Audiovisual resources for academic use - Images

• Europeana. Millions of copyright-free resources, including photographic collections. Be sure to check the permitted uses for each item before downloading.

• Flickr. Allows you to filter images by size, colour, orientation, and licence. Always verify the licence for each image.

• Free images. Photographs available for use in projects, websites, and publications, provided they are properly attributed. Please review the FreeImages licence.

• Freepik. A large database of images (vectors, photos, etc.) for personal or commercial use, with attribution. Each image comes with its own licence.

• FreeRange. Registration required. Images can be used for personal or commercial purposes, but redistribution is not permitted. Please read the FreeRange licence carefully.

• Getty Images. A commercial database offering free use of its images on non-commercial websites.

• Kaboompics. Search for photos by colour and view the corresponding palette. Note that the Kaboompics licence permits all uses except resale, so be sure to review it carefully. 

• Life of pix. High-resolution photographs in the public domain. Users can filter search results by colour and orientation.

• Magdeleine. High-resolution photographs in the public domain, as well as others with a Creative Commons licence. Users can search by colour.

• Noun Project. A comprehensive database of icons and photographs with CC-BY licences or in the public domain. Payment options are available.

• Negative space. All images are in the public domain. Users can search or browse by categories.

• Openverse. A search engine for finding images (illustrations, photos, clipart) and audio files. Always verify the specific licence for each item.

• Pexels. High-quality images in the public domain. The website is available in multiple languages. Please refer to the Pexels licence for more details.

• Pics4Learning. An educational project offering an image bank for classroom use. The photographer retains the copyright.

• Pixabay. Illustrations and photographs with a CC0 licence (public domain). Pixabay is available in multiple languages. 

• Pixnio. A high-quality image bank with public domain images, searchable by colour and orientation. You can modify the size of the downloaded image. Please review the Pixnio licence.

• Procomún. From the Spanish Ministry of Education. Contains images, videos, and sounds with Creative Commons licences. Please check the Procomún terms of use.

• Smithsonian Open Access. This institution provides access to three million images from its digital collections in the public domain. Check the Smithsonian Open Access terms of use. 

• Stockvault. Images (photos, textures, and illustrations) available under three types of licences, one of which is public domain.

• StockSnap.io. High-quality photographs with StockSnap's CC0 Licence (public domain), allowing all types of use. A wide range of categories is available.

• Unsplash.Read the Unsplash licence, which does not allow selling without modification. Some images (Unsplash+) require a paid subscription.

• Vecteezy. A large database of vectors, illustrations, photos, and videos. They offer three types of licences and allow filtering by licence type.

• VisualHunt. Find CC-licenced images with a search engine that allows filtering by licence type and colour. View the specific licence for each image.

• Wellcome Collection. Images depicting the history of medicine, with Creative Commons licences and in the public domain, with various filtering options such as by colour and type.

• Wikimedia Commons.Images, sounds, and videos. The licence is provided for each resource. Check out the Wikimedia Commons: Images category.

• British Library. Over 1 million images of books from the 17th to 19th centuries in the public domain. These can be viewed thematically, grouped into Albums.

• Europeana. Millions of copyright-free resources, including photography collections. Please check the permitted uses for each item before downloading.

• Flickr. Allows you to filter images by size, colour, orientation, and licence. Always verify the licence for each image.

• Freepik. A large database of images (vectors, photos, etc.), available for personal or commercial use with attribution. Each image has its own licence.

• FreeRange. Registration required. Images can be used for personal or commercial purposes, but redistribution is not permitted. Please read the FreeRange licence carefully. 

• Old book illustrations. Illustrations from the 18th to the 20th century. Most are in the public domain, but verification is necessary. Please read the licence for Old Book Illustrations.

• Openclipart. Vector images in the public domain that can be downloaded in SVG or PNG format for any use. Check the “About Openclipart” page for more details.

• Openverse. A search engine for images (illustrations, photos, clipart) and audio files. Always verify the specific licence for each item.

• Pixabay. Illustrations and photographs with a CC0 licence (public domain). Check the licence details on Pixabay. The site is available in various languages.

• Procomún. A platform from the Spanish Ministry of Education. It contains images, videos, and sounds with Creative Commons licences. Check the Terms of use for Procomún.

• Public Domain Vectors. A large collection of vector images in the public domain, available in EPS, SVG, AI, and CDR formats. 

• Smithsonian Open Access.This institution provides access to three million images from its digital collections in the public domain. Check the Smithsonian Open Access terms of use.

• Stockvault. Images (photos, textures, and illustrations) available under three types of licences, including public domain.  

• Vecteezy. An extensive database of vectors, illustrations, photos, and videos. They offer three types of licences and allow filtering by licence type.

• Wellcome Collection.Images depicting the history of medicine, with Creative Commons licences and public domain resources. Filters are available by colour and type.

• Wikimedia Commons. Images, sounds, and videos, each with its licence provided. Explore the Wikimedia Commons: Images category for more.

• Free images. Access a wide range of free and paid images (photos, illustrations, clipart, etc.), each accompanied by its specific license. Please review the Freeimages licence before use.

• Freepik. A large database of images, including vectors and photos. These are available for personal or commercial use with attribution. Each image comes with its own licence.

• Flaticon. A collection of icons available in PNG format (free) and SVG format (paid). Icons are available for both personal and commercial use, with attribution required.

• Iconfinder. A comprehensive database of icons, both free and paid. You can filter your search to show only free images. Each image comes with its own licence.

• Noun Project. A powerful database of icons and photographs, offering content with CC-BY licences or in the public domain. Icons are editable within the platform.

• Openclipart. A collection of pre-designed images in the public domain, available for any use. Images can be downloaded in SVG and PNG formats. For more details, see the About Openclipart page.

• Openverse. A search engine designed to help you find images (illustrations, photos, clipart) and audio files. Always verify the specific licence for each resource.

• Pixabay. A collection of illustrations and photographs licensed under CC0 (public domain). For more information, see the Pixabay Licence page. Pixabay is available in multiple languages.

• Public Domain Vectors. A large collection of vector images in the public domain, available in EPS, SVG, AI, and CDR formats.

• Urwing. Icons available in PNG and SVG formats. The Urwing Licence allows all types of use, except redistribution. It also includes an SVG editing tool.

• Vecteezy. An extensive database of vectors, illustrations, photos, and videos. Vecteezy offers three types of licences and allows you to filter your search by licence type.

• Wikimedia Commons. A vast collection of images, sounds, and videos. Each resource includes its specific licence. Check out the Wikimedia Commons: Images category for more details. 

• Adforum. A large database of ads subscribed by the UAB. For uses other than the right to quote and the right of illustration, please contact them. 

• Ad*Access. 7,000 ads from US and Canadian newspapers between 1911 and 1955 for research, teaching, and study purposes. More information available.

• Emergence of Advertising in America. 1850-1920. From Duke University. Contact them for uses beyond the right to quote and the right of illustration.

• Europeana. Copyright-free resources can be downloaded. See the permitted uses of each item. It includes historical ads (search for "advertising").

• Galleries. Page of the UAB Libraries where you will find virtual galleries of advertising. Always remember to check the copyright of each resource.

• Lürzer’s Archive. A database subscribed by the UAB. Terms of use. For other uses besides the right to quote and the right to illustrate, please contact them.  

• ePyme. The 16 Best Free Image Banks of 2022, by Francisco Javier Sanz, Director of ePyme. A comprehensive and regularly updated guide.

• 31 free public domain image websites (Use with caution), by Rebecca Creger. Highlights the usage terms for each resource.

• Free image, music, icon, video and sound banks. A selection of free image, music, icon, video, and sound banks, curated by the National Centre for Curricular Development in Non-Proprietary Systems (CEDEC).

You may come across a photograph on the internet without any watermark or information about the author, making it difficult to determine its licensing for use. In this case, you have the option of doing a reverse image search, where you can use the image as a search pattern to find its original source. Some web browsers have extensions that allow you to perform this type of search.

Other useful resources include:

• TinEye. A reverse image search engine that allows you to find the original source of an image by entering its URL or uploading the image file.
• Google Images. Protect your work and identify the original creator of an image using this search engine, which allows you to search by URL or by uploading an image to find different versions.