Pixabay Videos: Free License, Search Tips, Use in Edits
Pixabay videos are free stock clips you can download and use in your own videos, including commercial ones, without crediting the author. The Pixabay Content License lets you modify them too. What it rules out is a short list, mostly about reselling clips and visible brands. The rest of the work is finding the clip that fits your line and making it look like the rest of your video.
What are Pixabay videos?
Pixabay is a free media library of photos and videos, among other media, shared by its community. The videos are mostly short b-roll, like city streets, nature or people at work. Many clips come in several sizes, from small previews up to 4K masters, so you can download the size your project needs.
What does the Pixabay license allow?
Free use, commercial use included, with four exceptions:
| You can | You can’t |
|---|---|
| Use clips for free in commercial work | Sell or share a clip on its own, unchanged |
| Use them without crediting the author | Use content with a recognizable brand or logo commercially |
| Edit them into new work | Use content in immoral, illegal or misleading ways, especially with recognizable people |
| Put them in monetized YouTube videos and ads | Use content as part of your trademark, logo or business name |
Pixabay also notes that some content may carry other rights, such as a person’s privacy or a building’s design. Checking whether you need extra consent is your job. The summary page is a guide; the full license in Pixabay’s terms is the binding one.
Do you have to credit Pixabay videos?
No. Credit isn’t required, but it’s appreciated. A line in the description such as “Stock footage from Pixabay, by [author]” is enough. Keep a list of the clips you used while you edit, so the credit line and the page links are ready when you publish. The links also help if a platform ever asks where a clip came from.
How do you search Pixabay videos well?
Search for what the viewer should see, not for the idea behind it:
- Name the action. “Hand writing in a notebook, close up” beats “productivity”.
- Add light and mood. Night, golden hour, rainy window, overhead, slow motion.
- Use English. Most clips are tagged in English, so English searches find more.
- Match your format. Vertical clips for Shorts and Reels, horizontal ones for regular YouTube videos.
- Try three phrasings. The clip you pictured often shows up on the second or third search.
For more on picking and timing clips, read free stock videos for YouTube and what b-roll is.
How do you make Pixabay videos look like your own footage?
Clips from different creators come with different colors, cameras and pacing. Three moves tie them in:
- Trim to the line. Keep a stock shot on screen for about the length of the sentence it sits under, usually two to four seconds, and use its most active part.
- Grade everything together. One look over the whole video, with a small fix on any clip that’s off, makes stock and your shots match. See color grading with AI.
- Match the framing. Crop in a little so the shot size matches your own clips, or reframe a horizontal clip for a vertical video (how cropping to vertical works).
How do you use Pixabay videos in Cut Express?
Cut Express is a video editor you drive from Claude or ChatGPT, and its stock tool searches Pixabay from the chat. You don’t download anything yourself:
- Search. Claude searches Pixabay videos (clips up to 60 seconds) and photos in the orientation of your video and looks at preview images before it picks. Searching is free.
- Add. Only the clips Claude will use are added to your media, at a size that fits your output: 1080p on Pro, 2K on Ultra. A 4K master isn’t downloaded for a 1080p video.
- Cut. Claude places each clip under the line it illustrates, trims it and grades it to match your footage. Each stock file keeps its title and author, so Claude can write the credit line.
Stock spends no credits. It counts toward your plan’s stock files for the month: 50 on Pro, 150 on Ultra (pricing).
Find a vertical Pixabay clip for each sentence of my script, two to three seconds each, and grade them warm to match my talking-head shots.
When is Pixabay not the right source?
- You need one exact shot. A specific product, place or person is rarely in a free library. Film it or use a photo of it.
- The clip shows a brand. If a logo is visible and the video sells something, pick another clip.
- Every competitor uses the same clip. Popular stock shots repeat across channels. Your own footage is always worth more.
FAQ
Are Pixabay videos really free?
Yes. They’re free to download and use under the Pixabay Content License, including in commercial work, within its prohibited uses.
Can I use Pixabay videos on a monetized YouTube channel?
Generally yes, as part of your own edited video. Also follow YouTube’s reused content policy: your own script and voice matter more than the clips.
Can I use Pixabay videos in ads?
Yes, as long as the clip shows no recognizable brand and nobody in it appears to endorse your product.
Does Cut Express also have Pixabay photos?
Yes. Photos get a slow zoom or pan so they don’t sit still, the Ken Burns effect.
Cut Pixabay videos into your next edit
Tell Claude what your video is about and let it find, trim and grade the stock.
Free for 14 days, then Pro is $19/month. Cancel before the trial ends and nothing is charged.