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Images

What is Creative Commons?

Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools.

How do I use Creative Commons to find images?

Just search using the following link. Use their New Search feature!

https://ccsearch.creativecommons.org/

Understanding Creative Commons

Licensing Conditions (4)
Attribution (by)                     
ShareAlike (sa)                     
NonCommercial (nc)          
NoDerivatives (nd)               
 

Creative Commons Licensing Types (6)

Creative Commons Licenses: Click on hyperlink for an explanation of each type.
  Attribution CC BY                                                                  
  Attribution ShareAlike CC BY-SA                                       
  Attribution-NonCommercial CC BY-NC                              
  Attribution-NoDerivs CC BY-ND                                           
  Public Domain (CC0)                                                           
  Free Cultural Works                                                               
 

Copyright and Creative Commons for Artists

Creative Commons

Creative Commons licenses allow you to reuse an image by following the guidelines for the specific licensed image. Creative Commons Images may be licensed in 6 different ways by their creator. These licenses are listed in order of broadest to most restrictive.

  • Attribution (CC BY)
  • Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
  • Attribution-NoDerivatives (CC BY-ND)
  • Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC)
  • Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA)
  • Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND)

View these videos to learn more, visit the Creative Commons Wiki, or access the Creative Commons Toolkit.

IMPORTANT: Note the Attribution for each image in your work, whether in print or online. 

Last updated on May 21, 2025 12:48 PM