Find Images you’re allowed to use

Search engines make it easy to find images online, but most images online are covered by copyright. Here are some resources for images that you are allowed to use.

Understand copyright before using images you did not create in your work.

Remember – even if you’re allowed to use an image, you still need to cite the source so that you’re not plagiarizing!

Library Resources

Images from online library resources can normally be used in educational presentations if you cite the source (called attribution). You can find the citation with the downloaded image.

Pixabay

Pixabay is a library of mostly contemporary images which range from stock-style and natural photography to clip-art style illustrations. Pixabay images are free of copyrights, which means you can adapt and use them for any purpose. Although not required, a link back to Pixabay is appreciated.

MedPix

MedPix is a free online database of medical images from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and includes imaging slides, teaching cases, and clinical topics. MedPix images are available for personal and educational use; for any other use contact the NLM for permission.

Getty Open Content Program

The Getty Open Content Program includes historical images from the Getty’s collections. Images here are believed to be in the public domain (not protected by copyright) which means there are no restrictions on their use. Getty requests the following credit line: “Digital image courtesy of the Getty’s Open Content Program.”

Flickr

Flickr is a popular image hosting service. Many creators post their pictures with a license that allows others to use them: find these by using the license filter after performing a search.

Flickr: The Commons are images from the world’s public photography archives. Participating institutions contribute photographs that they believe are free of copyright restrictions, such as those in the public domain. Note that the site cannot grant permission to use an image or provide a guarantee that the image is in the public domain.

Google Images

A Google Image Search contains results from web pages which have been crawled and indexed by Google. These images do not belong to Google, and are not necessarily intended for use by others. Filter your search/results page using Tools -> Usage Rights -> “labeled for non-commercial reuse” (with or without modification). Even then, the image may still be subject to copyright. You should go to its original site for more information, and/or conduct a Fair Use assessment if usage terms are still unclear.