A few well-placed snippets of high quality footage can really bring projects to life – whether they're presentations, websites or your own home-made videos. Finding right video clips can be tricky, though.

Many stock video sites charge a subscription fee for their best content.

Thankfully, there are also places where you can download high quality video clips completely free of charge for both personal and commercial use, with no royalties or strings attached.We've put best free stock photo sites under microscope and picked those that offer best combination of video quality, variety of clips, and flexible licensing.It's worth bearing in mind that even if a video clip is in public domain, you shouldn't use it to create that shows identifiable people in a bad light.1.

PexelsProfessional quality video clips with no strings attachedNo attribution necessaryGood variety of clipsHigh quality footageNo 4K videoThere are some truly spectacular videos available on Pexels – all under a Creative Commons 0 (ie public domain) license, which means you’re free to use them for personal or commercial projects without attribution. The time-lapse videos are particularly lovely, and there are plenty of fun clips from GoPro-wearing divers and climbers.

Pexels also include a handy ‘mockup’ category for footage of mobile devices with green screens that can be easily replaced via chroma keying.Search results include premium videos from Shutterstock, but unlike most stock video sites, Pexels displays these at bottom so you’re unlikely to mistake them for free clips.Videos are provided in MP4 format in HD.

The only drawback is lack of clips in 4K, but if Full HD is enough for your project, Pexels should be your first stop.If you need stock photos, Pexels also offers a great selection of stylish premium-quality stills under same license. Pexels2.

Stock Footage for FreeIncredible quality stock videos to download and use freeVery high quality footageWide range of subjectsLogin is temperamentalNo 4K videoStock Footage for Free feels like video equivalent of free stock photo site Unsplash, focusing on quality rather than quantity.

The footage is extremely impressive; we particularly like selection of landscapes and looping backgrounds.You’re given a detailed description of video so you can be sure it’s right one before downloading it.

This is a sensible decision; downloads can take a while because of large file sizes.

The site’s HD videos are provided in MOV format, but there aren’t currently any 4K clips available.Video clips are free for personal and commercial use, unless it’s a seriously high-budget production.

Stock Footage for Free provides a detailed license agreement that makes explicit all intellectual property information you’re likely to need.Before you can download files you’ll need to sign up for a free account or log in using Facebook.

At time of writing, an error meant that we were unable to log in using an email address, though Facebook option worked fine.

We’ve reached out to company to find out if this is an issue that can be resolved.Stock Footage for Free3.

PixabayA huge library of free stock video clips in MP4 formatWide range of subjectsSelection of 4K clipsVariable qualityPixabay is best known as a resource for free stock photos, but is also has a great selection of video clips available to download and use, no strings attached. The videos are all submitted by Pixabay’s community of users, and are generally under a minute in length.

The site is a good option for abstract images like clouds, as well as somewhat niche clips (video of a man preparing pieces of beef is a particularly odd example). There’s a small selection of 4K video too, motion graphics, and some infinitely looping clips that are handy for websites.All clips are provided free for personal or commercial use, with no attribution necessary.

The files are provided in MP4 format, in a choice of resolutions.Pixabay4.

ClipstillStriking cinemagraphs to make your website stand outStriking, unusual videosSmall file sizesSmall choice of clips to downloadClipstill is dedicated to cinemagraphs – still photos containing a small repeated animation that plays on a loop.

The effect is hypnotic, and a great way to grab viewers' attention.

There's only a small selection of cinemagraphs available free (most of videos on site are premium content), but they're high quality and change each month, so it's well worth keeping Clipstill bookmarked.Clipstill's cinemagraphs are available to download as small video files, and are particularly well suited to web design.It's not essential to provide credit when using Clipstill's videos, but a link back is appreciated.

You're free to use cinemagraphs in your own projects unless you're making a commercial product in which it's main attraction, such as a greetings card or website template (see licensing page for full details)Clipstill5.

VideezyA wide range of high-quality clips, including fun aerial footageSelection of 4K clipsImpressive drone footageRequires attributionFootage from Videezy is royalty free for personal and commercial use, but users are asked to credit ‘Videezy.com’ in their projects.Most videos are provided in HD resolution, but there’s also a good selection of 4K clips – mostly landscape scenes and abstract clips rendered using Adobe After Effects.The quality is mixed, but generally high.

We particularly like selection of aerial drone footage All videos are supplied in MP4 format, and you can see resolution below preview on download page.Keep an eye out for search results marked with a green 'Pro' tag; these are premium clips only available using paid-for credits.

The first two rows of search results are also sponsored videos from Shutterstock, which also require a paid membership to download.Videezy6.

VidevoA community-based stock video that offers plenty of choiceLots of choiceSmall selection of 4K clipsVideos of variable qualityVidevo offers thousands of videos contributed by its community of users.

Quality is variable (a few clips have clearly been shot without a tripod) but they’re generally good, and there’s a huge selection to choose from so it’s highly likely you’ll find something suitable – even if it takes a little while.If you'd like to contribute your own videos for others to download, you can do so after signing up for a free account.Videos on Videvo fall under one of three licenses, so be sure to check which one applies to your chosen clip before you start working:Videvo Standard License, which lets you use clips in your own work without attribution, provided you don’t redistribute footage.Videvo Attribution License, which is same as Standard License, but requires you to credit clip’s creator.Creative Commons 3.0 Unported, which lets you share and adapt clip, but requires you to credit creator and indicate if you’ve made any changes.Clips marked ‘Editorial use only’ can’t be used commercially, but those labelled ‘All projects and media’ can.As with many free stock video sites, top row of search results are actually premium samples from an advertiser (in this case Shutterstock).

Scroll past these for Videovo’s own clips.Some clips are provided as MP4 files, while others are delivered in QuickTime format.

There’s a small selection of 4K clips, but half of these are Christmas-themed motion graphics.

If you’re specifically looking for 4K video, you’re better off looking at one of sites listed above.VidevoCDmJ2yLNqaSb8Xd8TgzGn9.jpg#