Library and Academic Success: Image Collections: Find more: Openly licensed/free

Educational use of Images

Educational Use of Images

These guidelines outline the use of images for educational purposes. Information is intended for Georgian College students, staff and faculty only.

General guidelines:

Check and abide by licenses
Avoid pay-for-access images
Limit access to content via Blackboard
Cite/Reference/Attribute

Consult the Copyright guide or email the Copyright Team - copyright@georgiancollege.ca for help.

Image Use: Resources

Images - Accessibility Toolkit 2nd Edition This link will give you an excellent understanding of the basics of creating alt-tags for images.
Complex Images... A Guide to Making Visual Content Accessible [PDF] This PDF provides excellent information on how you might ensure that complex images (such as charts, diagrams, etc) are accessible for all learners.
Copyright at Georgian Visit this guide for more information about how you can use content and images in an educational context.
Using Images in OER A brief guide to citation, copyright and accessibility concerns around using images in OER.

Finding openly licensed images on the web

Images or artistic works that are clearly marked as Public Domain, shared under Creative Commons licenses and some images from web-based image collections such as Unsplash, Pixabay, and Pexels may be used for both decorative and educational purposes. Openly licensed images provide a great way to enhance lessons, slides/presentations, screen casts and videos or lecture recordings provided that you meet the following conditions:

Check images from web-based collections carefully to ensure an open license (see notes on particular collections below)
Review and adhere to the terms of use or license requirements noted with the image
Provide attribution (recommended even if not required by the website)

Copyright at Georgian
Visit this guide for more information about how you can use content and images in an educational context.
Open Educational Resources (OER)
Visit the OER Guide for more information on using content & images in OER
Better Images - A quick guide from St. Clair College
Review this guide to finding and using better images in your OER (and beyond!).

Creative Commons Image Collections

The following image collections feature Public Domain, shared under Creative Commons licenses licensed images. These images may be used for personal or educational purposes. Check images and website terms of use/licenses for specific permissions and restrictions.

OpenVerse
An extensive library of free stock photos, images, and audio, available for free use. Limit by type of content and/or type of CC license.
Wikimedia Commons
Similar to Wikipedia, it’s the online encyclopedia for usable media/image content with copyright & licensing information designated for each item (and links out on how it applies in each country). Search or browse. From homepage, select ‘Images’. Use keywords to search for images or chose from selection of categories. Click on the image you’re interested in. Icons on the right indicate how the image can be used and shared. Creative Commons license will appear at the bottom of the screen.  When using the image, give credit to the person who created it.
Creative Commons
This searches many online collections at once and lists the licences attached with the attribution required. Use keywords to search for images.  Click on the image you’re interested in.  Creative Commons license will display at bottom of the screen. Preferred attribution for the creator will be listed.
Open Clip Art
CC licenses make these available, simple to use and there is a large and constantly growing collection. High quality of SVG format clipart (which means scalable and thus more versatile)

Image Collections with Free Images

In the following collections, you'll need to review each image you use carefully, as the websites mix paid-access, subscription and free images. Look for options to filter your search by "Free". While "free" images on these sites may not require attribution, we recommend always providing an attribution or reference, to model best information practices and give credit to the creators and photographers.

Noun Project
Good for icons, symbols and basic photos. Individual licenses apply and each are clearly laid out before use is allowed. Typically, photos and icons listed under the "basic" package are free to use.
Flickr
a growing worldwide collection from photographers with different licences and permissions attached to their photos. Use keywords to search for images.  Click on the image you’re interested in. License Information on right will link to Creative Commons license.  When using the image, give credit to the person who created it. 
Unsplash
full of beautiful and creative photos from all over. However, note that not all images are available for free. Select and use images clearly marked with "Free to use under Unsplash license". Images marked as Unsplash+ are *not* free, and images marked as stock photography also appear, even if you limit to "free" using the search limiters. Check each image carefully to confirm that it's free to use.
Pixabay
a community based, free share collection of stock images and photos. Allows users to join, create, share, modify and use anything Shared under the Pixabay license. Provide attribution as required as an educational institution for our purposes.
Pexels
good quality stock photos. Select images that are free to use under the Pexels license.