Video Credits Log: Track Every Clip's Source and License
In short
A video credits log is a per-clip record of title, creator, source link, upload date, license and credit line, started on day one, not at delivery. B-ROLL fills most of it for downloads: a .credits.txt beside each file and a running credits.txt per folder. You add where each clip sits in the edit.
On this page
What is a video credits log?
A video credits log is a project document that lists every clip you did not shoot, one row per clip. A credits log records title, creator, link, upload date, license and credit line for every clip.
Start the credits log the day you save the first file. At export, a link you never wrote down is hard to find again, and a re-upload can hide the real creator. The log answers the questions that arrive late: what goes in the end credits, what the client needs for clearance, and where a disputed shot came from.
The credits log is the record behind your credits, not the credit text itself. Wording for descriptions and end credits is in how to credit a YouTube video with copy-paste formats.
Which fields should a credits log have?
A credits log needs nine fields: Title, Creator, Channel, Source, Uploaded, License, Credit line, Project use and Permission on file. The first seven match the lines of B-ROLL’s credits file, so a download fills them without typing.
The table gives each field an example, a reason and whether B-ROLL fills it for a YouTube download.
| Field | Example | Why it matters | Filled by B-ROLL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Harbor at Dawn, Drone Footage | Names the work in every credit | Yes |
| Creator | Example Channel | The person you credit and would ask for permission | Yes |
| Channel | https://www.youtube.com/@examplechannel | Contact route, and a check that uploader and creator match | Yes, when yt-dlp returns it |
| Source | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXXXXXXXX | The link a client or rights holder can verify | Yes |
| Uploaded | 2025-05-17 | Separates the original from later re-uploads | Yes, when yt-dlp returns it |
| License | Standard YouTube License | Decides whether you need permission at all | Yes, as yt-dlp reports it; check the video page |
| Credit line | “Harbor at Dawn, Drone Footage” by Example Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXXXXXXXX | The exact text you publish, written once | Yes |
| Project use | Edit 03:12 to 03:20, source 02:10 to 02:38, cropped | Which part you used and what you changed | No, you add it |
| Permission on file | Email from creator, 2026-09-20, online use only | Proof and scope of a permission or paid license | No, you add it |
Project use exists because Creative Commons asks for more than a name. The Creative Commons wiki on attribution recommends title, author, source and license (TASL) in every credit, and a note when you modified the work, such as “Cropped from original”.
Copy the header row into a new spreadsheet, or save both lines as a .csv file and open it in any spreadsheet app:
Title,Creator,Channel,Source,Uploaded,License,Credit line,Project use,Permission on file
"Harbor at Dawn, Drone Footage",Example Channel,https://www.youtube.com/@examplechannel,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXXXXXXXX,2025-05-17,Standard YouTube License,"""Harbor at Dawn, Drone Footage"" by Example Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXXXXXXXX","Edit 03:12 to 03:20, source 02:10 to 02:38, cropped","Requested 2026-09-20, awaiting reply"How do you keep a credits log up to date?
Keeping a credits log current takes two entries per clip: the source fields when you save the file, and Project use when the clip lands on the timeline. For YouTube downloads, B-ROLL writes the source fields, so only Project use and Permission on file are left.
Stock, music, stills and screen recordings get their rows by hand, in the five how-to steps.
Store the log in the project folder, next to the footage. A layout that keeps them together is in how to organize downloaded YouTube clips. Save each permission email beside the clip’s credits file; a request that gets a written answer is in how to ask a YouTuber for permission.
Public domain footage needs a row too: write where you confirmed its status in the License column, as public domain footage: where to find it and how to credit it explains.
How does B-ROLL fill a credits log automatically?
B-ROLL writes a .credits.txt file next to every download and appends the same block to a running credits.txt in the download folder. The option, “Save credits (attribution) for each download” in Advanced options, is on by default.
After each finished download, and after the conversion for ProRes or DNxHR, B-ROLL asks yt-dlp for the metadata and writes it as Title, Creator, Channel, Source, Uploaded and License, plus a copy-paste credit line. The app joins creator and link with a long dash; swap it for a colon if your style avoids dashes. In credits.txt, a line of 48 box-drawing characters separates the blocks.
Keep one download folder per project and credits.txt becomes the raw log for the whole edit, ready to paste into the spreadsheet field by field. When yt-dlp reports a Creative Commons license, B-ROLL adds a second block with the license in the credit. The full file layout is on automatic credit files for every YouTube download.
Clips get their own file named after the clip, for example Interview [02-10 to 02-38].credits.txt. The Source line of a clip holds the full video URL without a timestamp, so copy the range from the file name into Project use.
How do you hand over a credits log at delivery?
Hand over the credits log with the master as a CSV file trimmed to the final cut, plus the credits.txt files and the evidence behind every License and Permission on file entry. Agree in writing, before the edit starts, who clears the footage.
A handover package holds four items:
- The log: CSV or spreadsheet, one row per clip in the final cut, sorted by timeline position.
- The raw files: every
credits.txtfrom the project folders, unedited. - The evidence: permission emails and license receipts, named to match their rows.
- The published text: the description sources and end credits exactly as they appear.
Commercial work needs a license covering commercial use or written permission for every clip; see YouTube clips in client and commercial projects.
What goes wrong with a credits log, and how do you fix it?
Credits log failures start when a clip loses its .credits.txt or its link to the source. Each of the five cases has a fix before delivery.
- Renamed files: a
.credits.txtmatches its clip by name. Log the clip before you rename it, or rename both files together. - Missing credits file: when B-ROLL’s metadata lookup fails, for example behind a sign-in wall, no file is written and no error appears. Type the row from the video page; if YouTube also asked you to sign in, export a fresh YouTube cookies.txt from your own account and download again.
- Trusted License line: when yt-dlp reports no license, the file says “Standard YouTube License”, even if the page shows another one. As of September 2026, YouTube Help lists two license types, the default Standard YouTube License and Creative Commons Attribution, so read the license on the video page.
- Lost hour in clip names: clip names carry minutes and seconds only, so a part starting at 1:05:30 is named “[05-30 to …]”. Write the full time in Project use.
- Re-uploads: the Creator line names whoever uploaded the video. When the channel is not the original author, trace the original and log that creator instead.
Licenses, permissions and fair use are covered in credits, licenses and fair use for YouTube clips.
How to keep a credits log by hand for any footage
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Create the log on day one
Open a spreadsheet with nine columns: Title, Creator, Channel, Source, Uploaded, License, Credit line, Project use and Permission on file. Save it in the project folder.
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Log each clip when you save it
Copy the title, creator, channel link, source link and upload date from the original page into a new row before you import the file into your editor.
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Record the license or permission
Read the license on the original page or receipt and type it in the License column. Save any permission email next to the clip and note its date and scope.
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Fill Project use when the clip lands on the timeline
Write the timecode in your edit, the part of the source you used and any change such as a crop, speed change or color grade.
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Reconcile the log before delivery
Delete rows for clips that did not make the final cut, then check that every remaining row has a license or a permission and a finished credit line.
Frequently asked questions
Spreadsheet or text file?
Use both, for different jobs. Plain text files are the raw record: they open anywhere and stay with the footage. A spreadsheet is the working log: it sorts by timeline position, filters out unused clips and exports to CSV for a client. Paste each clip's credits block into a spreadsheet row when the clip makes the cut, and keep the text files in the project folder.
Should the log include stock and music?
Yes. Every asset you did not create belongs in the log: stock footage, music, sound effects, stills and screen recordings. For licensed assets, the Permission on file field holds the license or invoice number and the scope of use. B-ROLL's credits files cover YouTube downloads only, so you type these rows yourself from the seller's license page or receipt.
How long should I keep it?
Keep the log for as long as the video stays published, and longer when a contract sets a retention period. Copyright claims and client questions can arrive long after release, and the log is your answer to where a shot came from. Archive it with the project master, the permission emails and the credits.txt files, not on a separate drive.
Sources
- Creative Commons wiki: Recommended practices for attribution wiki.creativecommons.org
- YouTube Help: License types on YouTube support.google.com
