LibGuides: Copyright: Royalty-free Resources

Free Resources From BSU

Ball State's Copyright & Intellectual Property Office has compiled a nice list of free Internet resources.

Flickr
Be sure to select the Creative Commons option before searching! Use for photos or videos.
Pixabay
Huge variety of public domain images. Warning: the first row of images in any search are sponsored results from Shutterstock and are not in the public domain.
The Morgue File
"Free images for your inspiration, reference and use in your creative work, be it commercial or not!"
Creative Commons Search
Search for images, video, sounds, and more.
The Internet Archive
A collection of images and sound
Library of Congress Collection
Produced by the Library of Congress and mostly free. Be sure to check the copyright statement before using.
Archival Research Catalog
National Archives Database of various governmental and historical images, videos, sound bites. Be sure to check each resource's copyright statement.
EveryStockPhoto
Royalty-free image aggregator; pulls from a number of sources, including stock xchng and Flickr.
The Commons
Royalty free images brought to you by Flickr
FreeFoto.com
"FreeFoto.com is the largest collection of free photographs on the Internet (link back and attribution required)."
Free Images
The only drawback is you have to join this site first.
Free Photographs
"An online resource for royalty-free stock photographs for non-commercial use."
Google LIFE Photo Archive
Images with copyright restrictions will have a note on the actual image.

FREE Sound Effects
A listing of sound effects for video productions.
FindSounds
"A free site where you can search the Web for sound effects and musical instrument samples."
Freeplay Music
Free music and sound effects.
Free Sound Effects
"You may use the sound effects on this web site free of charge in your video, film, audio and multimedia productions..."
Incompetech
Royalty-free music.
Sound Effects Libraries
Free sound effects and also links to licensed providers.
The Internet Archive
A collection of images and sound