Saturday, May 16, 2015

Public Domain Images for Your Blog

 
Do you need to find images for your blog? One of the best ways to get images, when you don't have the time to make them yourself, or the equipment to make them with, is to download them from public domain photo sites. Always, whether purchasing images, or using public domain images, make sure you know what rights you have to use the image.
When I need images, I first go to the free public domain image sites listed below.

FreeRangeStock
http://freerangestock.com/index.php
This site requires registration, but the images are free.

ImageAfter
www.imageafter.com/
Images on the ImageAfter site are free for use in your personal or commercial work.

MorgueFile
www.morguefile.com
This site has lots of good professional quality images. Some images have limitations on usage. Be careful not to click into the DreamsTime area. DreamsTime images are NOT free to use.

Pixabay Free Images
http://pixabay.com/en/
These free royalty free and public domain images can be used without attribution in digital and printed form for personal or commercial applications. However, the Shutterstock images offered require a fee to use.

Public Domain Clipart
http://www.pdclipart.org/
I like this site for illustration, because there is no registration required.

Public Domain Images
www.public-domain-image.com
This site is not as user friendly as some others, but it does have some good images.

Public Domain Photo Sites
www.publicdomainpictures.net
This site has a broad range of images. I can usually find what I need here.

Public Domain Photos
www.public-domain-photos.com
This site has more than 5,000 photos.

stock.xchange
www.sxc.hu/
The are many thousands of images here. Be sure to read the Terms of Service. You may need to contact the photographer for permission.

U.S. Government Photos
www.usa.gov/Topics/Graphics.shtml
Photos taken by government employees for their jobs are usually public domain works. Check the rights for the image you want to use.

Wikimedia Commons
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Photographs
Wikimedia Commons has tons of quality public domain photos and images. However, just  because photos are free for use to the public does not mean there are not restrictions. The license will detail the specific rights.

Occasionally, I cannot find what I need at one of these sites. Especially when I am creating artwork for an e-book or Kindle book. At these times, I like to use Fotolia.com

Fotolia
 
Rainbow Image credit: brigwer

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