If you’re looking for images that you can use without copyright infringement there are several sites that offer copyright free images or images with usage rights.
The list below has not been completely vetted but you can look through them. Obviously some of these sites come and go and some are easier to navigate than others. Be careful with the word copyright free, and stick to reading the usage rights.
I find that using images from the Microsoft site, especially for use in office docs and presentations is fairly a good source and easy to navigate. If using any of these sites, be sure to read their terms and usage rights for any photo you download or intend to use personally (blogs, social sites, etc.) or commercially (whether electronic or print format you must read all the usage rights).
- Microsoft.com
- Free Images
- Free Foto
- Morgue File
- Unprofound
- Free Range Stock
- Free Digital Photos
- Free Pixels
- Public Domain Photos
- Design Packs
- Every Stock Photo
The last way is probably one of the easiest and best in my opinion to find images with specific usage rights. Many people use Google to search for a phrase or term and see what images show up by clicking the “image” link but many of these images have copyright claims.
It’s better to use the Google Advanced Image Search to locate images so you won’t be concerned about getting a copyright infringement letter (aka Extorsion letters).
If you are using Google to search for images you can’t simply use any image you find. You need to use the Google Advanced Image Search Tool and then you need to change the “usage rights” at the bottom of the Google Advanced Image Search Form.
The settings to use if you plan to use images on a website newsletter or commercially would be: “Labeled for reuse:”
