Using Free Images

Here at Steemit, I want to be cautious and courteous about using images in my posts that might be the intellectual property of others. Having spent some time working in this field, it is important to note that citing the source of an image does not necessarily grant the right to republish it. So, I decided to dig for free-image gold.

Luckily, many options exist for usage of free images! Perhaps many of you already are familiar with royalty-free image warehouses, but for new bloggers and the rest of us, this might be helpful to individuals, and to us as a community.

Pixabay

Pixabay offers over a million plus free photos, illustrations, vector graphics, and even HD videos. The best part is that the images are free and can be used anywhere - no attribution is required, and the copyrights are completely released. Better yet, the images can also be modified. The Pixabay website has a great search tool that helps users narrow their selections to the desired material. The site is easy to use, requiring only the creation of a free account.

Shotstash

Shotstash offers less images than Pixabay, but they do have some great royalty-free material. The copyrights are retained by the authors. While attribution is not required, they do mention a sense of appreciation when this is done. So, why not. Share the love. No account creation appears to be needed to use Shotstash images. However, may come for you if you try to resell their images.

New Old Stock

New Old Stock makes me think, "Well now here's something cool, vintage photos from the public archives!" These images appear to be associated with Flickr Commons, so be sure to check each image to ensure that there are no hidden fees or strange rights assignments. The site claims that the images are available in the public domain. Since copyrights (generally) last 70 years, it's looking good, in a very old-timey way.

Google Images

Google and their magical search engine can be used to find royalty-free images. You will need to use their advanced search filters (link provided takes you to the instructions). Google clarifies for users the different types of usage rights you can be granted, including commercial, free-to-use-or-share, and those which can be modified.

Many, many, more..

Above are just a few sources of free images, artwork and videos that are cleared and ready for takeoff in our blogs. Speaking of blogging, here are a couple of articles and blogs that list several more sites for free image goodness:

Entrepreneur Magazine - 14 sites

Forbes Magazine - 33 sites

A Cool Chick's Blog on Hubspot - 20 sites

Ugh, Rules!

I hear you. Some people don't give a zebra's ass about fussy old intellectual property rules. But here's the thing..snatching images off websites with reckless abandon hurts the folks who put time and energy into equipment and creativity. Plus, if the original authors get angry enough, you'll likely hear from their lawyers. Think of images and art the same way that you think of your software code, music or your awesome painting. Would you not go nuts if someone snatched your stuff? I would. Be kind. Use copyright released (or better yet or your own) images in your bogs.

No images were harmed in the making of this post. They're both from Pixabay.