best place to share, find and obtain public domain pictures

Hi.

What's the best online place where people share pictures in order to
create a shared library of pictures that can be used freely (for
instance, to use in photoshop compositions that can be shared
online again without the risk of copyright infringement complaints)?

I was exploring the site "http://www.publicdomainpictures.net" a bit
and although they appear to have a large collection of public domain
pictures, the site seems a bit dodgy.

Also, I'm a bit mystified that on the one hand they claim that
it's compulsory to mention a link to the picture on their site when
you use it and share it again online, yet, when I try to find any
particular picture of them using tineye.com to see where it's used
online, it can't even find a reference back to that
publicdomainpictures.net site.

Of course one can also search for images with a CC license or
something similar at picasaweb or flickr, but it seems those sites
(flickr in particular) have a bit of an anti-sharing attitude and
seem to do their best to make it hard for people to easily find
the images they are looking for.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

On 2012-11-08 13:09:39 -0800, sobriquet said:


Hi.

What's the best online place where people share pictures in order to
create a shared library of pictures that can be used freely (for
instance, to use in photoshop compositions that can be shared
online again without the risk of copyright infringement complaints)?

I was exploring the site "http://www.publicdomainpictures.net" a bit
and although they appear to have a large collection of public domain
pictures, the site seems a bit dodgy.

Also, I'm a bit mystified that on the one hand they claim that
it's compulsory to mention a link to the picture on their site when
you use it and share it again online, yet, when I try to find any
particular picture of them using tineye.com to see where it's used
online, it can't even find a reference back to that
publicdomainpictures.net site.

Of course one can also search for images with a CC license or
something similar at picasaweb or flickr, but it seems those sites
(flickr in particular) have a bit of an anti-sharing attitude and
seem to do their best to make it hard for people to easily find
the images they are looking for.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

If all you are looking for is a way a group of individuals can
cooperate on a project or series of image files and then save back to
the collaboratively shared online folder, the answer can lie in a
"Cloud" service such as DropBox, PogoPlug, or Google's G-Drive.
This is a way of keeping the original and altered image files together,
where only the members of the sharing group have access. The creator of
the shared folder controls who has access and can add new collaborators
or deny access to past collaborators.
The final product can be shared with the rest of the online world by
providing non-sharing URLs to the folder or individual image files.

Here is the DropBox help page on collaborative sharing:
https://www.dropbox.com/help/19/en

So I can create a "Shared" folder which contains one of my original, or
one of your original image files and the two of us can work together to
create different versions of the originals or add annotations to copies
of any of the image files as part of our collaborative work.

The URL of a DB "shared" folder is best dealt with via email.

The beauty of using this method is, you don't have to deal with Flickr,
or Picasaweb TOS.

This is not the same as linking to one of your DropBox folders where
all you are doing is providing a URL to a folder in your DB account
where only you can add or delete files you wish to share. Several of
the DB users in the photo-groups use this method of posting a simple
gallery of image files where you can control the download criteria.
Here is one such DB folder of mine:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lx56l61b7...emite/El%20Cap



--
Regards,

Savageduck

NASA pictures are free by law, which is nice.

Other than that I've found it's very difficult to
find no-strings images. Even when I've bought
CDs they've come with weird licenses that specify
non-commercial use, no more than 25 copies
used, etc. If you want to use it in public without
risk you should probably either buy rights outright
or take the picture yourself.

The site you found looks interesting. I didn't see
any notice that you *have to* link back to them.
And when I checked a particular image it clearly
said that it was free to use:

http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/...re=red-baubles

On the other hand, you have to sign up with the
site to access the images, and there's no telling
what that might get you hooked into.

The site is registered to Bobek Ltd in the UK. They
seem legit., though they claim to be a web design
company but have no portfolio to speak of. And the
domain contacts listed in WHOIS are all in Czechoslovakia.


| What's the best online place where people share pictures in order to
| create a shared library of pictures that can be used freely (for
| instance, to use in photoshop compositions that can be shared
| online again without the risk of copyright infringement complaints)?
|
| I was exploring the site "http://www.publicdomainpictures.net" a bit
| and although they appear to have a large collection of public domain
| pictures, the site seems a bit dodgy.
|
| Also, I'm a bit mystified that on the one hand they claim that
| it's compulsory to mention a link to the picture on their site when
| you use it and share it again online, yet, when I try to find any
| particular picture of them using tineye.com to see where it's used
| online, it can't even find a reference back to that
| publicdomainpictures.net site.
|
| Of course one can also search for images with a CC license or
| something similar at picasaweb or flickr, but it seems those sites
| (flickr in particular) have a bit of an anti-sharing attitude and
| seem to do their best to make it hard for people to easily find
| the images they are looking for.
|
| Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

On Thursday, November 8, 2012 11:01:56 PM UTC+1, Savageduck wrote:
On 2012-11-08 13:09:39 -0800, sobriquet said:





Hi.



What's the best online place where people share pictures in order to

create a shared library of pictures that can be used freely (for

instance, to use in photoshop compositions that can be shared

online again without the risk of copyright infringement complaints)?



I was exploring the site "http://www.publicdomainpictures.net" a bit

and although they appear to have a large collection of public domain

pictures, the site seems a bit dodgy.



Also, I'm a bit mystified that on the one hand they claim that

it's compulsory to mention a link to the picture on their site when

you use it and share it again online, yet, when I try to find any

particular picture of them using tineye.com to see where it's used

online, it can't even find a reference back to that

publicdomainpictures.net site.



Of course one can also search for images with a CC license or

something similar at picasaweb or flickr, but it seems those sites

(flickr in particular) have a bit of an anti-sharing attitude and

seem to do their best to make it hard for people to easily find

the images they are looking for.



Thanks in advance for any suggestions.



If all you are looking for is a way a group of individuals can

cooperate on a project or series of image files and then save back to

the collaboratively shared online folder, the answer can lie in a

"Cloud" service such as DropBox, PogoPlug, or Google's G-Drive.

This is a way of keeping the original and altered image files together,

where only the members of the sharing group have access. The creator of

the shared folder controls who has access and can add new collaborators

or deny access to past collaborators.

The final product can be shared with the rest of the online world by

providing non-sharing URLs to the folder or individual image files.



Here is the DropBox help page on collaborative sharing:

https://www.dropbox.com/help/19/en



So I can create a "Shared" folder which contains one of my original, or

one of your original image files and the two of us can work together to

create different versions of the originals or add annotations to copies

of any of the image files as part of our collaborative work.



The URL of a DB "shared" folder is best dealt with via email.



The beauty of using this method is, you don't have to deal with Flickr,

or Picasaweb TOS.



This is not the same as linking to one of your DropBox folders where

all you are doing is providing a URL to a folder in your DB account

where only you can add or delete files you wish to share. Several of

the DB users in the photo-groups use this method of posting a simple

gallery of image files where you can control the download criteria.

Here is one such DB folder of mine:



https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lx56l61b7...emite/El%20Cap







--

Regards,



Savageduck

Well, I was thinking more of a kind of public domain library,
similar to the kind of libraries that are provided by companies
like shutterstock or corbis (except that they obviously don't
subscribe to the idea of sharing images freely).
Anyone should easily be able to access it (so preferably people should
not even have to register in order to upload or download pictures,
similar to how one can easily upload images to imgur.com).

Images obtained in that public domain library (as well as
photoshop/gimp compositions based on them) should also be
free to share anywhere else (like on imgur.com).

So the main feature I'm interested in, is having as large a
library of freely usable images as possible (created in a
kind of grass-roots / crowd-sourcing fashion), so it's easy
to find source material for creating digital mash-ups. Of
course the site should support things like tags to make images
more easily retrievable as well as ratings, so people can
easily find quality images based on keywords they enter.

On Thursday, November 8, 2012 11:15:57 PM UTC+1, Mayayana wrote:
NASA pictures are free by law, which is nice.



Other than that I've found it's very difficult to

find no-strings images. Even when I've bought

CDs they've come with weird licenses that specify

non-commercial use, no more than 25 copies

used, etc. If you want to use it in public without

risk you should probably either buy rights outright

or take the picture yourself.



The site you found looks interesting. I didn't see

any notice that you *have to* link back to them.

And when I checked a particular image it clearly

said that it was free to use:



http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/...re=red-baubles


http://imgur.com/Ea90w

Here I've marked where they say you have to mention a link back to
their site when you want to share the image elsewhere online.

You don't need to register or anything to obtain pictures
at publicdomainpictures.net because you can simply click on the image
to see a large version and then you can easily obtain the image by
right-clicking it and picking "save image as.." from the context-menu.

If you click the name of the user that provided the picture, you get
an overview of their uploads. For some users, it looks a bit dubious
whether or not they are actually the one owning the rights to the
images they have uploaded there.
But in general that site very much approaches what I had in mind
as a kind of large public domain stock photo/illustration library.



On the other hand, you have to sign up with the

site to access the images, and there's no telling

what that might get you hooked into.



The site is registered to Bobek Ltd in the UK. They

seem legit., though they claim to be a web design

company but have no portfolio to speak of. And the

domain contacts listed in WHOIS are all in Czechoslovakia.





| What's the best online place where people share pictures in order to

| create a shared library of pictures that can be used freely (for

| instance, to use in photoshop compositions that can be shared

| online again without the risk of copyright infringement complaints)?

|

| I was exploring the site "http://www.publicdomainpictures.net" a bit

| and although they appear to have a large collection of public domain

| pictures, the site seems a bit dodgy.

|

| Also, I'm a bit mystified that on the one hand they claim that

| it's compulsory to mention a link to the picture on their site when

| you use it and share it again online, yet, when I try to find any

| particular picture of them using tineye.com to see where it's used

| online, it can't even find a reference back to that

| publicdomainpictures.net site.

|

| Of course one can also search for images with a CC license or

| something similar at picasaweb or flickr, but it seems those sites

| (flickr in particular) have a bit of an anti-sharing attitude and

| seem to do their best to make it hard for people to easily find

| the images they are looking for.

|

| Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

On 2012-11-08 14:19:24 -0800, sobriquet said:

On Thursday, November 8, 2012 11:01:56 PM UTC+1, Savageduck wrote:
On 2012-11-08 13:09:39 -0800, sobriquet said:


Hi.
What's the best online place where people share pictures in order to
create a shared library of pictures that can be used freely (for
instance, to use in photoshop compositions that can be shared
online again without the risk of copyright infringement complaints)?

I was exploring the site "http://www.publicdomainpictures.net" a bit
and although they appear to have a large collection of public domain
pictures, the site seems a bit dodgy.
Also, I'm a bit mystified that on the one hand they claim that
it's compulsory to mention a link to the picture on their site when
you use it and share it again online, yet, when I try to find any
particular picture of them using tineye.com to see where it's used
online, it can't even find a reference back to that
publicdomainpictures.net site.
Of course one can also search for images with a CC license or
something similar at picasaweb or flickr, but it seems those sites
(flickr in particular) have a bit of an anti-sharing attitude and
seem to do their best to make it hard for people to easily find
the images they are looking for.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.



If all you are looking for is a way a group of individuals can
cooperate on a project or series of image files and then save back to
the collaboratively shared online folder, the answer can lie in a
"Cloud" service such as DropBox, PogoPlug, or Google's G-Drive.
This is a way of keeping the original and altered image files together,
where only the members of the sharing group have access. The creator of
the shared folder controls who has access and can add new collaborators
or deny access to past collaborators.

The final product can be shared with the rest of the online world by
providing non-sharing URLs to the folder or individual image files.

Here is the DropBox help page on collaborative sharing:
https://www.dropbox.com/help/19/en

So I can create a "Shared" folder which contains one of my original, or
one of your original image files and the two of us can work together to
create different versions of the originals or add annotations to copies
of any of the image files as part of our collaborative work.

The URL of a DB "shared" folder is best dealt with via email.

The beauty of using this method is, you don't have to deal with Flickr,
or Picasaweb TOS.

This is not the same as linking to one of your DropBox folders where
all you are doing is providing a URL to a folder in your DB account
where only you can add or delete files you wish to share. Several of
the DB users in the photo-groups use this method of posting a simple
gallery of image files where you can control the download criteria.

Here is one such DB folder of mine:


https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lx56l61b7...emite/El%20Cap



Well,

I was thinking more of a kind of public domain library,
similar to the kind of libraries that are provided by companies
like shutterstock or corbis (except that they obviously don't
subscribe to the idea of sharing images freely).
Anyone should easily be able to access it (so preferably people should
not even have to register in order to upload or download pictures,
similar to how one can easily upload images to imgur.com).

Images obtained in that public domain library (as well as
photoshop/gimp compositions based on them) should also be
free to share anywhere else (like on imgur.com).

So the main feature I'm interested in, is having as large a
library of freely usable images as possible (created in a
kind of grass-roots / crowd-sourcing fashion), so it's easy
to find source material for creating digital mash-ups. Of
course the site should support things like tags to make images
more easily retrievable as well as ratings, so people can
easily find quality images based on keywords they enter.

OK! I should have guessed where you were coming from and what you were
trying for. I was thinking of something completely different. So it
looks like you are going to have to deal with the various TOS's and
work within the rules of the source site for those images you work on.

Just remember you are using their original property in your derivative
work, and they should get acknowledgement if it is a requirement for
you to use their work in yours.

--
Regards,

Savageduck

On Thursday, November 8, 2012 11:15:57 PM UTC+1, Mayayana wrote:
NASA pictures are free by law, which is nice.



Other than that I've found it's very difficult to

find no-strings images. Even when I've bought

CDs they've come with weird licenses that specify

non-commercial use, no more than 25 copies

used, etc. If you want to use it in public without

risk you should probably either buy rights outright

or take the picture yourself.



The site you found looks interesting. I didn't see

any notice that you *have to* link back to them.

And when I checked a particular image it clearly

said that it was free to use:



http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/...re=red-baubles



On the other hand, you have to sign up with the

site to access the images, and there's no telling

what that might get you hooked into.



Btw, a cool feature of imgur is that you can share images via
their weblink. So in that fashion, imgur gets the image directly
from the publicdomainpictures site. It even creates a weblink below
the image that links back to the source at publicdomainpictures.

http://imgur.com/gMDW9

Previously, you could even submit a list of weblinks to images from the clipboard and then it would upload them straight from the source and
you could create a neat album from it with thumbnails.
You can still do that, but now they force you to enter the weblinks
one by one. That kind of sucks, but you can't upload more than
about 150 pics in one single album anyway.
A solution for that is to use winhttrack or webreaper to download images
based on a list of weblinks, and then you can still upload them all at
once to imgur to easily create an album with those images.

| http://imgur.com/Ea90w
|
| Here I've marked where they say you have to mention a link back to
| their site when you want to share the image elsewhere online.
|

The front page says this:

-----------------------------------------------------
Royalty free stock photos. All pictures are free for commercial and personal
use.
Welcome to Public Domain Pictures
Public Domain Pictures.net is a repository for free public domain images.
You can download high quality photos or upload your own pictures. Raise
money for charity, gain popularity and improve your photographic and graphic
skills.

If you intend to use an image you find here for commercial use, please be
aware that some photos do require a model or property release. Pictures
featuring products should be used with care.

The pictures are free for you to use and you should feel good about doing
so. If you enjoy your visit, please tell your friends about Public Domain
Pictures.net.

---------------------------------------------------

The picture I looked at said they would like a link but
didn't say you have to.

If there are terms somewhere that say otherwise I
can't find them.

| You don't need to register or anything to obtain pictures
| at publicdomainpictures.net because you can simply click on the image
| to see a large version and then you can easily obtain the image by
| right-clicking it and picking "save image as.." from the context-menu.

Yes, I tried that. I got a 55 KB JPG.
In other words, the image on the page is
a very low quality image, just barely good
enough for website display.

| Btw, a cool feature of imgur is that you can share images via
| their weblink. So in that fashion, imgur gets the image directly
| from the publicdomainpictures site. It even creates a weblink below
| the image that links back to the source at publicdomainpictures.
|

So you can send me a link that sends me to
a website that hosts a stolen image from a
website for which you could have just sent me
a link in the first place??

I don't get it.

On 2012-11-08 15:13:55 -0800, "Mayayana" said:

| Btw, a cool feature of imgur is that you can share images via
| their weblink. So in that fashion, imgur gets the image directly
| from the publicdomainpictures site. It even creates a weblink below
| the image that links back to the source at publicdomainpictures.
|

So you can send me a link that sends me to
a website that hosts a stolen image from a
website for which you could have just sent me
a link in the first place??

I don't get it.

Sobriquet likes free stuff, and stuff he can hijack. He believes that
everything should be free once it has had the slightest sniff of the
internet.
He believes copyrighted images, original work, movies, software and
service TOS's are an interference to his thievery.

--
Regards,

Savageduck