Multimedia Tips (graphics, photos and videos)

If you are ever wondering about a photo's license, you can use the Google Images to search for a photo.

To search for a file, start by saving it to your computer. You can do this by right-clicking the image and then clicking the option to save the image. The actual menu option name will vary from one web browser to the next so you'll need to figure that part out on your own.

Alternatively, if the image is located on a publicly accessible website where you didn't have to login to see the image (unlike this website), you can just copy the image address to the clipboard.

Then use Google Image search to look for the image:

1. Go to https://images.google.com/ and click on the camera in the search field.
2. Paste the image address into the search field.
3. Click the Search by Image button.

If you downloaded the image instead, replace step 2 and 3 above with the following two steps:

2. Click the Upload an Image tab.

3. Click the Choose a file button. Select the image that you previously downloaded to your computer. Then select a photo from your computer to search for it.

After several seconds, Google will display a list of images similar to the one you are looking for from all the websites where that photo is displayed. Keep in mind that the photo may be used by others on their own website so you will need to look through the listings for one that seems to be from a stock photo website (see the list of websites I posted earlier). From there you should be able to determine the license for that photo. If the license is "CC0" or "public domain", it means that this photo can be used anywhere, for any purpose and without requiring any attribution.

If Google does not find the photo, you should be concerned about legally using this photo in your project. While it might be fine, I would not recommend using it without getting written permission from its owner.

If you are not sure, I recommend that you consult with a lawyer just to be sure.