Be Careful Where You Get Your Stock Images

Do you use stock images for your business?

Did you know that you can't simply download an image you found from a search engine and use it for your website or social media? You could commit copyright infringement.

Here are some tips on where you can download stock images safely and legally to use for your business.

​What is copyright? Copyright literally means the right to copy but has come to mean that body of exclusive rights granted by law to copyright owners for protection of their work. [Source: https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/definitions.html]

​​The simple answer is whoever created the image has the copyright to that image. In order for you to use that image, you'll have to either get the commercial usage rights from that person or you'll have to buy the copyright of that image, which can cost a lot of money.

​Luckily we have a lot of websites that offer stock images for commercial usage. Unsplash, Pixabay, Canva and many more offer free stock images for commercial usage. You can safely download it and use it for your business. However, I always recommend reading their terms and conditions before you use it.

​​Another thing I would like to recommend is when you use the stock image, spend a little time to edit it by adding your messaging and logo. This is to customize a little bit so it doesn't look like the same stock image that thousands of people had been using.

​I hope this tip helps. If you like to get more tips on how to create better images for your business, click HERE to download your free copy of the 10 Tips on How to Photograph Better For Your Business Guide.

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