The Best Places To Source Free Images For Your Website Or Social Media Channels
How many times have you used Google to source images for your website? Did you know that sourcing images in this way is actually illegal?
YES, ILLEGAL.
You could find yourself being sued for doing exactly this. One stolen (or borrowed) image is one too many. If you aren’t able to pay the penalty that comes with stealing an image then you really shouldn’t be business at all.
It is possible to source free images online that is legal and legit, but you need to be smart about it.
Firstly, you need to check the licence of the image you want. An image is suitable and safe to use if it has a CC0 Licence.
CC0 - Creative Commons Zero
This licence gives you the right to use the image as long as it’s for any legal purpose. But be sure to check the full licence agreement for every image you source. Rules may state that you need to attribute the owner of the image, again, read the licence carefully.
My Favourite Places To Source Images Include:
StockSnap.io
Disclaimer – Be sure to double check the terms and conditions of each photo you want. Things change fast in the online world, and what is allowed today may not be allowed tomorrow. Use your due diligence and do your homework. I cannot be held responsible for you not doing your research!
Recent Comments
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Hi Dee, I just took a look at both of them. They are not really free, right? I mean one has a 7 day free trial, and then you do pay for them.Correct me if I am wrong. Thanks!
Ah, maybe I have my VPN turned off, so they know I am not in the US? Like when I joined WA. At first I could not get a free trial, and since I was looking for something that did not scam me, like DA wanted to, I really wanted the free trial. Then with my VPN turned ON,I got it. So Let me check that. Thanks! Tom
I'm in the Caribbean, but I hardly ever need a vpn. And surely not for pexels or pixabay, but maybe if you're in a country like china or north korea, the story would be different?
Anyway, it good to read that it works now and that is what counts, right ;-)
Well I also lived and worked 3 years in the Dom.Republic. Now I am in the Philippines. I am pretty sure of what I saw...after 7 days you pay, but I will revisit the site soon and let you guys know! Were in the Caribbean would you be? Thanks! Tom
I'm in Curaçao, close to Venezuela. Part of the so called Leeward Antilles. Before 2010 was a part of the country of The Netherlands. Then the dutch Caribbean islands were called the Dutch Antilles, but since 2010 Curaçao is a semi-autonomous country in the Dutch Kingdom.
Great post and thanks for the info.
Interesting and informative.
I have a subscription with Depositphotos, so therefore I have no issues whatsoever in regards to copyright or attribution etc etc
I could not take a risk, as you rightly pointed out.
So for me, it's safety first in this regard
Cheers and thanks
PB
Thanks for these sources DeeDee, good stuff. In a comment below you mentioned not being able to use Site Content because your sites aren't hosted here. One way around that is to set up a free "websitename".SiteRubix.com site here. You can use it to play around with future design ideas and also utilize the images within Site Content. Just a thought. I have 2 other domains I use as sandbox sites to play in and test ideas. Have a good one! :-)
Hi! DeeDee289,
Thank you for sharing this information to acquire legally FREE images under CC0. Appreciate it.
James
I used pixels and pixabay for most of my images as well. Now I use SiteContent images because there are many more free images available at my fingertips in one place.
I appreciate you stating that sourcing images from Google is illegal because although some of the images are free, it is not always easy to tell which ones are or are not.
I'd go a bit further and say that most images are not free and many are already illegally copied. From google results it's almost impossible to tell if an image is copyrighted.
Better stick to pixabay or pexels and there also do check the license always.
Oh, wikimedia (with an m) has a lot of free images as well. Many require attribution though!
And don't be fooled. Even if you buy an image you may still have to attribute.
My favorite is pixabay, followed by pexels and then wikimedia.
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Hi DeeDee, Thanks for this information. I use Pixabay but hadn't heard of Pexels or StockSnap.io.
Take a look, you might find exactly what you need :)