What Type of Images Are Copyright-Free?

Regardless of your business or blog, you need to use high-quality images to help tell your story. These photos are an important part of any marketing campaign and can boost clicks and engagement on social media.

However, many images online are copyrighted and you may have to pay for them or ask permission before using them. That’s why it’s so helpful to know what type of images are copyright-free and where to find them.

Public Domain

The Public Domain is a term that describes all the creative works to which no copyright rights apply. This includes both published and unpublished works, including movies, music, books, and artwork. Generally, if a work was created before 1925, it is in the public domain. The term of protection for works in the public domain varies from country to country. In the United States, for example, the term of protection for works in the public domain is currently 70 years from the date of publication or creation.

Occasionally, works in the public domain will be protected by a particular copyright. For example, some books may be protected by the author’s copyright and must be authorized by the owner before re-distributing them. Additionally, some films and sound recordings may be protected by the copyright of the original filmmaker or recording studio.

However, many of the world’s best-known artists and authors choose to waive their copyrights, so that they can be freely used by others. Usually, this is done with a Creative Commons Zero License. This means that if someone uses an image from the public domain, they must cite the source and give credit to the artist or artist’s company.

These images are also generally free to download. There are even a few sites that allow you to donate directly to the creators.

One of the most popular places to find free, public domain pictures is Pexels. It features over 1 million hand-picked, high-quality photos that are available for use in both commercial and non-commercial projects.

It also offers a variety of filtering options and unique sorting tools, like the ability to find specific colors, orientations, and minimum sizes. In addition, it allows you to see how many times a photo has been downloaded over the last 30 days.

In addition to Pexels, Wikimedia Commons is a great place to find free, high-resolution images. The site has an easy-to-use search engine and a wide range of categories, including nature, maps, art, fashion, and more.

Lastly, there are many museums and galleries that make their high-resolution images of works that have expired copyright free. Always check the terms of use on these sites to see what restrictions apply to their content.

Creative Commons

The Creative Commons (CC) organization offers a variety of easy-to-understand licenses that creators can use to make their work available for others to use without fear of copyright infringement. These licenses allow for a range of uses including sharing, adaptation and remixing.

Some sites offer a curated selection of freely-available images from the public domain, including Flickr and Wikimedia Commons. Both of these collections contain millions of images that are legally free to copy, modify and reuse.

Often, these images will have a label that clearly indicates which type of license is applicable to them. This will list the name of the creator, the title and the licence the image is licensed under. In addition, this label may also include a link to the Creative Commons website, which provides a handy search tool to help you find content under the right terms.

Many images are CC-licensed, meaning that they can be shared with other people as long as you credit the creator and comply with the conditions of the license. The most common CC-licenses are the Attribution, ShareAlike and NoDerivs licenses.

All of these licenses are irrevocable, meaning that once you have relyd on them, they can’t be revoked or “taken back.” This is important to remember when searching for images that are available under the CC-license. If you don’t have the time to delve into each of these licenses, you can still source copyright-free images by using the Creative Commons search feature on Flickr or Google Images.

These image search tools can be very useful if you are looking for one-of-a-kind photos that you can’t find anywhere else. They also provide additional information on the image detail pages about its license, which can be helpful if you aren’t sure of its legal status.

Several public institutions, including the Smithsonian and the National Gallery of Art, also offer open access to their collections, making them free to copy and re-use as you wish. In addition, there are a number of other sites offering a large amount of copyright-free imagery to download and use for personal and professional purposes.

Royalty-Free

Royalty-Free, or RF, is one of the most common stock photo licenses available. But many people misinterpret the word “free” and make mistakes that can land them in legal trouble. Fortunately, you can avoid these pitfalls with a little understanding of what RF really means and how it applies to your creative work.

When you purchase a royalty-free image, you get a battery of usage rights that allows you to use it in as many different places and projects as you like. It’s a great option for bloggers, small businesses, and e-commerce stores who want to save on long-term costs without giving up the flexibility of using high-quality images in their content and marketing materials.

A royalty-free license also enables you to use a high-quality image on multiple platforms and devices, so you can spread the word about your business, brand, or event to an audience all over the world. A royalty-free image can be used on social media, in blog posts, on your website, or anywhere else you can think of.

The best royalty-free images are available at Shutterstock, with over 150 carefully curated image category and subcategory pages to help you find just the right fit for your project. From beautiful sunrise photos to images of a beach, you’ll find all the visuals you need to create an eye-catching, professional-looking website or digital campaign.

You can also find stunning abstract backgrounds on Shutterstock that are perfect for enhancing your website’s design and creating a unique, professional look. Explore our curated “Abstract” page or try searching for your background image by keyword in our main search bar.

Another key advantage of a royalty-free license is that you don’t need to attribute the image to the original owner when you use it in your marketing campaigns or on your website. This can be a huge time-saver, especially if you have multiple teams or are working on a variety of different projects.

The RF license is the most basic premium stock license available. It’s also the most affordable. You can purchase an RF license for as little as $10, and you can purchase a Pro or Pro Plus membership to get unlimited attribution-free downloads and access to even more high-quality imagery.

Rights-Managed

A rights-managed image license is a type of licensing option that gives a customer the right to use a copyrighted image in a specific way and for a certain period of time. These are often more expensive than royalty-free licenses, but they offer more control and can be a good choice for projects where exclusivity is essential or when the image will only be used by one company.

Rights-Managed images are becoming more rarer as royalty-free licenses become more popular, but they still exist. You can find them by searching for them on the websites of copyright owners or agencies.

In most cases, rights-managed images are offered under a one-time-use basis, but some companies will allow you to re-license them. Generally, they are more expensive than royalty-free images, but they usually have tracking that protects the buyer from using it again and helps prevent copyright infringement.

These images are typically supplied on a strictly limited basis, based on the territory, print run, and other factors. They tend to be topical and are ideal for working to specific briefs, particularly in ELT.

This licensing model is a good option for large companies that need to ensure that they are paying what they should. This includes big publishers, brands and studios that need images for commercial purposes.

They also help to make sure that small companies who need images for their business, blogs or website have the freedom to do so without having to worry about unauthorized uses or being hit with legal fees.

Another benefit of this model is that it allows buyers to purchase multiple images for a single fee. This makes it easier for them to find a quality image that meets their needs.

Moreover, it also allows them to use the same image in different places and on different platforms. This is especially useful for online marketers or bloggers who want to promote their website or blog on social media or in printed material, without having to worry about copyright infringement.

In order to license rights managed images, you will need to set up a pricing profile for your galleries and then apply it to the photos you want to sell under this model. You can then choose to license the images for either a single usage or a combination of advertising campaign packages and exclusive rights.