In recent years, with the growth of online social networks and the development of more integrated networks of information, sharing photos, pictures, websites and text has become increasingly popular. This has led to content sharing becoming an increasingly important component of the marketing strategy for many modern businesses. However, it has also raised questions about how intellectual and artistic property rights are regulated online and how individuals can protect their work or images from unwanted replication and sharing on social networks.
Fortunately, a number of tools have emerged that allow you to search for photos that are free to use and covered by a creative commons license. The following tools usually only apply to those working on a blog, if you don’t want to worry about image royalties, why not try the 123 Reg website builder package instead?
Photopin is a great tool that allows you to search for photos which are free to use on the creative commons database, allowing you to download the photo along with a proper attribution link. This ensures that you’ll be able to use the image without concern and also give proper credit to photographers.
Compfight markets itself as a way for creative folk to find the visual inspiration they require quickly and efficiently. While not associated with Flickr, they do search Flickr’s photo catalog to great effect. A clever use of filters can make sure that you’ll be able to find what you need with a minimum fuss and also ensures that imprecise searches will be a thing of the past.
The Flickr Creative Commons Page allows you to browse or search through their whole database of image files and distinguishes between a range of different licence types. If you’re looking for a very specific type of licence, this is a great option to take, as you know exactly what you’re getting.
Behold gives users the opportunity to search a collection of 1,040,000 high quality images found on the Flickr site. The tool attempts to differentiate itself by applying different criteria to its searches, focusing on recognizing visual concepts in images, rather than just working off tags. This interesting approach also incorporates a feature that suggests visual filters for users who are looking for something more interesting.
CC Search gives the user easy access to a variety of search services that utilise creative commons licences. This makes it the least specific of all the tools mentioned, but also one of the most versatile. If you’re looking to start a broad search this might be the perfect place to begin.
Conclusions
If you’re blogging regularly, it is incredibly important that you source your images in the right way, ensuring that they are free to use. Though it may be one of the most common mistakes made by bloggers of varying levels of experience, it can easily be avoided by using one of the many tools available for free online. Make sure that your images are free to use and correctly sourced!
