Finding photos to legally use for school projects is not as simple as going to Google Images and saving whatever you find. That's because when people create something new, it is automatically covered by copyright, making it illegal for anyone else to use that work without permission. To make it easier to find usable images and other works, it helps to know about copyrights, the Creative Commons, and the public domain.
Try watching this video for background, then see the definitions below:
Try watching this video for background, then see the definitions below:
Definitions:
Copyright: The legal right to be the only one to reproduce, publish, or sell the contents and form of a literary, musical, or artistic work. (Merriam-Webster)
Creative Commons: Works that are copyrighted, but that the author or creator has agreed to let other people use, with certain conditions. Authors choose from these conditions:
Public domain: Works that are not protected by copyrights. This means anyone can use them for free without breaking any laws.
Copyright: The legal right to be the only one to reproduce, publish, or sell the contents and form of a literary, musical, or artistic work. (Merriam-Webster)
Creative Commons: Works that are copyrighted, but that the author or creator has agreed to let other people use, with certain conditions. Authors choose from these conditions:
- Attribution (say whose work it is and where you got it)
- Non-Commercial (you can't use it to make money)
- No Derivative Works (you can't change it in any way)
- Share Alike (you have to agree to share whatever you create)
Public domain: Works that are not protected by copyrights. This means anyone can use them for free without breaking any laws.
Ready to begin looking for photos for your project? Try some of these sites:
Remember, you might need to look in more than one place to find what you're looking for. Thinking about your keywords will help you find better results.
Important: You must keep track of the creator, title, and web address of all the photos you use. You might want to begin your search by creating a Google Doc to help you track this information.
Remember, you might need to look in more than one place to find what you're looking for. Thinking about your keywords will help you find better results.
Important: You must keep track of the creator, title, and web address of all the photos you use. You might want to begin your search by creating a Google Doc to help you track this information.