Guides: Copyright for Animation: Open Source Options

using media

Below are some free online options for finding reusable media.

As a student, all sources must be credited in your work - even if they're public domain or CC0 licensed.

Try the Intellectual Property database to look up an artist before you use their work commercially: https://wiki.gettyimages.com/

Open Mixed Media Resources

Videvo
Stock videos, motion graphics, sound effects, music, free to use with or without log-in.

Images - Reuse for Any Purpose

Getty Open Content Program
"The Getty makes available, without charge, all available digital images to which the Getty holds the rights or that are in the public domain to be used for any purpose. No permission is required."
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Currently, there are more than 10,000 images from the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Getty Research Institute available through the Open Content Program. These include paintings, drawings, manuscripts, photographs, antiquities, sculpture, decorative arts, artists' sketchbooks, watercolors, rare prints from the 16th through the 18th century, and 19th-century architectural drawings of cultural landmarks. Over time, images from the Getty Conservation Institute will be added, as well as more images from the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Getty Research Institute.
Smithsonian Open Access
Millions of reusable images, provided by the US national museum.
Unsplash
Stock photos donated by photographers and available for free, commercial or non-commercial use.
Art Institute of Chicago
Over 50,000 images free to use for any purpose. One of the premier art museums and schools in the world, this collection is particularly strong in impressionists.
Rijks Studio
Remix masterpieces from the Rijksmuseum. High-quality images with no usage restrictions.
Pixabay
Free images and videos you can use anywhere.
Wikipedia - Public Domain Resources
Dozens of links to sites with usable images. Check the information on the sites themselves as Wikipedia's fact-checking and editing system can be slow.

Mixed Use, Limited Licence

"Any Use" and "Non-Commercial Use" (check the license)

Google Images
See below for instructions on searching Google Images for reusable media.
Wikimedia Commons
Remember to check the licensing information on bottom part of the image record page.
Flickr
How to find creative commons/copyright free images in Flickr:
1. Search for your term.
2. On the results page, click "Advanced".
3. Check the box, "Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content ".
4. Check the two boxes below (commercial use, modify).

"Non-Commercial Use Only"

Getty Images - Embed
35 million stock photos available to embed for non-commercial uses.
Visual Arts Data Service
Images free to use for educational and research purposes.
Gender Spectrum Collections
A stock photo library featuring images of trans and non-binary models that go beyond the clichés. CC license: non-commercial, no derivatives.

Open Videos

Creative Commons on Vimeo
Browse the Creative Commons licensed videos on Vimeo.
Internet Archive - Moving Image Archive
This library contains digital movies uploaded by Archive users which range from classic full-length films, to daily alternative news broadcasts, to cartoons and concerts. Many of these videos are available for free download.
Critical Commons
Critical Commons is a public media archive and fair use advocacy network that supports the transformative reuse of media in scholarly and creative contexts.
Video Search - Open Professionals Education Network
How to find videos with Creative Commons licences.

Open Music and Sound Recordings

YouTube Audio Library
YouTube's audio library for creators.
Bensound
Royalty free music from Bensound. Licensing information: https://www.bensound.com/licensing
Audio Library
Audio Library is a channel dedicated to search, catalog, sort and publish No Copyright Music, Vlog Music and Royalty Free Music for content creators.