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Image Sources

Looking for photographs and other media for your assessment items, external presentations, marketing material, or anything else? These sources below have great content and will help you avoid possible copyright issues.

Before using:

  • Be sure to double-check the terms for each database and individual file before downloading.
  • The Creative Commons Australia website has information about how to attribute material provided under a Creative Commons licence.

What about Google images?

The majority of images on Google are copyright-protected. If using Google, make sure in the search results you click into:

  • Tools > Usage rights > Creative Commons licenses
  • Always go to the source and check for licensing and terms

Photographs & other artistic works

Source Description Additional information
AnatomyTool Platform for Open Anatomy Learning Resources Check the licensing for each file to confirm terms of use and attribution.
Adobe Stock Adobe Stock offers high-quality free stock photos, vectors and videos you can use for commercial purposes with confidence. Check the licensing for each file to confirm terms of use and attribution before downloading.
The Flickr Commons Collections from the world's public photography archives. Check the explicit rights statement for each photo to confirm there are 'no known copyright restrictions'.
Flickr Creative Commons Search Photos uploaded by Flickr users around the world. Not all are licensed under Creative Commons, so confirm licence terms before downloading. After searching, filter to 'All creative commons' under Any license.
Foodie's Feed Food images that are free of copyright restrictions. Photos are licensed under CC License Zero. Can be used commercially.
Freeimages Gallery of free stock images. Check the rights statement for each photo to confirm licence terms before using. Model releases are the responsibility of the user.
Gratisography Stock photography free of copyright restrictions. Photos are licensed under CC License Zero. Can be used commercially but can't be redistributed.
morgueFile Photos contributed by artists to be used in creative projects by visitors to the site. Check the rights statement for each photo to confirm restrictions before using. Model and property releases are the responsibility of the user.
Morphbank: Biological Imaging An open repository of photos that can be used for education, research or other non-commercial purposes. No commercial use permitted without permission. Attribution of the source and copyright holder is required.
NASA Multimedia Access to NASA's photo, video and audio collections (images also available via Flickr Commons). Multimedia files can be used for non-commercial purposes with attribution. The NASA logo and/or seal may not be used without permission.
Pixabay Photos, vectors and art illustrations that can be used in digital and printed form, including for commercial applications. NB: iStock images will appear in the search results, but are not free from copyright restrictions. iStock photos show as 'sponsored images' and have the company logo on them.
Public Health Image Library (PHIL) A gateway to photos made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA). Many of the images are in the public domain, but some are copyright protected. Check the copyright restrictions for each photo before using.
State Library of Victoria Over 200,000 historical photos in the public domain. Victoria-centric, but some great imagery of early Australia. Users are encouraged to remix, reuse and share the results. Acknowledge the State Library Victoria, the url (www.slv.vic.gov.au), the title and the original creator of the work.
StockSnap A collection of high-resolution stock images. All photos are released under a Creative Commons CC0 licence. This means they can be copied, modified, and distributed, even for commercial purposes.
Unsplash A gallery of free, user-contributed photos. Photos can be copied, modified distributed and used for free, including commercial purposes, without asking permission from or providing attribution to the photographer or Unsplash. However, photos can not be sold.
Wellcome Images A collection ranging from medical and social history to contemporary healthcare and biomedical science. Low-resolution photos can be used for study under one of two Creative Commons licences. Confirm terms of use before downloading. Files noted as 'rights-managed' will require further permission from Wellcome.
Wikimedia Commons A database of over 23 million free to use media files. Check the licensing for each file to confirm terms of use and attribution.
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