Finding & Using Images
This guide helps EMU faculty and students find, use, and cite images by highlighting key image sources and providing guidance on copyright, licensing, and attribution.
There are billions of images online, but only a fraction of the images are freely available to reuse or modify for specific purposes.
Below is a list of sites that contain images that are free to use, modify, adapt without asking for permission.
If you find images elsewhere online, always check the site’s permissions or terms of use to ensure your use is legal and ethical.
Note: Many museums and archives also provide digital collections containing both public-domain and copyrighted materials.
What if the image I want to use is protected by copyright?
If an image is not in the public domain or licensed for free use, you must contact the copyright holder for permission.
The University of Michigan Library Copyright Office offers an excellent guide on "Obtaining Copyright Permissions."
Public-domain images are free to use without restriction. You do not need permission to copy, modify, or display them publicly.
Images from U.S. government agencies are in the public domain.
Below is a select list of image libraries from federal agencies:
Creative Commons (CC) images can be used freely if you follow the license terms (e.g., attribution, noncommercial, share-alike).
Please see our Creative Commons guide for information about the different licenses and each license permits.
Free Stock Image Sites
Fee-Based Stock Image Sites
