Green screen clips are the fastest way to make a news or war video look exciting: a missile streaks across the frame, an explosion hits the target, smoke rolls over a map. You don’t need to shoot or animate these yourself — thousands of them are free to download.
Here are the best websites for free green screen videos, what each one is good for, and what its licence allows. Always open the licence on the download page before using a clip in a monetized video.
Quick comparison
| Website | Licence | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Pixabay | Free, no credit needed | Explosions, smoke, fire, birds, flags and simple effects |
| Pexels | Free, no credit needed | Clean HD and 4K clips — people, phones, laptops and backgrounds |
| Mixkit | Free (Mixkit licence) | Hundreds of green screen clips with no signup: transitions, light leaks, objects and people |
| Videezy | Free clips need a credit | Lots of motion-graphics style clips |
| Vecteezy | Free with credit, or Pro | Large mix of green screen effects and animations |
| Freepik Videos | Free with credit, or Premium | Search “green screen” for animated effects, icons and backgrounds |
| Videvo | Mixed free / premium | Search “green screen” |
| Coverr | Free | Cinematic stock clips |
| FootageCrate | Free account (limits) | Hollywood-style VFX: explosions, muzzle flashes, missiles, smoke and sparks — perfect for war videos |
| ActionVFX (free section) | Free account | Professional fire, explosion and debris elements |
| YouTube | Check every video | Huge amount of green screen clips, but copyright varies |
The 11 best websites for free green screen videos
1. Pixabay
Licence: Free, no credit needed. Explosions, smoke, fire, birds, flags and simple effects. Big library, no account needed for most downloads.
2. Pexels
Licence: Free, no credit needed. Clean HD and 4K clips — people, phones, laptops and backgrounds. Good for talking-head and tech videos.
3. Mixkit
Licence: Free (Mixkit licence). Hundreds of green screen clips with no signup: transitions, light leaks, objects and people.
4. Videezy
Licence: Free clips need a credit. Lots of motion-graphics style clips. Free clips ask for attribution; “Pro” clips are paid.
5. Vecteezy
Licence: Free with credit, or Pro. Large mix of green screen effects and animations. Check the label — free clips need a credit.
6. Freepik Videos
Licence: Free with credit, or Premium. Search “green screen” for animated effects, icons and backgrounds. Free items need attribution.
7. Videvo
Licence: Mixed free / premium. Search “green screen”. Each clip has its own licence, so read the label before downloading.
8. Coverr
Licence: Free. Cinematic stock clips. Fewer green screen files, but useful backgrounds for news intros.
9. FootageCrate
Licence: Free account (limits). Hollywood-style VFX: explosions, muzzle flashes, missiles, smoke and sparks — perfect for war videos. Many clips come on black or with alpha instead of green.
10. ActionVFX (free section)
Licence: Free account. Professional fire, explosion and debris elements. A small free collection; the rest is paid.
11. YouTube
Licence: Check every video. Huge amount of green screen clips, but copyright varies. Only use clips where the creator clearly allows free use in the description, and credit them.
What to search for (news and war videos)
- Action: “explosion green screen”, “missile launch green screen”, “jet flyby green screen”, “smoke”, “fire”, “muzzle flash”, “debris”.
- News graphics: “breaking news green screen”, “glitch transition”, “map pin”, “lower third green screen”.
- Reactions: “subscribe button green screen”, “like and bell”, “emoji reaction”.
How to remove the green background
- Premiere Pro: drag Ultra Key onto the clip and pick the green with the eyedropper.
- After Effects: use Keylight 1.2, then Key Cleaner and Advanced Spill Suppressor for clean edges.
- CapCut / mobile: select the clip → Cutout → Chroma key → pick green and raise intensity.
- Blender: in the Compositor, add a Keying node between the image and the output.
Tip: clips on a black background (common for fire and explosions) don’t need keying — just set the blend mode to Screen or Add.
Licence checklist before you publish
- Is the clip marked free, and does it need a credit? Add the credit to your video description.
- Is it allowed in monetized YouTube, Facebook and TikTok videos?
- Never re-upload or sell the clips themselves.
- On YouTube, “no copyright” in a title is not a licence — read the description.
Build the rest of your video with free Motion Mistry assets
Combine green screen effects with our transparent PNGs (jets, drones, tanks, missiles and flags), free 3D models, free sound effects and HTML news animations. Need a custom map animation or 3D video? Hire Motion Mistry.