Definition:
An image bank is an organised collection of photographs, illustrations, vectors or other visual resources that can be searched and downloaded for use under a licence. The collection may belong to a company, institution or community and contain material produced internally or contributed by different creators.
Downloading an image does not mean that it is free from rights. Each file is subject to conditions that may govern attribution, modification, commercial use, distribution or incorporation into products intended for sale. The expression royalty-free does not necessarily mean free of charge either: it usually means that, once the licence has been obtained, no royalty is paid for each permitted use.
Stock photography agencies began organising collections during the first half of the twentieth century. Digitisation and Internet distribution later expanded access to these catalogues and enabled visual resources to be searched and downloaded immediately.
Uses of image banks
Image banks provide visual material for publications, presentations, websites, advertisements, social networks and other digital marketing activities. Resources may be downloaded in formats such as JPG, PNG, SVG or editable files, depending on the service and content type.
Access and reuse conditions commonly follow several models:
- Paid licence: The user purchases a download, package or subscription that permits specified uses.
- Free proprietary licence: The platform allows the resource to be used without payment, but still sets conditions and prohibited uses.
- Open licences: Some images are offered under Creative Commons licences, which may require attribution or limit modification and commercial use.
- Public domain: Certain files may be reused without the usual economic copyright restrictions, although image rights, trademarks and other rules may still apply.
The intended use also affects the licence required:
- Personal use: This may include private projects, wallpapers or personal posts, provided that the file’s conditions are followed.
- Professional, commercial or editorial use: This may require a specific licence, reproduction limits or permission concerning depicted people, property and trademarks. Editorial use does not automatically permit advertising or commercial promotion.
Free image banks
Some services provide complete free collections or a selection of files at no cost. Conditions vary between platforms and even between resources in the same catalogue, so the licence associated with each download needs to be checked. Examples include:
- Depositphotos Free: It maintains a free collection whose licence requires attribution and sets limits on resale or distribution of the file.
- Pixabay: It provides photographs, illustrations, vectors, video and audio under its own licence, generally without mandatory attribution but with prohibited uses.
- Magnific, formerly Freepik: It combines free and paid resources. Free files may require attribution depending on the resource and account type.
- Unsplash: Its free collection allows images to be used and modified, including for commercial purposes, without mandatory attribution, although redistribution and other uses remain restricted.
- Pexels: It provides free photographs and videos for personal and commercial purposes under its licence, without requiring attribution and subject to certain restrictions.
- Flickr: It contains images under different licences. Some use Creative Commons or are in the public domain, while others retain all rights.
Google Images is not an image bank and does not grant licences. Its usage-rights filter identifies files with associated licensing information, but the original source and its conditions still need to be checked before reuse. Google explains this process in its guide to finding images that can be used and shared.
Paid image banks
Paid services commonly provide individual downloads, packages or subscriptions. A standard licence does not always cover products for resale, large print runs, use by several team members or particular commercial applications. Examples include:
- Depositphotos: It provides photographs, vectors, illustrations, video and music through subscriptions and packages, with standard and extended licences depending on the intended use.
- Shutterstock: It sells stock content through subscriptions and packages. Its options include standard and enhanced licences.
- Stock Photo Secrets: It operates a shop for photographs and vectors with royalty-free licences and different download plans.
- Creative Market: It is a marketplace for graphics, templates, photographs and other creative assets. The applicable licence depends on the product and whether the use is personal, commercial or extended commercial.
Before using an image, it is advisable to retain evidence of the download and the licence in force at that time. Restrictions concerning editorial use, identifiable people, private property, trademarks and products in which the visual resource constitutes the main value should also be checked.