How to make a YouTube video with copyright-safe footage

AutoVideoStudio only uses footage and images whose licence allows commercial reuse: public domain, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-SA from Wikimedia Commons, plus our own CC0 motion library and your uploads. Non-commercial and no-derivatives files are rejected. Every file goes into an asset ledger with its licence, link and SHA-256 fingerprint, credits are written into your description, and the music is generated, so Content ID has nothing to match.

Last updated 1 November 2026 · by Venu Gopal Reddy Muvva, founder

Who this is for

Channels that have had copyright claims before, and agencies that must prove where every clip came from.

Steps

1. Create a free account
Sign up with your name, email and a password. No card. Your first 3 months are free with every feature unlocked, and onboarding makes a 1-minute sample video straight away so you see the whole pipeline.
2. Write the brief
On New video, type the topic in one line and pick the format (any format) and the length (1–60 minutes). Choose 16:9 for YouTube or 9:16 for Shorts, and add the audience and tone if you want.
3. Let it research and write
We read the top Wikipedia articles for your topic and number them S1, S2, S3… The script is written by our own AI on Surge's servers, and every scene lists the sources it uses.
4. Review the scenes
Every shot shows a relevance score against its narration. Swap a weak shot, re-search a scene, upload your own clip, or type a change such as “caption style karaoke”. Only what changed re-renders.
5. Download and post
Download the 720p MP4, the vertical Shorts, two thumbnails, and the title, description (with chapters, sources and credits) and tags. Upload them to your channel yourself — direct upload is coming soon.

A finished video with Shorts, thumbnails and YouTube details

Tips

Open the Asset ledger tab on each video and keep a copy with your project files.
CC BY and CC BY-SA need a credit; it's already in the description we write — keep it when you upload.
Uploading your own clip? Only upload footage you have the rights to.
Stock providers (Pexels, Pixabay, Storyblocks) are coming soon; today Commons and the CC0 library are used.

When AutoVideoStudio is not the right tool

AutoVideoStudio is not the right tool if you need modern, glossy stock footage of people and offices today — Commons is strong on places, history and nature but thin on that, and stock providers are coming soon. It also can't make film or TV clips safe to use; it never uses them.

Questions

Can I still get a Content ID claim?

The music is generated and the footage licences allow reuse, so there's nothing for Content ID to match. A claim can still be made by mistake; the ledger is your proof.

What is the asset ledger?

A list of every file in your video with its provider, licence, licence link, attribution and SHA-256 fingerprint.

Which licences are rejected?

Non-commercial (NC) and no-derivatives (ND).

What does it cost?

Nothing for your first 3 months. After that you pay only for what you use, at our cost — about ₹0.25 per finished minute (est.), so a 10-minute video is about ₹2.50. No subscription.

Free for your first 3 months. Then pay only for what you use.

Start free — 3 months on us