Research Guides (LibGuides): PX 100: Exploring Pharmacy: Finding Images & Media

How to Find Creative Commons & Public Domain Images

Google Images
Click on the Search Tools button to see helpful limiters, including image size, color, type, time, etc.

Google Images search with arrow pointing to Search Tools button

Not filtered by license - Results will include images that are protected under copyright (All Rights Reserved). They may be usable under Fair Use with proper attribution, but we recommend that you select another option.
Reuse - Results will be Creative Commons or public domain images that allow you to reuse them. Look for the individual license to know what specifically you need to do to reuse the image. Alt. term: free to use or share.
Modification - You can change these images however you would like. Include adding borders, making collages, etc
Noncommercial use - You cannot use these images for commercial purposes.

Flickr
This link brings you to the Advanced Search page. Place your search term in the box, then scroll down and check the box to search "only within Creative-Commons licensed content." If you wish to make any changes to the image, you'll also want to check the "find content to modify, adapt, or build upon" box

Flickr Advanced search Creative Commons options

WHEN SEARCHING, TWO THINGS TO NOTE:

If you re-enter a search in the top box of Flickr, it sometimes loses your Creative Commons limiter. You can reset it by selecting Creative Commons from the License drop-down list.
Results are ranked by relevance. You can change this to see "Interesting" photos that have been viewed, tagged, commented on, and favorited most.

Flickr results page limiters

FINDING A FLICKR IMAGE LICENSE:

Key information underneath the photo tells you who its creator is, how many times the photo has been viewed, and any provided details about the type of photograph or camera used. On the far right, you will see three icons. The second icon (arrow pointing right) allows you to share the photo and gives a direct url back to the image. The third icon (arrow pointing down) allows you to select a size and download the photo.

Under these icons, you'll see the date the photo was taken. Directly underneath is the photo's license. You can click on the hyperlink to see the actual Creative Commons license and specific details about requirements for reuse.

Options beneath a Flickr image show number of views, date taken, license, and download information

Wikimedia Commons
Large collection of public domain and Creative Commons images, sounds, maps, and other media.

FINDING A WIKIMEDIA IMAGE:

Browse through categories or use the search feature at the top of the page. Images are nested in categories and folders; if you don't appreciate their search interface, remember that Google Image searches will return items within Wikimedia Commons.

FINDING A LICENSE FOR A WIKIMEDIA IMAGE:

If you can get to the Image File page, you'll be set. You may have to click on "More Details about this File" to get to this page.

There are helpful options to the right of the image on this page. You can download the file and get information about how to reuse the file in various ways. License information, image url, and author information is provided.

Wikimedia Commons image file page

License information is provided in an easier way if you continue to scroll down on this page. There will be a section labeled "License" that gives an explanation of the image license and links to additional information too.

Wikimedia commons image license

Creative Commons Search
Portal for searching various sites for Creative Commons images, audio, video, and other media. Select a site to begin your search; your currently selected site will be highlighted in light blue.
Pixabay
Huge variety of public domain images. Warning: the first row of images in any search are sponsored results from Shutterstock and are not in the public domain.
Unsplash
Beautiful, free images and photos that you can download and use for any project.
The Noun Project
Noun Project is building a global visual language that unites us — a language that allows quick and easy communication no matter who you are or where you are.
FreeFoto.com
"FreeFoto.com is the largest collection of free photographs on the Internet (link back and attribution required)."
WikiPaintings
Need art? Check out WikiPaintings for beautiful, high-resolution images of fine art.

About Creative Commons

Creative Commons Home Page
Explains what Creative Commons is all about.
Creative Commons: Licenses
Learn more about the Creative Commons licenses.

Public Domain: Works that you can use in any way you want to. Most works enter the public domain once intellectual property laws expire, but some enter because creators wish for their work to be available without copyright law restrictions.

Digital Copyright Slider
Provided by the American Libraries' Association
Creative Commons: Public Domain Tools
Two tools to help if you have identified a work within the Public Domain, or if you wish to waive your rights and release your work into the Public Domain.

The Copyright Act gives the owner of a copyright the exclusive right to reproduce and distribute their work. One exception to this exclusive right is called the fair use exception: The fair use exception permits the reproduction of a portion of a copyrighted work without the copyright owner's permission, under certain circumstances. This is a vitally important exception for education, as it enables students, scholars, and critics to use and reference copyrighted works in their own scholarship, teaching, and critiques.

Four factors are considered in all fair use evaluations. They are:

Purpose & character
Nature of the work
Amount
Effect

Resources below can help you understand these factors and determine if your situation qualifies under Fair Use.

Butler Copyright LibGuide: Fair Use
Columbia University Fair Use Checklist
In addition to a link to a checklist, this site gives some background on fair use.
American Library Association Fair Use Evaluator

See the resources below for guidelines about specific formats or educational situations.

CONFU: Remixing
Guidelines for creating multimedia projects.
Butler Copyright LibGuide: Guidelines for Music
Suggested limits for copying music in support of classroom instruction.
Butler Copyright LibGuide: Guidelines for Movies
Options for instructional streaming movie content.
Butler Copyright LibGuide: Canvas
Information about what content can be placed in Canvas under Fair Use.

Medical-Related Sources with Public Domain and Copyrighted Images

Where can I find medical and health images?

These sites have a combination of public domain, Creative Commons licensed, or copyright protected images available. Check the terms and conditions for each image of any collection.

National Cancer Institute Visuals Online - This site includes both copyright protected and public domain images. See the Reuse Restrictions information for each image.
Public Health Image Library (PHIL) - This site contains both public domain and copyright protected images. See the Copyright Restrictions information for each image.
Wellcome Collections - Images are not all health-focused. This site includes both copyright protected and public domain images. See the Reuse Restrictions information for each image.
David G. Cogan Ophthalmic Pathology Collection - The images in this collection are not copyrighted but credit should be given to the "Cogan Collection, NEI/NIH."
NIH Image Gallery - The National Institutes of Health provides an image gallery on Flickr. The images are licensed under varying CC licenses. Check the licensing for each individual image.
Open-i: Open Access Biomedical Image Search Engine - Collection of images from the open source literature. Use the "License Type" filter along the top menu bar to include only attribution or attribution/non-commercial images.

(Used with permission from H. Craven and R. Hinrichs at http://iupui.libguides.com/mededportal/findingimages)

Diverse and Inclusive Image Databases

Disabled And Here Collection
This collection is a disability-led effort to provide free and inclusive stock photos shot from our own perspective, featuring disabled BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) across the Pacific Northwest.
The Gender Spectrum Collection
The Gender Spectrum Collection is a stock photo library featuring images of trans and non-binary models that go beyond the clichés. This collection aims to help media better represent members of these communities as people not necessarily defined by their gender identities—people with careers, relationships, talents, passions, and home lives.
nappy
nappy is out to provide beautiful, high-res photos of black and brown people to startups, brands, agencies, and everyone else. nappy makes it easy for companies to be purposeful about representation in their designs, presentations, and advertisements.
PICONI
PICONI is a coop of stock image photography. They recognize that most other FREE stock image sites have very few or no images of people of color. They sought out to create a space where publishers, bloggers, website owners, marketers, designers, graphic artists, advertisers and the like can easily search and find diverse multi-racial images.
Plus-Sized Stock Photos
AllGo, a company that focuses on increasing the accessibility of spaces for people of all sizes and abilities, created this free stock photo collection "of plus-size people doing normal things" to address a lack of inclusion of fat bodies in existing stock photo collections.
Women of Color in Tech (#WOCinTech)
#WOCinTech Chat started out as a Twitter chat and quickly evolved into an initiative to connect and empower WOC in the tech world. As part of this work they put together a photo shoot of real WOC technologists at work. The stock photos are meant to combat the idea that there are no WOC in the tech industry by increasing their visibility.

Courtesy of University of Illinois Library

PX 100: Exploring Pharmacy: Finding Images & Media

How to Find Creative Commons & Public Domain Images

About Creative Commons

Medical-Related Sources with Public Domain and Copyrighted Images

Where can I find medical and health images?

Diverse and Inclusive Image Databases

CONTACT

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