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How to download Creative Commons videos

Updated

Creative Commons (CC) licences let creators share their work so others can copy and reuse it, on certain conditions. That makes CC and public-domain videos a great fit for lessons, presentations, research and remixes. Here's how to find them, check them and save them.

Where to find openly licensed videos

  • Wikimedia Commons: a large library of freely licensed media, each with its licence on the file page.
  • Internet Archive: public-domain films, lectures and recordings, many with a licence noted on the item page.
  • Video platforms: some let creators mark uploads as Creative Commons. Look for the licence in the description or details.
  • Openverse: a search engine for openly licensed works.

Check the licence before you download

Every CC licence asks you to credit the creator. Some add more conditions:

  • BY: credit the creator. That's it.
  • SA (ShareAlike): if you change it and share it, use the same licence.
  • NC (NonCommercial): no commercial use.
  • ND (NoDerivatives): share it as it is, without changes.
  • CC0 / public domain: no conditions, though a credit is still kind.

Check the licence on the original page, not a re-upload: someone re-sharing a video doesn't make it theirs to license.

Save it with VidNabbit

  1. Copy the address of the page with the video.
  2. Paste it into VidNabbit and press Nab it.
  3. Pick a format. MP4 720p is a good default for classrooms; pick Best if you'll edit it. See formats and quality.
  4. Download the file within about 1 hour, before the link expires.

Credit the creator

A good credit follows the "TASL" pattern: Title, Author, Source (a link) and Licence (with a link to it). For example:

"Ocean Waves at Dawn" by Jane Doe, from Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 4.0.

Put the credit near where the video is used: in the slide, the description or the end credits.

Keep reading

Ready? Paste a link and nab it.