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FYW: Grassroots Movements: Finding Images
Creative Commons Licenses
Chances are, you've seen a Creative Commons license. These licenses enable copyright holders to provide preemptive permission for certain uses. There are actually six difference CC licenses composed of various rights and restrictions. All of the CC licenses require attribution, and best practices for attribution are provided. You can also use the Open Attribute tool to produce a properly formatted attribution that can be copied and pasted.
"Creative Commons Licenses Explained" by MaconEastLibraryProject is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Databases for Images
- ImageQuestOffers access to approximately three million images from over 50 different collections. All images in Image Quest are rights-cleared for non-commercial, educational use including use in reports and projects or on school Web sites, newsletters, newspapers, flyers, and bulletins.
- AP Newsroom (AP interface)The AP Newsroom site allows users to download images for educational purposes only.
- AP Newsroom (EBSCO interface)Associated Press Images Collection - Enter your keywords first and then select the "Images" source type facet on the left.
Content in this database is intended for editorial, non-commercial use.
Keep in mind...
Many other databases include images on the topics they cover, particularly encyclopedias and other reference sources such as:
Many of the Primary Sources databases include the full image of the historical newspapers and magazines they index.
- Adam Matthew Explorer (AM Explorer) has stunning Image Galleries within their many collections.
DSLR
Other Online Image Sources
- CanvaMust create an account. Includes free and for-pay images. Use filter to limit to free images.
- Flickr Creative Commons GroupUse the advanced search function to limit results to reusable images with Creative Commons licenses.
- Free ImagesLaunched in February 2001. Search results are a mix of free and for-pay stock images. Lacks filter to limit results to free images.
- Furman University Digital CollectionsSearch over 80,000 items including: photographs, books, sheet music, and original manuscripts
- Getty Black History & Culture CollectionA not‑for‑profit initiative created to provide access to historical and cultural images of the African/Black Diaspora in the US and UK, gathered from content owned by Getty Images.
"View Only" access immediately available. Must "Request Access" for use in specific non‑commercial/educational projects. - Google ImagesBe sure to filter by "usage rights: Creative Commons Licenses" to find images that are free to use, share, or modify.
- Kaboompics"Oops! Can't find what you need?" Very limited options and quick to refer you to for-pay stock photos.
- Morgue File"A free photo archive 'for creatives, by creatives. It is a community-based free photo site, and all photos found in the Morguefile archive are free for you to download and re-use in your work, be it commercial or not.
- OpenverseAn extensive library of free stock photos, images, and audio, available for free use. All Openverse content is under a Creative Commons license or is in the public domain.
- PexelsLegal Simplicity -
All photos and videos on Pexels can be downloaded and used for free. - PixabayPixabay provides images that are licensed under CC0 - Public Domain so they are free to be copied, modified, and used in any situation. Includes illustrations.
- UnsplashAll photos can be downloaded and used for free
Commercial and non-commercial purposes
No permission needed (though attribution is appreciated!)
What is not permitted 👎
Photos cannot be sold without significant modification.
Compiling photos from Unsplash to replicate a similar or competing service. - U.S. Government Photos and ImagesFind government photos and images by topic. Limited usefulness. No way to sort or even see your search result total.
- Wikimedia CommonsWikimedia Commons is a media file repository making available public domain and freely-licensed educational media content to everyone. A collection of freely usable media files to which anyone can contribute.
Pay Services
- Adobe Stock (subscription service)10 images free with trial.
Museum and Library Images In Public Domain
- Open Content Program - J. Paul Getty Trust."Approximately 4,600 high-resolution, public domain images that represent the most frequently requested works from the Getty Museum's permanent collection."
- Library of Congress - Prints and PhotographsThe collections of the Prints & Photographs Division include photographs, fine and popular prints and drawings, posters, and architectural and engineering drawings. While international in scope, the collections are particularly rich in materials produced in, or documenting the history of, the United States and the lives, interests and achievements of the American people. Whenever possible, the Library provides information about copyright owners and other restrictions. The Library provides such information as a service to aid patrons in determining the appropriate use of an item, but that determination ultimately rests with the patron.
- National Gallery of Art - NGA ImagesA repository of digital images of the collections of the National Gallery of Art. On this website you can search, browse, share, and download images. More than 32,000 open access digital images up to 3000 pixels each are available free of charge for download and use.
- New York Public Library Digital Gallery"Provides free and open access to over 800,000 images digitized from the The New York Public Library's vast collections."
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)Searching the collection will yield items that are in the public domain as well as items that are under copyright. Artworks in the public domain are the only objects that have a "Download Image" link underneath the image. Currently, there is no way to limit searches specifically to items in the public domain (2/2014).
- Yale University Art GalleryThousands of images of works in the Gallery’s collection believed to be in the public domain are available for free download through the Gallery’s website. Under Yale University’s Open Access Policy, anyone may use the Gallery’s open-access material without further application, authorization, or fees due to the Gallery or to Yale.
- Internet Archive Book Images on FlickrMillions of images in the Public Domain from books digitized in the Internet Archive.
- South Carolina Digital LibraryDigital collections that represent South Carolina's historical and cultural resources.