You must always carefully read the license terms of the agency you are buying RF images from, as they all have their own particular allowed and prohibited uses, and their own conditions. If you still have some doubts regarding Royalty Free images and how to use them, see if you can find them and the answers in the following list of frequently asked questions:. My intended use is for a non-profit purpose, can I use RF images for free? Royalty Free images are sold under a paid license, regardless of your intended use being commercial or non-profit.
You cannot use Royalty Free images for free, because it's an unlicensed, and therefore illegal use. Note: Most stock agencies offer their members some free images periodically, and some also have free photos collections, that are available to use for free make sure you read all the conditions before using them.
I am a graphic designer, can I use RF images in designs that I will then sell to a client? Yes, you can. As long as the images are modified and embedded in your design you can't resell RF images as they are. In fact, you can use the same image in multiple designs too. Just remember that you will likely need to have an Extended license for the image.
Can I use RF licenses in the template of my own web? Yes, you can, as long as you don't design it in a way that implies the models in the photo are endorsing your product. Can I use RF images in templates that I will then offer for sale? You likely can, but usually, this will need an Extended license.
Can I use RF images in my brand identity? Likely not. You can use RF images in graphic designs, but you can't include them in logos, trademarks or design-marks, and as said, you cannot make it look like the people or property in the images are endorsing or are directly bound to your brand, which are all elements in brand identity.
You can use RF images in marketing and advertising efforts for your brand. Can I buy the exclusive rights to an RF image? No, you can't. Royalty Free licenses do not include exclusivity rights. RF images are sold to as many buyers acquire a license, and there can be many buyers licensing the same image at the same time, or overtime.
To get exclusive usage of an image, you need a Rights Managed or other similar licenses, that let you buy the right to be the only one using an image for a certain period of time. Note: This has a much higher cost. So that is all the must-know points in Royalty Free stock photos that you need to comprehend to be sure they are suitable for your purposes and that you're using them in the right ways.
But remember, always read the license agreement carefully, each stock agency introduces variations and changes to their licenses, and you must make sure you understand the rights you're buying. Cleared some thing up for me! Much appreciated. Thanks for explaining the concept in detail. I always used to get confused between creative commons and free stock images. They are actually one and the same thing. I also found this guide that shares a number of websites for downloading such images for free.
Only one question: What about the right to modifying the images or doing derivative work on them? Is this allowed for customers? Many thanks. Hi Julian, thanks for your question. It all depends on the license of the stock photo agency. Most stock agencies allow derivate work when it is only for i. Hope that helps! I sell subscription boxes for crafters, I want to include waterslide paper with pre-printed images that the purchaser of the subscription box can then use to make a craft.
What type of license would allow that? Thank you for your question. It is hard to say since it is not really clear what the product here is. But if you print images on something like a paper or so and the image is the main part of that piece then it is most likely a extended license you will need. Hi Amos Thanks so much — really informative. One question — what happens if you buy a royalty-free image and then later the owner of the image decides to remove it from the royalty-free agency?
Do you then have to stop using it or do you still have the right to use it? Hi Richard, happy to help. I can not speak for all stock agencies but most stock agencies have you covered. Product packaging is another project that may not be appropriate for a standard royalty-free license. The license may limit the number of times you can use the image, and if the product gets really popular, you could have to change the packaging because you exceed the limit.
Again, iStock offers an Unlimited reproduction license for packaging that will be printed more than , times. Using royalty-free imagery in a logo is often prohibited. For these reasons, iStock prohibits the use of our images in logos. Your royalty-free license will likely prohibit certain uses. At iStock, the use of royalty-free images for pornographic, obscene, or libelous content is not allowed. Other royalty-free stock photo sites have the same stipulation.
An image that is royalty-free is not necessarily free for commercial use — that is, any use that could lead to buying or selling something. The most reliable image services require you to pay a fee for a license that allows you to use the image for commercial or non-commercial uses, as long as you follow the terms.
Even with a royalty-free image license, some commercial activities are prohibited. You may need a special license to use the image in products for resale — like a product or digital download.
Whether you can use royalty-free images for commercial use depends on the terms of your download license. Never assume an image is royalty-free. Before you use an image, it is ideal to have a signed release for any recognizable people, places, or things. Be very careful about using any image for commercial use. For example, the photo below shows people, but an effect blurs their faces.
Editorial use only photos are photos that may include people, private property, branding, or artwork for which no release has been granted for commercial uses. You can use these images to illustrate non-commercial projects, such as blog posts, newsletter articles, or academic papers. Royalty-free images are not free in a monetary sense. Creators invest money and time in the content they make and deserve to be compensated. Typically, image libraries have legal agreements with content creators that allow image services to grant royalty-free licenses to their customers.
The content creators are compensated when those licenses are granted. In return, the creators grant the company the right to provide customers with a royalty-free license. Read the fine print — are there any legal warranties? If a claim happens, will the site help you resolve it? Copyright owners have exclusive rights to say when their works are published, displayed, reproduced, and when derivatives can be made.
For free royalty-free images, we recommend freeimages. These royalty-free images are licensed for personal and commercial use. While the free royalty-free images at freeimages. Also, consider that these images are free and lots of people use them. For example, images with a Creative Commons copyright license can be adapted or reused for other creative projects without requiring a license. However, there are multiple Creative Commons licenses. Some prohibit commercial use entirely.
Others require a photo credit even for non-commercial uses. Here is one of my internet pet peeves. Frequently, people upload images they'd like others to be able to use for free. So: Royalty Free does not mean Free. Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter. Sign Up. Read More Previous. Support science journalism. Knowledge awaits. See Subscription Options Already a subscriber? Create Account See Subscription Options.
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