Public Domain & Copyright Free Images

Using copyrighted music or images without permission with few exceptions (which we’ll cover in future postings) is a violation of copyright law and a good way to end up in legal trouble. Here are some sources to find multimedia you can use. Be sure to check the specific requirements on each website to make sure the images are free for use for your particular project.

1) US Government Graphics and Photos
This is a government created directory of government graphics and photos. Most of the links are to sites with images in the public domain. A few are not, however, so read carefully to find their copyright and usage guidelines.

My personal favorite source on this list is NASA. Most NASA images are not copyrighted, but they do have some restrictions on commercial use. NASA usage guidelines are found here. http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html
http://www.firstgov.gov/Topics/Graphics.shtml

2) Creative Commons
Creative Commons provides an interesting way of making very clear what rights are granted with each work displayed. Read their documentation for more precise information on what each license grants.

They also list a very informative legal guide for podcasters , which explains the Creative Commons licensing and other legal concerns for podcasters.
http://creativecommons.org/

3) Morgue file
The Morguefile is a source for free-to-use images that can be used for both commercial and noncommercial applications. They ask that the photographer be credited, wherever possible, and you are not free to sell prints or credit the work as your own.
http://morguefile.com/

4) Yotophoto
Yotophoto is a search engine for copyright friendly images. Image searches show a thumbnail, which lists the image source and the copyright restrictions, if any. This is easy to use and a great tool to find specific images.
http://yotophoto.com/

5) Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons is an offshoot of Wikipedia. Like Wikipedia, anyone can contribute content, and anyone can edit it. The images listed are theoretically free of copyright restriction, but it is possible someone uploaded an image that they did not create.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Welcome

Thanks to Marziah Karch for gathering this information.