The images without copyright they are a resource that almost every digital user has ever resorted to. There are image banks that make public domain photos available, that is, without restrictions on use and free of charge. We tell you how to recognize them and where to find them.
First things first: what is copyright
Before we dive into the importance of images without copyright, let’s clarify what this is all about.
Copyrights are those that correspond to the creators of artistic, literary and scientific works. That is, from music, books, paintings, to databases and computer programs, all these creations can be protected.
“Own the copyright” refers, on the one hand, to moral rights (that is, ownership of the work) and, on the other, to legal rights (that is, its reproduction and distribution).
Copyright refers to the latter type of right that focuses on the dissemination of the work. Surely you know the symbol of Copyright ©, it means that the work in question is protected.
Now yes, let’s go to the images without copyright
The web is an increasingly visual space. As users, content that includes images, illustrations or photos tend to attract more attention, compared to “plain” text. The Internet works according to the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words”.
Websites, social networks, blogs, applications, all use visual support, to a greater or lesser extent, as a means of communication.
So whether it’s to promote a product, broadcast an event, publish a text, whatever, we need pictures!
Images without copyright are those that we can use — that is, copy, download, share — without having the consent of their author. So, to respect copyright, properly, there are images without copyright.
Now that we know their importance, where can we find them? Furthermore, how can I tell if an image is copyright free?
How to identify images without copyright
Whether to find images that are free of copyright, or to confirm that the ones you use on your site are, we tell you how to do it.
Google images
Google Image Search doesn’t have the ability to detect if an image is copyrighted, but it does have a tool that makes it easy to find them. What we are going to do is look for images free of use and diffusion:
- Open the Google image search engine.
- In the text field, type what you want to find. For example, “dog playing in the garden”.
- Tap the “Tools” button.
- Go to the “Use Rights” drop-down list.
- Filter according to the option that best suits what you need.
CC Search (Creative Commons)
Those that are under the Creative Commons License are considered within the category of images without copyright. These licenses are a variety of copyrights from which the terms and conditions of use can be modified and adapted.
The (Creative Commons Image Finder) allows you to select the image with the type of license that best suits your interests. Among the filters that you have available, you can select the one that allows you to use commercially and/or modify and adapt.
tin eye
If you are already using content on your website or social networks and you are not sure if it is images without copyright, this tool is the solution. allows you to do the reverse search —that is, starting from the image, not from a text— to trace its origin and verify if the work is subject to some type of copyright.
Free Image Bank
An image bank is a website where you can buy or download photographs, illustrations, backgrounds, vectors, images in general. Those that allow you to download files for free, are the ones that are equipped with images without copyright.
Any free image bank is a powerful resource to enrich digital content. They are the perfect complement when working with , for example, to select a background related to your brand and customize them.
You will find graphic resources of very good quality and free of rights. Without a doubt, a great ally!
5 advantages of using an image bank
The first reason to use this resource is, as we already mentioned, the legal one. Even so, there are many advantages in the idea of resorting to an image bank to equip your digital content.
- Quality. Users are used to increasingly higher standards. For example, in the culinary field, original photos (that is, your own) are valued, but they will only captivate the person if the presentation, lighting and definition stand out.
- Practicality. A free image bank makes available many photos that we access through a simple search engine.
- Ease. Taking photos of products, landscapes or people can be more complex (and expensive) than it seems. Image banks represent a solution within reach.
- Weather. Hand in hand with the above, by going to images without copyright we can obtain invaluable resources in minutes.
- Variety. Not only does each image bank share thousands of photos, but there are also hundreds of high-quality banks that we can use to find images of whatever category we need.
It is possible that in your business, enterprise or project you use both original photos and those taken from a free image bank. There is nothing wrong with this and it is more than frequent.
For example, if you manufacture and sell it is a good idea to have photos that show your products specifically. However, to show variety in the content of your social networks, you can look at landscapes where the raw material for soaps is obtained. For this, an image bank will be extremely useful! 📸
Free images without copyright: the 6 most used image banks in 2022
Let’s do it! Let’s see how to get images of people, animals, objects, backgrounds, illustrations, drawings, vectors, whatever! The idea is to give you tools so that you can find graphic resources of good quality, attractive, professional and free of rights.
When immersing yourself in the search, keep in mind the identity of your brand, to follow that line. You may prioritize night and day images; more or less minimalist; aimed at a more or less young audience; that highlight people, or objects, etc.
1.Pixabay
This image bank is one of the best known and used around the world. makes available a wide variety of high-quality, copyright-free graphic resources.
It should be clarified that, when doing the search, in the first row you will see sponsored images, that is, they are not free images. Avoiding these, you will be able to choose from the (huge) variety that follows.
2. Pexels
The favorite free image bank of content marketing analysts, stands out for its design and usability. It offers excellent quality professional photos and even stock videos.
It has a very practical functionality: when opening an image, it shows us more suggestions, which are similar photos.
For example, if we search for “study group” and select one of the photos, you will see that it says “Similar photos” below. In this section, Pexels brings us images from the same photographer. Thus we access the same images of people in different positions or with varied expressions, to choose the one that most convinces us.
3.Unsplash
The platform has more than 2 million images without copyright in high definition. It also has a community of professional photographers to which anyone who wishes can register to interact and make their works available under the Unsplash license.
Browsing these sites can be a good source of inspiration for your digital content. If you need creative photo ideas for special dates or specific items, going to a free image bank will surely be the best!
4. Morgue file
This image bank, like the previous ones, offers photos uploaded by the same users who agree to their use.
When doing a search on , we must avoid the first row that shows us photos from Shutterstock and you must pay for them. Then, to find good images without copyright, we recommend you sort by number of downloads, to access the most popular and, generally, the best photos.
5.Freepik
In addition to being a very good bank of free images, you will find other resources such as vectors, icons, mockups, and templates. This image bank includes two other major brands: Flaticon (the largest icon database) and Slidesgo (with free templates for Google Slides and PowerPoint presentations).
6. Picjumbo
It has fewer images because it sets the bar higher in terms of quality, originality and graphic creativity. Like the previous ones, it offers photographs and backgrounds in high resolution and of any category.
Bonus track: specialized image banks
Did you know that there are specialized banks in certain areas? We share some examples:
- In you will find all kinds of photos of food, typical dishes, tables set up, whatever you can imagine!
- brings together high-resolution human landscape or social photographs.
- makes available free ready-to-use technology, office and startup images.
- is dedicated to making images of food and gastronomy. It has its bank of images of recipes, textures, products, among others.
- It is compiled by an incredible collection of photos of artistic works (including dance, music, theater), design and much more.
In summary
Copyright-free and free images are an ace up the sleeve of every digital user! In addition, resorting to an image bank can serve as inspiration to generate content on social networks, sites or blogs.
To conclude, we want to remind you that having your own photos is highly recommended and adds enormous value to your content. Image banks are useful to complement that. So go ahead and take pictures yourself! In this post we share with you like a professional.
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