Free Creative Commons Zero Licensed and Public Domain Images

Owning and maintaining a high quality website can be an expensive endeavor.  Today’s high expectations demand fast loading speeds and attractive graphics.  But an attractive website doesn’t have to be expensive.  There are numerous free image resources available to add imagery and a splash of color to your website.

Creative Commons Zero Licensed Images

Creative Commons Zero licensing means that the creator of image or graphic deeded the work to the public domain and waived his/her rights to the work under copyright laws.  Consequently, you many copy, modify, distribute, and use the image or graphic for free – even for commercial purposes.  (Learn more about Creative Commons licensing at CreativeCommons.org)

Numerous websites feature high-quality, high-resolution Creative Commons Zero licensed images and graphics.  These stunning images and graphics can be used to bring your website, ebooks, training courses, or any other digital work to life.  Here are thirteen sources of Creative Commons Zero licensed images and graphics:

• Unsplash (our favorite)
• 1 Million Free Pictures
• The British Library (via Flickr)
• Gratisography
• Little Visuals
• New Old Stock
• PDPics
• Pickup Image
• Pixabay
• Public Domain Archive
• PublicDomainPictures
• SplitShire
• Viintage

Public Domain Images

Photos taken by officers or employees of the United States government as part of their official duties are generally not subject to copyright restrictions on reproduction, derivative works, distribution, or display unless the image falls under an exception.  (Learn more at USA.gov)  Expansive libraries of United States government photos reside on Flickr as well as other images released under Creative Commons Zero licensing by the owner.

• United States Government Photos (via Flickr)
• Creative Commons Zero Licensed Photos (via Flickr)

Depending on your needs, you may want to search for photos having other Creative Commons licenses (various restrictions apply) on Flickr.

Final Thought…

Whenever obtaining photos from online sources, be sure to confirm the website and individual photo’s licensing terms before use.  It’s your responsibility to honor copyright and licensing terms when using others’ works just as it is their responsibility to honor yours.