An image that’s in the public domain is 100 percent free, but that doesn’t mean that it’s of lesser quality than one you have to pay for. You can still find all kinds of top-notch pictures without hiring a professional photographer or paying for stock photos (which can get really expensive).
What Are Public Domain Images?
It’s simple: they’re images that are freely available for use, for commercial and private purposes. You don’t have to worry about infringing on copyrights, attributing the source, asking for permission, or being charged for using the photos. Some photos don’t follow those rules exactly, but most do, and any caveats are explained below or on the website offering the pictures. Search by keyword or browse by collection, color, and more, including popular searches to see what people are downloading. The Leaderboard page is another interesting way to browse because it shows which users uploaded the most popular images in the last 30 days. We also like how you can view photos by topic. Current Events is an interesting image set, but there’s also one for textures, 3D renders, health & wellness, interiors, and a lot more. All images found here fall under the Unsplash License, which clearly states that each photo can be used for free for any reason; no permission or credit is required. Some of the categories that separate these photos include interior, lifestyle, technology, people, urban, things, and home decor. As you look through these pictures, you can use the download button to quickly grab them, or you can visit the photo’s download page to get the original sized photo, a medium sized one, or a version with the width you choose. There are also photoshoots listed here, which provide a series of similar images that would work great in a project that needs a consistent theme. Explore helps you find the most popular images on the site, and can also point you in the direction of the Editor’s Choice page to kick-start your creativity, and curated collections (e.g., lifestyle, wild animals, people from around the world, celebrating women). The filters let you target your searches to pictures in a certain color, specific pixels, and/or orientation. Although all the photos are in the public domain, you’ll occasionally see a note about a special use condition. For example, if a person or paid model appears in the photo, the condition may be that you can’t use it in any way that depicts that person in a bad light or in a manner that the person might find offensive. If the site has a downside, it has to be its vast size. If you’re not sure where to start, take their recommendation and visit Featured Pictures, Quality Images, or Valued Images. Almost all of the content of the Commons is free to use. Some of it comes with restrictions that are explained on the same page as the image. The most common is that the original creator must be attributed. Remember these things while using Morguefile (according to their license):
Any of the free photos can be used for commercial purposesYou can make alterations to the imagesIf you don’t alter the image, you must credit the photographer
To get started, type something into the search box and then select the box next to Search only public domain materials. Or, browse the items featured on the home page, which include recently digitized items, updated collections, and various other categories such as fashion, nature, and maps. Before downloading these public domain pictures, scroll to the bottom of the download page to see the Rights Statement section. Truly free images will mention that the New York Public Library considers it to be in the public domain and so it doesn’t require a link back to the library. Many of the photos are historical, and all are fascinating. They’re categorized as having “no known copyright restrictions.” When you run a search, the results can be filtered by color, multiple orientations, minimum size, and date captured. This program has two main objectives:
To increase access to publicly held photography collectionsTo provide a way for the general public to contribute information and knowledge
For example, if you download a JPG but you want a PNG, a file converter is what you need to make that change.
