When sourcing images for department/program websites, newsletters, promotional materials and social media accounts, it's particularly important to be aware of copyright and permissions regulations and guidelines.
Please review the information below if you're seeking to obtain images online, or are looking to hire a photographer or take your own photos. If you have any questions, please contact Scott Haber or Laura Chichisan in the A&S communications office.
Three important considerations:
1. Copyright — owner of the artwork (eg. photographer, illustrator, musician)
- More info on our communications website
- Creative Commons Primer
- List of Creative Commons codes
- CC0 aka Public Domain
- Royalty-Free is NOT always free.
- When we hire photographers: they must comply with an "unlimited usage/license" agreement
2. Permissions — subject of the artwork (eg. model/students/performers in photographs, video, etc)
- Requires written consent from the people being photographed or filmed, (including Cornell students) or anyone who is “clearly identifiable” in a posed or formal photo shoot.
- Does not apply to candid photography in public spaces on campus (i.e. outdoors), or anyone who is not clearly identifiable.
- Minors (under 18) in photographers MUST have a release signed by a parent/legal guardians.
- More details and release forms are available here.
3. Use of AI to create images
AI tools may be used to create or modify design, photo, video, and audio assets only when such use does not misrepresent reality or compromise the integrity of assets from Cornell's collection. Guidelines:
- AI must not be used to fabricate imagery, audio, or video that could reasonably be interpreted as authentic or original documentary content. The creation or alteration of real or fictitious individuals, objects, or events in a manner that misrepresents reality is prohibited.
- AI‑generated assets — including photos, video, audio, or design elements such as graphics or animations — must be clearly labeled and identified as created using generative AI.
- AI‑based enhancements or edits (such as color correction, cleanup, or minor adjustments) are permitted provided they do not alter the original intent, meaning, or editorial context of the asset, or introduce new content or significance.
The user is responsible for ensuring appropriate use, clear disclosure, and compliance with this protocol in all AI‑assisted content.
General Image Sources
Cornell University resources
Free images (no attribution necessary - though it’s still nice to do)
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Unsplash — gorgeous photos
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Institutions on Unsplash — great collections from select institutions, provides ease of mind knowing that the images on Unsplash are free to use
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Negative space — also very beautiful photos
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Pixabay — broader selection, photo quality pretty good, but can be mixed
Free, but pay attention
images may be free to use, but the terms might be different for each image. Attribution may be necessary. See the Creative Commons primer above.
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Creative Commons Search (attribution may be necessary)
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Wikimedia Commons (attribution may be necessary)
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Flickr Creative Commons — can search by license type
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FreeImages.com — for editorial purposes use the following credit formula: “FreeImages.com/Artist’s Member Name.”
Paid Stock Images
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Adobe Stock (integrates with Creative Cloud apps)
Specialty Image Sources
Politics
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White House Flickr Collection — current presidency, review use terms here
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White House Historical Collection — historical images, previous presidencies
Science, Medicine
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Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Newsroom — public domain, images relevant to current events
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Public Health Image Library (PHIL) — primarily public domain, part of the CDC
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U.S. National Library of Medicine Digital Collections — public domain (unless otherwise noted)
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Science Source Images — great selection, includes videos, not free
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Servier Medical ART (SMART) — free, ideal for slideshows
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Science Image (CSIRO) — Australia-based, multipurpose, attribution necessary (CC BY 3.0)
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Library of Science & Medical Illustrations – illustrations only, pay what you want
Culture, miscellaneous
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Europeana — cultural images from European institutions, attribution may be necessary
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Library of Congress — great for historical, cultural images (most government media assets are free to use, but there could be some exceptions)
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International Women’s Day on Unsplash – lots of photos with women of color
Icons and patterns etc.
A&S communications has access to the following. No attribution necessary. Email Laura for access instructions.