Mairead Mc Keown, Librarian & Information Specialist, Bord Bia – Irish Food Board
Are you looking for free high quality images that grab attention and help make your messages more memorable and understandable? There’s a commonly believed myth that just because you find an image on the Internet, you can take it and use it as you wish and for free. This is not the case and unless you’re careful when using images, you can end up facing costly penalties and possible lawsuits. The good news is that to help you avoid using random pictures off the Internet, we’ve identified six great sites which feature high quality free royalty free public domain and (CC0) licensed images. Did you know that the brain can identify images seen for as little as 13 milliseconds? So, the next time you want to find images that grab attention and help you communicate more efficiently and effectively, check out these six great sites! (Potter, Hagmann & Mc Court, 2013)
- High quality free stock images (CC0) License, particularly strong on images of people
- Download, edit or share the photos for free including for commercial use
- Attribution is not required BUT with each image ways to attribute with text link or image link are suggested for those who wish to give credit
- Search by categories, filters and keywords
- Bonus feature: option to edit images in the Design Wizard, an online graphic design software
- Beautiful, free (do whatever you want) high-resolution photos (CC0) License
- Download, copy, modify, distribute, and use photos from Unsplash for free, including for commercial purposes
- You do not need to ask permission from or provide credit to the photographer or Unsplash, BUT it’s appreciated when possible, e.g. Photo by (photographer) Micah.H on Unsplash (with a link to the site)
- Search by keyword or predefined collection tags
- Sophisticated site providing free, high quality images (CC0) License
- Download, modify, distribute, and use images, royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications
- Attribution is not required BUT it’s always nice to give credit where it’s due, e.g. Photo by (photographer) Ivabalk on Pixabay (with a link to the site)
- Also offers Shutterstock images, which aren’t free but are clearly watermarked to avoid confusion
- Search by media type, orientation, keyword or pre-defined-category, size or colour
- High quality, free stock images (CC0) License
- The pictures are free for personal and even for commercial use
- Download, modify, copy and distribute the photos
- Attribution is not required BUT is appreciated, e.g. Photo by Trinity Kubassek on Pexels (with a link to the site)
- Searchable by keyword or pre-defined tabs
- High quality food photos which are completely free to download (CC0) License
- Download copy, modify, distribute and use photos for free, including for commercial purposes
- No attribution required BUT giving credit to the original photographer if possible, is encouraged, e.g. Photo by Jakub Kapusnak on FoodiesFeed (with a link to the site)
- Search by keywords or popular tags
- Free stock photos, backgrounds and images in high resolution
- Download free for personal and commercial use
- Attribution is not required BUT is greatly appreciated, e.g. Photo by Viktor Hanacek on Picjumbo (with a link to the site)
- Search by category or keyword
What about using images with registered logos or trademarks?
You are responsible for how you use photos from all Stock photo sites. To use information ethically, you should be respectful to registered trademarks, brands, objects etc. “If you want to be safe and let’s say there is an Apple product, you should write “Apple, the Apple logo and iPhone/MacBook are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.” The same goes for any other registered brands or logos. It’s you who is ultimately responsible for how you use photos. Free image sites are simply sharing them for free. ("FAQ and Terms", 2019)
Disclaimer: This FoodAlert does not constitute as legal advice and no responsibility will be taken for any inaccuracies
References:
Potter, M., Hagmann, C., & Mc Court, E. (2013). Detecting Meaning in RSVP at 13 Ms Per Picture. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 72(2).
FAQ and Terms. (2019). Retrieved from https://picjumbo.com/faq-and-terms/