Are you a blogger, a web content editor, and wondering if it’s permissible to use images you found on the internet in your article? The answer, unless otherwise specified, is NO.
Although many are convinced that everything found on the web is free of charge, this is far from true. Copyright law protects those who create content, even on the web where the authorship of a work (whether a text, an image, a video, etc.) is more than ever seriously at risk.
However, while one or more textual contents can be reworked in order to create, perhaps with the addition of a personal point of view, a completely new text that gives a different angle or at least adds something more to the topic in question, images cannot be freely taken and copied (unless explicitly stated otherwise), not even if used as a base to create new images with photo-editing programs such as the famous Photoshop.
Many think that crediting the author under the image, maybe linking to their website (the so-called “credits”) is more than enough to be in the clear conscience-wise, but the truth is this practice does not protect you from possible consequences. Although the phenomenon is so widespread that it makes one think it is legal or at least accepted in practice, there are several cases where website administrators (even when they did not “steal” the image hosted on their site) are contacted by a law firm acting on behalf of the legitimate content owner and demand immediate removal from the site, or sometimes even request financial compensation for unauthorized use of a work.
To avoid these problems it is always advisable to purchase the rights to the images you intend to use (you can do this on major marketplaces like 123rf.com, Shutterstock.com, etc.), or at least contact the authors (or rightful owners) to ask permission to use them.
Some companies like Getty Images have made some of their content freely usable in exchange for a link citing their company, and offer on their website all the tools to extract the “embed” code to insert in your own site, where the image will appear already accompanied by the provided caption.
Since many people look for images to use for personal purposes, even the main paid photo sites have included a “Royalty Free” section, which can be freely used but only under certain conditions (for example, non-commercial use, or the image is available only in low quality). Usually, however, these are just bait used only to offer users beautiful but paid images.
Fortunately, over the last few years, several communities have sprung up where users produce and share their photos without asking for anything (or almost anything) in return. Let’s see the main ones.
Free photo sites:
PIXABAY (Pixabay.com)
It is one of the best-known sites where you can download free images and videos. However, if you want to download images at the highest resolution, the portal asks you to sign up (registration is absolutely free).
SPLITSHIRE (Splitshire.com)
On Splitshire you can find royalty-free images and videos. The site does not require registration and you can freely download all the free-use images you want, even in very high quality.
UNSPLASH (Unsplash.com)
Unsplash is a rapidly growing community of photographers and photography enthusiasts. It offers thousands of free contents and does not require registration to download images.
PINTEREST (Pinterest.com)
Pinterest is one of the most well-known social networks, based on millions of users who share millions of images every day. Surely you’ll find something that suits you.
FLICKR (Flickr.com)
Flickr was the first noteworthy social network dedicated to photography. Although it has been overtaken over time by other more populated social networks, it remains a great resource for finding free images for your articles.
FREEPIK (Freepik.com)
Freepik is another site where you can find images (including vector ones) without copyright restrictions. It also has a Premium section, with selected high-quality content available for purchase.
GOOGLE IMAGES
Let’s not forget the search engine par excellence, Google, which offers us the ability to filter images based on usage rights. To do this, after selecting Google Images, simply go to “Tools > Usage Rights” and select “Labeled for reuse“.
These sites are frequented by communities of users who freely choose to contribute to creating vast collections of photos and images freely usable by everyone. Most of these platforms are rich in photos described in English, so it’s advisable to search for images in this language. If you particularly liked one of these sites, finally, I recommend signing up (even when it’s not strictly required) and contributing personally. Today, a smartphone is enough to take more than decent photos, and your photo might be the image that another community user is desperately searching for.
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