Public Domain Images: What They Are and Where to Find Them
Do you still think of stock photos as those awful, staged photos found in every boring PowerPoint you’ve ever seen?
If so, you need to think again.
Public domain images are a new blogger’s dream. From public domain background images to vintage photos to art, today’s royalty-free hosting sites offer the aesthetic you envision.
Short of becoming a professional photographer in the next week, these images are the best way to get high-quality images on your blog ASAP without any upfront costs. Public domain images aren’t hard to find, but their growing popularity means there’s plenty to sort through.
We put together a guide to help you source the images you’re after and protect you from the hidden obstacles that come with them.
What Are Public Domain Images?
Public domain images are images like photos, vectors, or clip art that exist without a copyright order. Copyright orders require users to seek the copyright holder’s permission before using the copyrighted material anywhere — public or private.
Alternatively, public domain images are freely available and accessible to the public. These images also meet one of three criteria to be part of the public domain:
- Its copyright expired
- It never had or cannot have a copyright
- It has a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license
Anyone can use public domain images for any reason they wish without the original creator or artist complaining. Without copyright, the original creator doesn’t have rights to restrict the work.
Despite these images being “public,” you should also offer credit where credit is due. It’s a good idea to do so any time you use an image you didn’t create. Attribution upholds the validity of CC0 licenses, and it makes you a good Internet citizen.
Where to Find Royalty Free Artwork
Royalty-free artwork and public domain background images are now more accessible than ever. Even better, the images freely available are also now of a higher quality than previous, limited databases.
Previous databases featured dated images or photos that screamed “stock photo” at the user. Those images still exist, but the range of available sources has also expanded the stockpile with some incredible photographs and pieces of art.
Unsure where to start? We put together a list of the biggest sites offering reliably royalty-free artwork. Each one offers a different style of art, so you’ll likely need to sift through a few before finding the images you want.
We described a few here, so you should have a basic idea of whether it might offer the types of images you imagine on your blog.
1. Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons is the first place you should stop for general images.
At present, it offers 50,805,642 usable media files, a breadth not seen anywhere else. If you have a hyper-specific idea of what you want, you’ll benefit both from the scope of the images and the sophisticated search systems.
While everyone loves Wikimedia Commons, disclaimers apply.
Wikimedia is a crowdsourced venture. Like Wikipedia, Wikimedia relies on groups of keen volunteer contributors, editors, and administrators to keep everything above board. Unfortunately, it also means that Wikimedia Commons cannot guarantee the images are free from copyright.
You’ll need to do some due diligence before using any of these. Double and then triple-check any licensing agreements before publishing the photo anywhere else online.
2. FlickrCommons
Flickr is a social form of photo hosting that’s a source of inspiration for creators and photographers everywhere. The site also recognized the need for freely distributed images, and it opened up Flickr Commons.
FlickrCommons uses user submissions and partners with libraries and archives around the world.
Like Wikimedia Commons, it’s an excellent source for global images. You’ll find an incredible number of rare and historical images. However, it’s also like Wikimedia Commons in that it cannot guarantee that the image has no known copyright restrictions.
3. Unsplash
Unsplash turned the tables on the boring royalty-free stock photos of yore. Rather than “Man and Woman Smiling,” you’ll find some Instagram-worthy snaps on this sites.
Unlike other massive databases, Unsplash is a community of professional artists and photographers. They offer some of their favorite photos for free and in high-resolution in exchange for exposure.
The community hosts a limited number of photos. With 550,000 free images, there’s plenty to choose from, but it’s a far cry from the 50 million found on other sites. You might see some categories are limited in comparison.
Still, designers flock to Unsplash because the images feel more authentic than what you find on the big sites. Plus, Unsplash makes it easier to verify the legal status of the image so that you can work confidently.
4. Pexels
Pexels is a new player in the game. Its founders started the site with one mission: “Empowering Creators.”
We like Pexels because it offers high-quality photos in its library, but its search tool also scours the web. Pexels hooks up with sites like Little Visuals and Gratisography and shows results from those sites in its search.
Pexels also screens each submission to ensure it is a high-resolution image.
5. Life of Pix
Life of Pix is a little-known site created by advertisers for advertisers. If you want something different, but you still prefer public domain, this is your site.
You’ll spend hours scrolling through this site like it’s your Instagram Explore page. It’s full of beautiful photos that also make excellent background pictures.
Their sister site, Life of Vids, is also a handy tool. It offers stock video footage, which makes for a more dynamic background.
6. StockSnap
StockSnap is one of the smaller repositories online, but it’s always worth a second look. The team at StockSnap offer strictly CC0 images provided by photographers happy to share their work.
Like other sites, StockSnap also advertises relevant images that aren’t royalty-free in its searches. You’ll spot these because they feature a watermark. These images don’t do much good if you’re set on a Creative Commons or public domain image, but they can be a jumping off point for those with a little cash to burn.
How to Attribute Royalty-Free Images to the User
If your image is CC0 or royalty-free, then you don’t need to seek permission or pay to use the image. Just because it’s free doesn’t mean you can use it as if it’s your creation.
Although some argue that CC0 means you don’t need to attribute anything, that’s not necessarily true.
A few limitations apply to these images. First, you need to be wary of images with identifiable faces or organizations. Second, you should attribute art whenever and wherever possible.
Limits to Royalty-Free Images
Do not use images that include identifiable people in a way the person in the photo may find offensive. You also cannot use recognizable logos in such a way that suggests the owner of the logo endorses you.
For example, if you find a NASA image, don’t position it in a way that looks like NASA uses and loves your product.
Attribution for Public Domain and Creative Commons Images
Public domain images do not necessarily need to be attributed, but Creative Commons images do.
Creative Commons images aren’t the alternative to copyright. Instead, they complement copyright laws to help artists share their work and reserve the rights to who they want.
CC0 images are fully public domain images that allow anyone to use an image or work unconditionally. But there are also six other attribution types including:
- Attribution
- Attribution – ShareAlike
- Attribution – Non-Commercial
- Attribution – Non-Commercial ShareAlike
- Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives
- Attribution No Derivatives
Any time you use a Creative Commons licensed work, you need to attribute it — even if it’s CC0.
You’ll use the same information to attribute a background photo regardless of what kind of CC license you encounter. You need to:
- List the creator
- Provide the photo title
- Enter the URL from the hosting site (Pixabay, Wikimedia, etc.)
- Refer to the license type (and link to it)
Don’t worry about the information you can’t find. However, you should find most of what you need from the hosting site itself, particularly on stock photo sites like Unsplash or Pixabay where photographers and artists upload their work.
You may also find notes from the creator on their profile or the photo itself. Help them out by attributing their work the way they prefer.
The Perfect Public Domain Background Images Are Out There
If you’re on the hunt for the perfect image, you have two choices: become a capable photographer overnight and shoot it or use public domain background images.
Public domain images are widely available and they are of a much higher quality than you remember from ten years ago. Some of the best bloggers use them on their sites.
Remember that public domain and Creative Commons licenses don’t mean the images are a free-for-all. They are free, but providing attribution is the right thing to do. After all, you wouldn’t want someone to pass off your blog as their own.
