# How to Credit a YouTube Video (Copy-Paste Formats)

Source: https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/how-to-credit-a-youtube-video/
Published: 2026-09-25
Updated: 2026-09-25
Author: Ema Zamboni, video editor (https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/about/)
Section: Credits and Rights (https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/)

**In short:** A YouTube credit names the video title, the creator or channel, and a link to the original, plus the license when the video is Creative Commons. Put it in your description, and on screen when the license or the platform expects it. B-ROLL writes a ready credit line into a .credits.txt file for every download.

## What should a YouTube credit include?

A YouTube credit names the title, the creator or channel, the link and, for Creative Commons, the license. Creative Commons calls this set TASL (Title, Author, Source, License), and it works for any clip you reuse, licensed or not.

- **Title**: the video title exactly as YouTube shows it. The [Creative Commons wiki](https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/Recommended_practices_for_attribution) says title is optional under 4.0 licenses, but it helps viewers find the original.
- **Author**: the channel name, or the person's name when the channel credits one.
- **Source**: the watch URL of the original video.
- **License**: "CC BY 4.0" for a Creative Commons video, or a note such as "used with permission".

A complete line reads: "Harbor at Dawn, Drone Footage" by Example Channel, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXXXXXXXX, CC BY 4.0. A credit is a courtesy or a license condition, never a substitute for permission: [does giving credit make it legal](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/does-credit-make-it-legal/) covers the myths behind that idea.

[Download B-ROLL for Windows](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/download/): free, Windows 10 and 11 today, macOS and Linux planned. No account, no ads.

## Which credit template fits each placement?

A description credit holds all 4 TASL parts with a clickable link, while an on-screen lower-third holds a name and little else. The table gives a template and a filled example for each placement.

| Placement | Template | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Description | "Title" by Creator, URL (License) | "Harbor at Dawn, Drone Footage" by Example Channel, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXXXXXXXX (CC BY 4.0) |
| On screen, lower corner | Footage: Creator | Footage: Example Channel |
| On screen, Creative Commons | Creator, CC BY 4.0 | Example Channel, CC BY 4.0 |
| End credits | Additional footage: Creator, "Title" | Additional footage: Example Channel, "Harbor at Dawn, Drone Footage" |
| Pinned comment | Sources: numbered list of description lines | Sources: 1. "Harbor at Dawn, Drone Footage" by Example Channel |

Credits in the description are the base layer, and the other placements add visibility on top. Keep the same "Credits" heading in every description so viewers and reviewers know where to look.

## What credit format should you use in a description?

A description credit is one line per clip under a heading such as "Credits" or "Sources", with the full URL so YouTube turns it into a link. Match the wording to the reason you are allowed to use the clip.

```text
Credits
CC BY: "Harbor at Dawn, Drone Footage" by Example Channel, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXXXXXXXX, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cropped from the original.
Used with permission: "City Timelapse" by Example Studio, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYYYYYYYYYY, used with permission of Example Studio.
Public domain: "Harbor Trade Film, 1937" by Example Archive, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVVVVVVVVVV, public domain.
Commentary excerpt: "Product Launch Keynote" by Example Company, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZZZZZZZZZZ, excerpt 12:04 to 12:31 used for commentary.
Own channel: "Behind the Scenes, Episode 2" by My Channel, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWWWWWWWWWW.
```

Note any change you made to a Creative Commons clip. The [CC BY 4.0 legal code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.en) requires you to indicate modifications, and a short phrase covers it: "cropped", "sped up", "color corrected", or "excerpt from 1:10 to 1:25".

The commentary line records what you used; it does not decide whether the use is allowed. Fair use and fair dealing are judged case by case, and a credit on its own does not make a use fair.

> **Note:** This is general information, not legal advice.

## How do you credit on screen?

An on-screen credit is a small text line over the clip, shown the first time the footage appears and held long enough to read. Keep it to the creator's name plus the license for Creative Commons footage.

YouTube Help, as of September 2026, lists [text overlay or voiceover inside the video](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2797468) as ways to credit a CC BY video. A lower-third in a corner of the frame, clear of captions and on-screen graphics, works for most edits. Read the credit aloud in a voice-over when the clip carries the story, the way a narrator names a source.

For many clips in a row, credit each one where it first appears, then list them all in the description. Do not repeat the on-screen line every time a shot returns.

## What does a Creative Commons credit need?

A CC BY credit needs the creator's name, a notice of the license, a link to the original and a note of any changes you made. The [CC BY 4.0 legal code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.en) lets you meet these conditions in any reasonable manner for your medium, so a description line with links usually carries them.

The legal code also asks for the copyright notice and the disclaimer notice when the creator supplied them, and for the license text or a link to it: add https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ after "CC BY 4.0". If the creator asks you to remove those attribution details, the license says you must, as far as reasonably practicable.

The difference between CC BY and the Standard YouTube License, and how to filter for Creative Commons videos, is on [Creative Commons on YouTube](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/creative-commons-on-youtube/). As of September 2026, YouTube offers only those two license types, with the Standard YouTube License as the default.

> **Careful:** Download only footage you have the right to use: your own uploads, Creative Commons, licensed or permitted material.

## How do you credit many clips at once?

The clearest credit format for a video with many sources is a numbered list: one TASL line per clip, in order of appearance, each with its timestamp in your edit. Viewers can match the list to the picture, and a reviewer can check a claim fast.

```text
Credits (timestamps refer to this video)
01:12 "Harbor at Dawn, Drone Footage" by Example Channel, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXXXXXXXX, CC BY 4.0
03:45 "City Timelapse" by Example Studio, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYYYYYYYYYY, used with permission
07:20 "Product Launch Keynote" by Example Company, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZZZZZZZZZZ, excerpt for commentary
```

B-ROLL builds most of that list for you. Each download gets its own `.credits.txt`, and every block also lands in a running `credits.txt` for the folder, with a "Credit (copy-paste)" line in the form "Title" by Creator, then the URL (the app writes a long dash before the URL). The file layout is explained in [automatic credit files for every YouTube download](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/features/automatic-creator-credit-files/).

Keep one download folder per project and that `credits.txt` becomes the source list for the whole edit. To turn it into a spreadsheet for a client, use the [video credits log](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/video-credits-log-template/). For a video essay with dozens of short excerpts, the [workflow to collect and track clips for a video essay](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/guides/video-essay-footage-workflow/) keeps the links and credits together from the first day.

## What are the common credit mistakes, and what if the credits file is missing?

The most common credit mistake is trusting the License line in B-ROLL's credits file without checking the video page. B-ROLL writes the license that yt-dlp reports, and when yt-dlp reports nothing the file says "Standard YouTube License", even if the page shows Creative Commons.

- **Missing credits file**: when B-ROLL cannot read the video details, for example behind a sign-in wall, it writes no credits file and shows no error. Load a fresh [YouTube cookies.txt](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/troubleshooting/youtube-cookies-txt/), download again, or write the line by hand from the video page.
- **Clip time ranges**: a clip's Source line is the full video URL without a timestamp. Add the range from the file name, such as `Interview [02-10 to 02-38]`, when you credit an excerpt.
- **"No copyright intended"**: phrases like this and "all rights go to the owner" grant nothing. Name the license or the permission instead.
- **Credit only in the edit**: a credit burned into the picture has no clickable link. Put the full line in the description as well.

More on licenses, fair use and permissions for editors is in [credits, licenses and fair use for YouTube clips](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/).

## How to credit a YouTube clip with B-ROLL's credits file

About 3 min.

1. **Download with Save credits on.** Download the video or clip in B-ROLL with Save credits (attribution) for each download switched on in Advanced options. The option is on by default.
2. **Open the credits file.** Open the .credits.txt file that B-ROLL saved next to the downloaded file, or the running credits.txt in the same folder.
3. **Check the license.** Compare the License line with the license shown on the YouTube video page. When the two differ, trust the video page.
4. **Copy the credit line.** Copy the line under Credit (copy-paste), or the Creative Commons line when one is present, and paste it under a Credits heading in your description.
5. **Add an on-screen or end credit.** Type the creator name from the Creator line as on-screen text or into your end credits when the placement calls for it.

## Frequently asked questions

Q: Where should the credit go?
A: The video description is the default place for a YouTube credit, because it holds the full line with a clickable link. Add an on-screen credit when a Creative Commons clip is prominent or the creator asked for one, and a line in the end credits for longer films. The Creative Commons wiki suggests crediting in more than one place when you can.

Q: Do I need to credit Creative Commons videos?
A: Yes. CC BY allows reuse only on condition that you credit the creator. The credit needs the creator's name, the license with a link to it, a link to the original and a note of any changes. YouTube Help asks for the title, author, source URL and license. The license types are explained in [Creative Commons on YouTube](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/creative-commons-on-youtube/).

Q: How do I credit a clip in a short or a reel?
A: Put a short on-screen line such as "Clip: Example Channel" over the shot, then the full credit line in the caption or description. In a feed, the on-screen line is the credit viewers see without tapping anything. Keep the complete title, link and license in the text field under the video.

## Sources

1. [Creative Commons wiki: Recommended practices for attribution](https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/Recommended_practices_for_attribution)
2. [Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, legal code](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.en)
3. [YouTube Help: License types on YouTube](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2797468)

---

B-ROLL is a free, donation-supported desktop YouTube downloader for video editors: it downloads videos, clips, playlists and channels, converts them automatically into edit-ready ProRes or DNxHR (or saves MP4, MKV, WEBM or audio), and includes built-in trimming, subtitles and automatic creator credit files. Part of [Credits, Licenses and Fair Use for YouTube Clips](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/) on the B-ROLL website. Download B-ROLL, free for Windows 10 and 11 (macOS and Linux planned): https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/download/