It also checks the licence for you. Non-commercial, no-derivatives and share-alike terms are flagged as you fill in the form, and you can collect every credit for a project into one list.
Title, Author, Source, Licence
Creative Commons licences ask you to give appropriate credit, and the practical way to do that is TASL. The title is the name of the work, if it has one. The author is the creator, credited the way they ask to be credited, which can be a real name, a username or an organisation. The source is a link to where you found the work, so others can find it too. The licence is the exact licence name with a link to its deed, such as CC BY 4.0. AttributionMaker builds the credit in that order and adds links wherever you have supplied a URL.
If you changed the work, the licences ask you to say so. Tick the box, describe the change in a few words, and the credit becomes “Adapted from…”, followed by what you did. Under ShareAlike licences your adaptation must be released under the same licence, and under NoDerivatives you may not share an adapted version at all; both are flagged automatically.
Stock photo sites
Unsplash, Pexels and Pixabay use their own licences that do not require credit, but each suggests a short line such as “Photo by Name on Unsplash”. Pick the site’s licence and AttributionMaker switches to that style, linking the photographer’s profile and the site or photo page. These credits are courteous rather than mandatory, and they help photographers get seen.
Choosing a format
Plain text suits captions, slides, printed work and places without links; it adds the URLs at the end. HTML is for websites and blogs, with links opening safely. Markdown works in READMEs, documentation, many CMS editors and note apps. The credits list combines everything for a project in your chosen format with a heading, ready for a credits page or a video description. Credits are saved only in this browser. This tool formats credits; it is not legal advice, so check the licence on the original before you use a work.
Frequently asked questions
What should an attribution include?
For Creative Commons works: the title, the creator, a link to the source and the licence with a link to it, plus a note if you changed the work. This is often remembered as TASL.
Where do I put the credit?
Somewhere reasonable for the medium: under the image, in the video description, in the show notes, or on a credits page linked from where it is used.
Is a credit the same as permission?
No. The licence gives permission; the credit is a condition of it. Make sure the licence allows your use first.
Is AttributionMaker free?
Yes. Make as many credits and lists as you like with no account.
Is this legal advice?
No. It formats credits according to each licence’s published guidance. Always read the licence on the original work.