What Kind of Images Can I Use Without Copyright?
If you’re writing a blog post, creating a PowerPoint presentation, or making a video, it can be difficult to find high-quality images without copyright. This is because photos can be protected by copyright and subject to various licensing requirements.
Fortunately, there are many ways to find images that you can use legally. These include public domain, licensed creative commons, and free stock photos.
Public Domain
Public Domain images are a great way to use creative works without the need to pay for them. These works are in the public domain because their copyrights have expired or have been relinquished. This makes them available to anyone for any purpose and is a great option for artists, designers and bloggers.
The public domain covers many types of works, including literary, artistic, musical and scientific works that are no longer protected by copyright laws. For instance, a work created by a government officer or employee, such as an official image, is usually in the public domain.
A few sites make it easy to find and use free Public Domain images. These sites provide high-quality and gorgeous public domain images that you can use on your website, blog or social media accounts.
Pickup Image offers thousands of images that are completely free to download, but you may need to sign up for a Premium Download option for larger files (the prices are very reasonable). The site is very easy to navigate and uses tags, filters or mosaic view to show you the best selection of pictures available.
Morguefile is another popular resource for free public domain images, with a focus on archives and historical content. The site attracts high-res submissions and has a large collection of thematically arranged images.
Startup Stock Photos also has a nice collection of CC0-licensed public domain images. Their selection is diverse, ranging from hip office spaces and relaxed work environments to brainstorming sessions with tech devices.
There are also collections for current events, textures, 3D renders, health & wellness, interiors and more. The photos are high-res and sorted by topic, making it easier to find the perfect photo for your project.
When using a public domain image, it is always good practice to credit the original creator. This means identifying the source of the image and providing the original URL. It is also important to note that some public domain images may be subject to additional terms and conditions. Check the terms of each website you use to ensure that their images are free of any restrictions before downloading and using them.
Creative Commons
The Creative Commons is a nonprofit that provides copyright licenses for people to share their work without having to ask permission. These licenses can be used on images, videos and other creative works.
You can find images licensed under the Creative Commons using Google Images, a search engine that allows you to specify which type of license you want to use (such as CC BY, CC BY-SA or CC BY-NC) and then shows you the results. It’s a great way to find photos that you can reuse on your blog or website.
Wikimedia Commons is another place that offers a large collection of Creative Commons-licensed media files. The content can be filtered by various types of licenses and licensing information is clearly displayed on each item’s detail page.
When you use Creative Commons-licensed material, you need to make sure that you are following the conditions of the license. If you’re not, you could violate the creator’s rights and possibly be fined.
Whenever you use a Creative Commons-licensed image, you must give credit to the artist and link back to the original source. This credit is necessary because it helps prevent copyright infringement. If you don’t credit the image, the artist can sue you, even if you’re using it for free!
Stock photo sites such as Pexels, Unsplash and Pixabay have a large selection of Creative Commons-licensed images that can be used on your blog or website. Most of these pictures are available for free, but you may need to pay a small fee to license some of them.
You can also find public domain images on sites such as Wikimedia Commons and Flickr. These sites allow users to search for public domain images by location and other criteria.
The Creative Commons is a nonprofit that was founded in 2001 to provide free content licenses for authors and artists. The licenses are standardized and easy to understand, making it simple for anyone to re-use creative works online. It’s a valuable resource for everyone who wants to share their work with the world.
Free for Commercial Use
When you find a image that you want to use, you may want to see whether it is free for commercial use. This is because a number of image services charge a fee for licenses that allow you to use their images in products for resale. You may also have to purchase a separate license if you are using an image for an online video.
Many image sources are also available for free under creative commons licensing. These licenses offer copyright-free access to images and other works, and protect reusers from copyright infringement.
For example, many CC-licensed photographs are available under a Creative Commons Zero license, which allows you to share, edit, and redistribute the photos without any restrictions. This is a great way to find images that are suitable for your projects.
The Creative Commons licenses also include a number of conditions that protect your rights to use the content. Most of these conditions require that you give credit to the original creator and follow certain guidelines.
These guidelines vary by license type, but they usually include the Attribution (BY) and Share-alike (SA) conditions. These terms ensure that you give credit to the original author for any work you create with the material, and you are not allowed to add additional conditions or restrictions.
Another important condition is the freedom to run the program for any purpose. This freedom means that you are not limited to running it on a particular machine, and that you can share the program with any other person or entity as long as they do not impose their own purposes on you.
In addition, you must have the freedom to modify or create derivative works from the original material, and you must be allowed to distribute those modifications and derivatives as well. This is necessary for the continued development of the material and for the ability to create new forms that have not previously existed.
Finally, you must be allowed to export copies of the software in runnable form. This includes binary and executable forms, as well as source code for both modified and unmodified versions. This freedom is essential for free operating systems and applications, as well as programs that can be easily repackaged and distributed to others.
Free for Personal Use
You can find plenty of free images online that you can use for personal or commercial purposes. The trick is to know how to search for them and make sure you aren’t breaking any copyright laws.
You’ll want to ensure that the image you use is licensed under a Creative Commons license, which allows you to reuse the photo as long as you credit the artist. Some CC licenses are more liberal than others, so check the terms carefully before using an image.
Stock photography sites, like Pexels and Unsplash, offer a wide range of free, high-quality photos you can use for your project. These sites are great for sourcing images that you can then modify and add your own touches to.
Another great resource for free photos is Wikimedia. They have over 34 million images and videos that are available to the public for free.
This is one of the largest collections of freely usable, high-quality images on the web, and it’s definitely worth checking out if you need images for your projects. Their database is well organized and easy to search, and you can browse through collections or trending pictures to find the perfect images for your project.
In addition to providing free photos, they also have a curated collection of high-quality royalty-free images that you can purchase as needed. Some of these images are quite high quality, but you can also get low-resolution photos that are good for social media posts or other small projects.
The CC0 license that these images are released under means that they can be used for both commercial and non-commercial purposes without attribution. It’s a good idea to read through the terms of use to be sure that you aren’t breaking any copyrights, but it’s definitely a useful resource for finding images for your next project.
Burst is a new addition to the free stock photo scene, designed for entrepreneurs by Shopify. The goal is to provide entrepreneurs with high-quality, branded, and business-oriented images that are free and royalty-free for their business needs.
The database here is fairly large, and it includes some high-resolution photos, but most of the pictures are more natural, organic snaps. The quality isn’t as high as some of the other stock image sites on this list, but it’s a great place to start your search for some free images that aren’t copyrighted.