Warning! Is your image LEGAL?

Blogging, Freelancing, General, Web Design | 2 comments

Have you ever used Google Images to find a photo or illustration for your blog or website? Did you assume those images were free to use? If so, read this before that picture ends up costing you more than you imagined!!
The Internet is full of stories (like this one) of blogs and websites who infringed on copyright and found themselves in legal hot water as a result. Usually, the legal action arises over just a single image. And that legal action can cost a bomb – you could end up paying thousands for an image that you don’t have permission to use!
What you need to know is that Google images is a search engine and not a depository for copyright-free images or images that are in the public domain. As a general rule, you should assume that all images found through a Google search or that you otherwise locate online are protected by copyright unless and until you find out otherwise.
There are quite a few collections online where you can find good quality images to buy. But what if you can’t afford or just don’t want to pay for images from sites like Getty Images, Dreamstime, Shutterstock, etc.?
Luckily, there are many sites that have images you can use for free! 
Most of the photos you will find on these sites are free from copyright restrictions or licensed under creative commons public domain dedication.You can copy, modify, distribute and even use them for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. But pay attention to the requirements of each site, some photos may require attribution. (Attribution is giving the original author of the photo credit for their work, preferable somewhere on the same page as the image.)
But they are all free to use.

  1. Pixabay: Free high quality images. My go-to site for searchable high-quality images.
  2. The Stocks: Free photos
  3. Pexels: Free photos.
  4. All The Free Stock: Free stock images, icons, and videos.
  5. Designers Pics: Free photographs for your personal & commercial use.
  6. Splashbase: Search & discover free, hi res photos & videos.
  7. Startup Stock Photos: 
  8. Jay Mantri: Free pics. do anything (CC0). c.
  9. Travel Coffee Book: Sharing beautiful travel moments.
  10. Unsplash: Free (do whatever you want) high-resolution photos.
  11. Death to the Stock Photo: Free photos sent to you every month.
  12. Foodie’s Feed: Free food pictures in hi-res.
  13. Jéshoots: New modern free photos.
  14. Super Famous: Photos by Dutch interaction designer Folkert Gorter.
  15. Picography:  Free hi-resolution photos..
  16. Magdeleine: A free high-resolution photo every day.
  17. Little Visuals: 7 hi-res images in your inbox every 7 days.
  18. Snapographic: Free stock photos for personal & commercial use.
  19. Splitshire: Free stock photos.
  20. New Old Stock: Vintage photos from the public archives.
  21. Picjumbo: Totally free photos. (large size)
  22. Life of Pix: Free high-resolution photos.
  23. Gratisography: Free high-resolution photos.
  24. Public Domain Archive: New 100% free stock photos.
  25. IM Free: A curated collection of free resources.
  26. Cupcake: A photographer’s treat by Jonas Nilsson Lee.
  27. Getrefe: Free photos.
  28. ISO Republic: High-quality, free photos for creatives.
  29. Stokpic: Totally free photos.
  30. Kaboompics: Free photos.
  31. Function: Free photo packs.
  32. Good Free Photos: Free Photos (Public Domain Photos), Clipart, images, and Vectors
  33. Focus Fitness: Free Health and Fitness Stock Photos
  34. The Pattern Library: Free patterns for your projects.
  35. Stock Up: Indexes photos from 31 different free stock photo websites.

 Oh and as a bonus, there’s

  1. Coverr: Beautiful, free videos for your website, with 7 new videos every Monday
  2. Mazwai: Free creative commons HD video clips & footages.
 
 
 
 

2 Comments

  1. Chloe Rivet
    Chloe Rivet on November 19, 2018 at 3:10 pm

    Great post! Thank you for the links.

    Reply
  2. Katherine Gamble
    Katherine Gamble on November 19, 2018 at 9:45 pm

    Such an informative post! I mean this is something so many people are unaware of. The internet is a business that have rights and legal protection. I was aware of this but now my knowledge is deeper.

    Reply

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