Automatic Credit Files for Every YouTube Download

What credit files does B-ROLL write?#

B-ROLL writes a .credits.txt file next to every download with the title, creator, channel, source URL, upload date and license. The same block is also appended to a running credits.txt in the same folder, so one folder gives you one list of sources.

Both files are plain UTF-8 text, and the option is on by default. For a ProRes or DNxHR download, B-ROLL writes the credits after the conversion, so the name matches the finished .mov:

• Harbor at Dawn, Drone Footage.credits.txt: one block, for that file only.
• credits.txt: every block written in the folder, in the order the downloads finished.

A credits file answers the question a client or platform asks months later: where did this shot come from? Every other tool is listed on the B-ROLL Features for Video Editors page.

What is inside a B-ROLL .credits.txt block?#

A B-ROLL credits block has six labeled lines (Title, Creator, Channel, Source, Uploaded, License) and a ready credit line. B-ROLL asks yt-dlp for these values after the download, using the field names in the yt-dlp README.

The table lists every line of a credits block, an example value and where the value comes from.

A complete block looks like the example that follows. The app writes a long dash between the creator and the URL on the credit line; the example shows a hyphen in its place.

Title:     Harbor at Dawn, Drone Footage
Creator:   Example Channel
Channel:   https://www.youtube.com/@examplechannel
Source:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXXXXXXXX
Uploaded:  2025-05-17
License:   Standard YouTube License

Credit (copy-paste):
"Harbor at Dawn, Drone Footage" by Example Channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXXXXXXXX

When the License line contains “Creative Commons”, B-ROLL adds a second block with the license in the credit line. The same long dash appears in its heading and before the license:

Creative Commons - attribution required:
"{title}" by {creator} ({channel URL, else video URL}) - {license}.

How does the running credits.txt work?#

The running credits.txt collects one block per finished download in the same folder. B-ROLL appends each new block at the end, separated from the previous one by a line of 48 horizontal box-drawing characters.

Folders decide how the list is split. Keep one download folder per project and credits.txt becomes that project’s source list, ready to turn into a spreadsheet video credits log for a client or producer. A folder layout that fits this is in how to organize downloaded YouTube clips.

Two cases put blocks in a different folder:

• Separate audio folder: with “Save audio to a different folder” on, audio downloads and their credits land in the audio folder.
• Channel and playlist dialog: videos chosen in “Download from channel” go into a subfolder named after the channel, with its own credits.txt. For a playlist link, the subfolder takes the channel name of the first listed video.

The channel dialog turns up to 5 chosen videos into separate download cards, and each card writes its own credits block. More than 5 videos become one grouped card, and per-video credits for a grouped card are not confirmed, so open credits.txt after a grouped batch and add any missing block by hand from the video page.

Clips from the YouTube clip downloader stay in the main folder, each with its own block and a file named after the clip, such as Interview [02-10 to 02-38].credits.txt. A clip’s Source line holds the full video URL without a timestamp, so the time range lives only in the file name. Clip names carry minutes and seconds but not the hour, so for parts past the first hour of a video, add the hour to your log by hand.

How do you turn a credits block into an on-screen or description credit?#

The fastest route is to copy the “Credit (copy-paste)” line from credits.txt into your video description. For a Creative Commons clip, use the Creative Commons block instead, because it adds the license that the attribution needs.

Creative Commons calls the four elements of a good attribution TASL: title, author, source and license. The Creative Commons wiki on attribution also suggests crediting inside the video itself and in the description. Wording for end credits, descriptions and client deliverables is covered in how to credit a YouTube video.

What does the License line in a credits file tell you?#

The License line tells you only what yt-dlp reported for the video. When yt-dlp reports nothing, B-ROLL writes “Standard YouTube License”, even if the video page shows another license, so check the license on the video page; the file is a convenience, not proof of rights.

As of September 2026, YouTube Help lists two license types: the Standard YouTube License, which is the default for every upload, and Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY). The same page says CC BY reuse needs the title, the author, the source URL and the license information, which is exactly what the Creative Commons block holds.

The Creative Commons block appears only when yt-dlp reports a Creative Commons license. B-ROLL’s Creative Commons block has not yet been checked against a live Creative Commons video, so compare it with the video page every time. How to find and reuse those videos is in Creative Commons on YouTube.

A credit line is a record, not a permission. YouTube’s copyright myths page says that giving credit to the copyright owner does not automatically give you the right to use the content. The longer answer is in does giving credit make it legal.

How do you switch credit files off in B-ROLL?#

Open Advanced options with the ⋯ button next to Subtitles and turn off Save credits (attribution) for each download. B-ROLL remembers the choice in config.json, so it stays off until you turn it back on.

The app describes the option as: “Writes a .txt next to the video, adds it to a credits.txt for the folder, and embeds the creator in the file.” The embedding part applies only to MP4, MKV, WEBM and audio files, where yt-dlp writes the title, uploader, date and URL into the file’s metadata. ProRes and DNxHR .mov files never get embedded metadata.

Switching the option off therefore stops three things at once: the per-file .credits.txt, the running credits.txt and the embedded metadata. For ProRes and DNxHR downloads, the credit files are what links the file back to its source, so leave the option on whenever the footage belongs to someone else.