few seconds long and you gave credit. This is general information, not legal advice.

Do I need permission to use clips in my edits?

Yes, unless the footage is yours, in the public domain, or under a license that allows reuse, such as a stock site license or CC BY. Credit alone is not permission. For clips of streamers and creators, get written permission or work for them directly.

Where do clippers get their footage?

Most paid clippers get footage from the creator who hired them. The creator shares raw videos, VODs or podcast recordings through a link or cloud folder. Clippers in view-based campaigns use the footage the campaign approves.

What's the best footage to practice editing on?

Record yourself talking for a minute or two, or edit your own gameplay. That footage is yours, so you can post it and use it in a portfolio. It also matches the podcast and talking-head clips that many creators pay for.

Is it legal to download YouTube videos for edits?

YouTube's terms say you can't download videos unless YouTube itself offers a way to, you have written permission, or the law allows it. The copyright still belongs to the owner either way. Use stock footage, CC BY videos the uploader shares a file for, or files a creator sends you instead.