School Library System: Creative Commons
Picture File Formats
These are the most frequently used file formats for photos and image files.
.bmp Bitmap: This is a pixel-driven file and can look very boxy when enlarged.
.jpg Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG): Named for the group that invented it, this file is good for most photos
.tiff Tiff: This file format doesn't use any compression, so the files usually wind up very large. Good for print, but not for web use.
.png Portable Network Graphics (Pronounced: Ping): The only file format that can save with a transparent background.
.pxd This is a layered Pixlr file format - save this way to be able to reopen it and adjust it later. Save in another format to use online.
ISTE Blog
- Find Free and Fair Use PhotosInfo from the ISTE Blog, written by Keith Ferrell; November 15, 2017.
Online Photo Editors
- http://www.pixlr.com/editor
Pixlr is a free online photo editor with an extensive range of tools.
- www.freeonlinephotoeditor.com
This editor is a very simple editor for quick fixes.
Other very limited options are:
- canva.com
- befunky.com
- fotor.com
- ipiccy.com
Some of these require upgrade purchases if you want to do specific things (like change a picture background) or require you to sign up for a free trial which charges you after 30 days if you don't cancel, so be wary.
External Links
- Educator's Guide to Copyright and Fair UseThis article from Education World is a nice five-part look at copyright and fair use in education.
- Copyright InfoGraphicThis cool InfoGraphic shows what you need to know about copyright in education
Sound clips to go with those photos?
Royalty-free music and sound effects
Definitions
Copyright Free:
This term means that the work is not protected by copyright. It has either expired, or purposefully been put into the public domain.
Creative Commons:
This is a non-profit organization "devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share." (Wikipedia). It provides free, easy-to-use copyright licenses that standardize the way people can share and give permissions to the wider public to use creative works. (See below for more information.)
Fair Use:
An exception to copyright law that allows you to use copyrighted material.
Public Domain:
The public domain refers to all the creative works that do not have any exclusive intellectual property rights. This may be because they have expired, or been forfeited by the rights holder. A work in the public domain may be used at anytime by anyone.
Royalty-Free:
Royalty-free usually means that you pay a one-time fee to use copyrighted material, rather than an ongoing fee. An example of this, is the ability to use music that we have purchased from Soundzabound.
Creative Commons
- Creative Commons Licensing ExplainedThe resources below use creative commons licensing. Click this link to learn more about the different license types and how they can be used.
- Creative Commons SearchSearch images in the public domain and with creative commons licenses.
Royalty Free Images
You can search for royalty-free images at many different sites. Here's a sampling of what is out there:
- PixabayPixabay has over 1.5 million royalty free stock photos and videos shared by our generous community. Click the More link to search by color, size, orientation, or category.
- Morgue FileA free photo archive “for creatives, by creatives.” Created to serve as a free image exchange for creative professionals and teachers to use in their work.
- freeimages.comFree stock photos for personal and commercial use.
- pexels.comFree stock photos for commercial and noncommercial use. Photographer credit is not necessary, but much appreciated.
- unsplash.comFree photos by a community of photographers.
- burst.shopify.comSubscribe to this site for access to free photos.
- free-images.comThis is a free image aggregator, so be sure to review the licensing prior to use just in case.
- canva.comThis online design tool hosts a royalty-free photo collection.
Photo Use Quiz
Use this form to evaluate whether you should use the photo or find something else.