Finding Pictures on the Net

to use in your Project

When you choose pictures to use in your project, you need to keep in mind copyright issues.  If you are not sure if the picture is copyrighted, don't use it unless you have properly documented the source.  Make sure you check out the Multimedia Project Guidelines   Also, read the following article:  The 411 on Copyright for Net Photos.

The following sites are listed here for you to use as they are all "free" from restrictions:

Amazing Picture Machine - a product of the North Central Regional Laboratory.  Somewhat limited in its results.  Explore the link for "What kind of pictures are on the Amazing Picture Machine: before deciding upon your keyword search.

American Memory Historical Collections for the National Digital Library - Best suited for history projects.  Copyright explanations are provided in each topic area.

Agricultural Research Service Information Staff (ARS) - A complimentary source of quality digital photos.

Art Images - an archival listing of sites containing Fine Art images.  

BoondocksNet.com - a tremendous source of photographs from the 1800's to the early 1900's, emphasizing American Imperialism.  Collections include Historical Graphics Gallery and Political Cartoons and Cartoonists.  It features stereographs of World's Fairs, the Spanish American War, and Mark Twain.  

Clip-Art - Microsoft Clip Art - the clip-art gallery of photos, clip-art, sounds, motion.  All Clip-Art

Copyright Free Photo Library - These are available for Web design, backgrounds, and printed images.  The collection is small and will require alphabetical browsing using rather simple keywords.

Corbis - These pictures are NOT copyright free. Please be aware of this as you use this site.

Digital Library Project - from the University of California at Berkeley provides more than 80,000 digital images.  This site can also be referenced as Cal Photos.  A clear "Usage and Permissions" link will answer any questions.  Most of the photos are available for nonprofit use.  The search engine may be difficult to use...ask for help!

Microsoft Clip Art - the clip-art gallery of photos, clip-art, sounds, motion.

Multimedia Library's Multimedia Gazette - Select the QuickTime VR Gallery for a selection of views and links to a list of QTVR sites.

National Image Library - from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Still photos of wildlife, plants, Wildlife Refuges, and other scenery, as well as wildlife management work. 

Pics4learning - was established especially for teachers and students, and provides thousands of images that have been donated and are copyright free.  The images are categorized by topics.

Picsearch - Type a keyword, click on search, and a variety of thumbnails will appear.  Beneath each is an "info" link that will give a quick synopsis about the photo, including the source.  The image is also displayed in its original context, will will be useful for topic information.

Picture Collection Online - a free site from the New York Public Library.  Covers more than 12,000 subject areas.  Displays selected portions of N.Y.'s Mid-Manhattan Library's extensive collection.

Space Images Archive - from Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SECS), includes images from the best of the Hubble Space telescope, comets, planets, asteroids, space stations, and astronaut history.

Visible Earth - from NASA, is a searchable directory of earth-science-related satellite images and animations.