diff --git a/gstreamer-app/src/app_sink.rs b/gstreamer-app/src/app_sink.rs
index 40823cf15..275f66ac0 100644
--- a/gstreamer-app/src/app_sink.rs
+++ b/gstreamer-app/src/app_sink.rs
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ impl AppSinkCallbacks {
         G: Fn(&AppSink) -> gst::FlowReturn + Send + Sync + 'static,
         H: Fn(&AppSink) -> gst::FlowReturn + Send + Sync + 'static,
     {
+        skip_assert_initialized!();
+
         AppSinkCallbacks {
             eos: Box::new(eos),
             new_preroll: Box::new(new_preroll),
diff --git a/gstreamer-app/src/app_src.rs b/gstreamer-app/src/app_src.rs
index 292745127..9d23afa57 100644
--- a/gstreamer-app/src/app_src.rs
+++ b/gstreamer-app/src/app_src.rs
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ impl AppSrcCallbacks {
         G: Fn(&AppSrc) + Send + Sync + 'static,
         H: Fn(&AppSrc, u64) -> bool + Send + Sync + 'static,
     {
+        skip_assert_initialized!();
+
         AppSrcCallbacks {
             need_data: Box::new(need_data),
             enough_data: Box::new(enough_data),
diff --git a/gstreamer-video/src/lib.rs b/gstreamer-video/src/lib.rs
index 903a026ec..e94cedfc8 100644
--- a/gstreamer-video/src/lib.rs
+++ b/gstreamer-video/src/lib.rs
@@ -18,6 +18,14 @@ extern crate gstreamer as gst;
 #[macro_use]
 extern crate glib;
 
+macro_rules! assert_initialized_main_thread {
+    () => (
+        if unsafe {::gst_ffi::gst_is_initialized()} != ::glib_ffi::GTRUE {
+            panic!("GStreamer has not been initialized. Call `gst::init` first.");
+        }
+    )
+}
+
 macro_rules! skip_assert_initialized {
     () => (
     )
diff --git a/gstreamer-video/src/video_format.rs b/gstreamer-video/src/video_format.rs
index 14570fb73..37b85764c 100644
--- a/gstreamer-video/src/video_format.rs
+++ b/gstreamer-video/src/video_format.rs
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ pub enum VideoEndianness {
 
 impl FromGlib<i32> for VideoEndianness {
     fn from_glib(value: i32) -> Self {
+        skip_assert_initialized!();
+
         match value {
             1234 => VideoEndianness::LittleEndian,
             4321 => VideoEndianness::BigEndian,
@@ -45,10 +47,14 @@ impl ToGlib for VideoEndianness {
 
 impl ::VideoFormat {
     pub fn from_string(s: &str) -> ::VideoFormat {
+        assert_initialized_main_thread!();
+
         unsafe { from_glib(ffi::gst_video_format_from_string(s.to_glib_none().0)) }
     }
 
     pub fn from_fourcc(fourcc: u32) -> ::VideoFormat {
+        assert_initialized_main_thread!();
+
         unsafe { from_glib(ffi::gst_video_format_from_fourcc(fourcc)) }
     }
 
@@ -61,6 +67,8 @@ impl ::VideoFormat {
         green_mask: u32,
         alpha_mask: u32,
     ) -> ::VideoFormat {
+        assert_initialized_main_thread!();
+
         unsafe {
             from_glib(ffi::gst_video_format_from_masks(
                 depth as i32,
@@ -87,6 +95,8 @@ impl str::FromStr for ::VideoFormat {
     type Err = ();
 
     fn from_str(s: &str) -> Result<Self, ()> {
+        skip_assert_initialized!();
+
         let format = Self::from_string(s);
         if format == ::VideoFormat::Unknown {
             Err(())
diff --git a/gstreamer-video/src/video_format_info.rs b/gstreamer-video/src/video_format_info.rs
index 4f5d61a5b..03b86196c 100644
--- a/gstreamer-video/src/video_format_info.rs
+++ b/gstreamer-video/src/video_format_info.rs
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ pub struct VideoFormatInfo(&'static ffi::GstVideoFormatInfo);
 
 impl VideoFormatInfo {
     pub fn from_format(format: ::VideoFormat) -> VideoFormatInfo {
+        assert_initialized_main_thread!();
+
         unsafe {
             let info = ffi::gst_video_format_get_info(format.to_glib());
             assert!(!info.is_null());
@@ -173,6 +175,7 @@ impl str::FromStr for ::VideoFormatInfo {
     type Err = ();
 
     fn from_str(s: &str) -> Result<Self, ()> {
+        skip_assert_initialized!();
         let format = s.parse()?;
         Ok(VideoFormatInfo::from_format(format))
     }
@@ -180,6 +183,7 @@ impl str::FromStr for ::VideoFormatInfo {
 
 impl From<::VideoFormat> for VideoFormatInfo {
     fn from(f: ::VideoFormat) -> Self {
+        skip_assert_initialized!();
         Self::from_format(f)
     }
 }
diff --git a/gstreamer-video/src/video_frame.rs b/gstreamer-video/src/video_frame.rs
index 8978549a3..aaa0fb8e2 100644
--- a/gstreamer-video/src/video_frame.rs
+++ b/gstreamer-video/src/video_frame.rs
@@ -74,6 +74,8 @@ impl<T> VideoFrame<T> {
         dest: &mut VideoFrame<Writable>,
         plane: u32,
     ) -> Result<(), glib::BoolError> {
+        skip_assert_initialized!();
+
         unsafe {
             let res: bool = from_glib(ffi::gst_video_frame_copy_plane(&mut dest.0, &self.0, plane));
             if res {
@@ -177,6 +179,8 @@ impl VideoFrame<Readable> {
         buffer: gst::Buffer,
         info: &::VideoInfo,
     ) -> Result<VideoFrame<Readable>, gst::Buffer> {
+        assert_initialized_main_thread!();
+
         unsafe {
             let mut frame = mem::zeroed();
             let res: bool = from_glib(ffi::gst_video_frame_map(
@@ -202,6 +206,8 @@ impl VideoFrame<Readable> {
         id: i32,
         info: &::VideoInfo,
     ) -> Result<VideoFrame<Readable>, gst::Buffer> {
+        assert_initialized_main_thread!();
+
         unsafe {
             let mut frame = mem::zeroed();
             let res: bool = from_glib(ffi::gst_video_frame_map_id(
@@ -233,6 +239,8 @@ impl VideoFrame<Writable> {
         buffer: gst::Buffer,
         info: &::VideoInfo,
     ) -> Result<VideoFrame<Writable>, gst::Buffer> {
+        assert_initialized_main_thread!();
+
         unsafe {
             let mut frame = mem::zeroed();
             let res: bool = from_glib(ffi::gst_video_frame_map(
@@ -259,6 +267,8 @@ impl VideoFrame<Writable> {
         id: i32,
         info: &::VideoInfo,
     ) -> Result<VideoFrame<Writable>, gst::Buffer> {
+        assert_initialized_main_thread!();
+
         unsafe {
             let mut frame = mem::zeroed();
             let res: bool = from_glib(ffi::gst_video_frame_map_id(
diff --git a/gstreamer-video/src/video_info.rs b/gstreamer-video/src/video_info.rs
index 92a240db2..c3534738c 100644
--- a/gstreamer-video/src/video_info.rs
+++ b/gstreamer-video/src/video_info.rs
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ impl VideoColorimetry {
         transfer: ::VideoTransferFunction,
         primaries: ::VideoColorPrimaries,
     ) -> Self {
+        assert_initialized_main_thread!();
 
         let colorimetry = unsafe {
             let mut colorimetry: ffi::GstVideoColorimetry = mem::zeroed();
@@ -112,6 +113,8 @@ impl VideoColorimetry {
     }
 
     pub fn from_string(s: &str) -> Option<Self> {
+        assert_initialized_main_thread!();
+
         unsafe {
             let mut colorimetry = mem::zeroed();
             let valid: bool = from_glib(ffi::gst_video_colorimetry_from_string(
@@ -145,6 +148,7 @@ impl str::FromStr for ::VideoColorimetry {
     type Err = ();
 
     fn from_str(s: &str) -> Result<Self, ()> {
+        skip_assert_initialized!();
         Self::from_string(s).ok_or(())
     }
 }
@@ -370,6 +374,8 @@ impl<'a> VideoInfoBuilder<'a> {
 
 impl VideoInfo {
     pub fn new<'a>(format: ::VideoFormat, width: u32, height: u32) -> VideoInfoBuilder<'a> {
+        assert_initialized_main_thread!();
+
         #[cfg(not(feature = "v1_12"))]
         {
             VideoInfoBuilder {
@@ -414,6 +420,8 @@ impl VideoInfo {
     }
 
     pub fn from_caps(caps: &gst::Caps) -> Option<Self> {
+        assert_initialized_main_thread!();
+
         unsafe {
             let mut info = mem::uninitialized();
             if from_glib(ffi::gst_video_info_from_caps(&mut info, caps.as_ptr())) {
@@ -547,6 +555,8 @@ impl VideoInfo {
         src_val: i64,
         dest_fmt: gst::Format,
     ) -> Option<i64> {
+        skip_assert_initialized!();
+
         unsafe {
             let mut dest_val = mem::uninitialized();
             if from_glib(ffi::gst_video_info_convert(
@@ -668,6 +678,8 @@ impl ::VideoFieldOrder {
     }
 
     pub fn from_string(s: &str) -> Self {
+        assert_initialized_main_thread!();
+
         unsafe { from_glib(ffi::gst_video_field_order_from_string(s.to_glib_none().0)) }
     }
 }
@@ -677,6 +689,7 @@ impl str::FromStr for ::VideoFieldOrder {
     type Err = ();
 
     fn from_str(s: &str) -> Result<Self, ()> {
+        skip_assert_initialized!();
         Ok(Self::from_string(s))
     }
 }
@@ -694,6 +707,8 @@ impl ::VideoInterlaceMode {
     }
 
     pub fn from_string(s: &str) -> Self {
+        assert_initialized_main_thread!();
+
         unsafe {
             from_glib(ffi::gst_video_interlace_mode_from_string(
                 s.to_glib_none().0,
@@ -706,6 +721,7 @@ impl str::FromStr for ::VideoInterlaceMode {
     type Err = ();
 
     fn from_str(s: &str) -> Result<Self, ()> {
+        skip_assert_initialized!();
         Ok(Self::from_string(s))
     }
 }
diff --git a/gstreamer/src/lib.rs b/gstreamer/src/lib.rs
index 62d4682d3..c0715a516 100644
--- a/gstreamer/src/lib.rs
+++ b/gstreamer/src/lib.rs
@@ -35,7 +35,9 @@ macro_rules! callback_guard {
 
 macro_rules! assert_initialized_main_thread {
     () => (
-        assert_eq!(unsafe {ffi::gst_is_initialized()}, ::glib_ffi::GTRUE)
+        if unsafe {::ffi::gst_is_initialized()} != ::glib_ffi::GTRUE {
+            panic!("GStreamer has not been initialized. Call `gst::init` first.");
+        }
     )
 }