Find public-domain pictures
for any line of your script
Paste one line of narration. We search Wikimedia Commons, NASA and the Cleveland Museum of Art, check that each picture is from the right time and free to use in a monetized video, and write the credit for your description.
Need pictures for a whole script?
Cutaway picks a picture or clip for every line of your voiceover, times each one to the word it illustrates, and writes all the credits. We edit the first 15 minutes of your first video for free.
Try Cutaway freeWhere the pictures come from
We search three collections whose pictures can be used in a monetized video. The source page of each picture shows its license and who made it.
What each license asks of you
Every picture we show allows commercial use. Some ask for a credit.
| License | Credit | Other conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Public domain | Not required. We still give you one. | Public-domain status can differ by country. The source page says where it applies. |
| CC0 | Not required | None |
| CC BY | Required | Say if you changed the picture, for example by cropping or colorizing it. |
| CC BY-SA | Required | As CC BY. If you change the picture, share your version under CC BY-SA. |
How to credit pictures in a YouTube description
Creative Commons recommends giving the title, the author, the source and the license. In a video, the usual place is the description, one line per picture. The credits from this tool are already in that form.
"Apollinaire et sa muse" (1910), Max Jacob. Photo: Françoise Foliot, CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). Wikimedia Commons.
"La muse inspirant le poète" (1909), Henri Rousseau. Public domain. Wikimedia Commons.
How we decide a picture fits
- We work out what the line needs on screen: a person, place, object or event, and when it happened.
- We leave out very small files and files whose license is missing or unclear.
- We read the date of each picture and drop those from the wrong time, such as a 1924 portrait for an arrest in 1911.
- We look at the closest pictures one by one and keep only those that show what the line is about.
Questions
Can I use these pictures in a monetized YouTube video?
Yes. Every license we show allows commercial use. Give the credit where the license asks for one. Pictures of people, logos or artworks can carry other rights that the license does not cover; the source page will say so.
Why do I sometimes get only one or two pictures, or none?
We show only pictures from the right time that show what the line is about. When nothing fits, we say so instead of showing something that is merely close.
Is it really free?
Yes. You get 3 searches a day without signing up. A line someone has already searched comes back at once and is not counted.