Here you can find an overview of websites with free to use, open resources:
Images | Video | Audio | Miscellaneous
Attribution
Main sources I have used for this curated overview:
Tweet from SCMSPedagogy
NewMediarights
Blog Dan Leeman
Austin Community Colleges Library Services
10 Sites for Free Stock Photos (Updated for 2018)
Chasing Heartbeats Photography
VU Amsterdam Content Support
And tips from colleagues I received via email or communities.
How to use resources from these sites
There are several types of sites:
- Resources have either a Creative Commons license or are Public Domain. This is the default
- Resources are all Public Domain or use a Creative Commons CC0 license . This is mentioned in the description of the site.
- There are some specific terms of use for some of the resources. This is mentioned in the description of the site.
If you are using a resource, remember the following:
- Adhere to the conditions of reuse as prescribed by the Creative Commons license added to the resource. At least attribution of the author is mandatory (except for CC0).
- When the source is Public Domain or CC0, you can reuse the source without any restrictions. However, it is good practice, where the author is known, to mention the author and a link to the source.
- When unclear: give attribution by mentioning the name of the author and a link to the source.
- Some of the sites also contain non-open resources, for which you should ask for permission to reuse it (and in most cases have to pay some amount). Pay close attention to those sites to ensure that you reuse open resources.
Disclaimer
Although I have checked every site in these overviews on availability of open resources and (when available) the terms of use, these terms of use may change. I cannot made being responsible for misuse of resources by visitors of this site.
First date of compilation: 19 August 2018
Date of last change: 9 October 2024
Images
| Better images with AI | Non-standard imaginations of AI, with more diversity. Each image has a CC-license. |
| BurningWell | A repository for public domain (free for any use) images |
| Burst | Free stock photos. Different licenses, varying from CC0 to a specific Burst license, that resembles Creative Commons, but with some additional rules to comply with. Check the license of the image before using it. |
| Clker | Collection of Public Domain cliparts |
| FindaPhoto | Collection of Public Domain photos |
| Foca stock | Selection from photographer Jeffrey Betts, who focuses on topics such as workplaces and nature. CC0 license. |
| Foter | Collection of photos, derived from Flickr API, searching for Creative Commons photos |
| Free3D | Free 3D Models in several file formats |
| Freestocks.org | Free stock images. CC0 license |
| Gratisography | Collection of license-free photos. |
| Internet Archive Book Images | Over 2.6 million of Public Domain images from a variety of books |
| ISO Republic | Free high-resolution Photos. CC0 license. |
| Kaboompics | Free images. License resembles CC0, but with some additional rules (e.g. not allowed to sell unaltered pictures) |
| Life of pix | Free images offered by the LEEROY Creative Agency. Public Domain. |
| Little visuals | Free high-resolution images. CC0 license |
| Morguefile | Free photo archive of over 350K pictures, “for creatives, by creatives.” |
| New Old Stock | Vintage photos from the public archives. Public Domain. |
| Open Clipart | Archive of Public Domain clip art |
| PD Clipart | Collection of Public Domain cliparts |
| PD Photo | Collection of Public Domain photos |
| Pexels | Collection of Public Domain photos |
| Photos Public Domain | High quality Public Domain photographs |
| Picjumbo | Free stock photos. License resembles CC0. |
| Picnoi | Free diverse multi-racial images. License CC-BY or CC0. |
| Picography | Free images from photographer Dave Meier. CC0 license. |
| Pikwizard | Free images library |
| Piqsels | Royalty free photos under CC0, free for personal & commercial use, no attribution required |
| Pixabay | Collection of free photos. Published under a Pixabay license, which resembles CC0 |
| Public Domain Pictures | Collection of Public Domain photos |
| Pxhere | Collection of photos published with a CC0 license |
| Realistic shots | Free stock photos (high resolution). CC0 license |
| Reshot | Free images library. License resembles CC0. |
| Reusable art | A collection of Public Domain images for crafters and web designers that have been rescued from old books, magazines, and other print materials. |
| Skitterphoto | Free stock photos. CC0 license |
| StockSnap | Free stock photos. CC0 license |
| Stockvault | Free stock photos. Uses several different open licenses. |
| The Noun Project | Icons for everything. Over a million curated icons, created by a global community. |
| Unsplash | Collection of Public Domain photos. My personal favorite |
| US Antarctic Program | Photo library of the Antarctic |
| WPClipart | Collection of artwork, Public Domain |
Video
| Media-related videos | A list of videos for a variety of media-related topics |
| Moving Image Archive | ~4.5M free movies, films and videos |
| TED Talks | List of TEDtalks created by TED, all shared under a CC license. However, you may not edit them. |
| The Open Video Landscape | 90+ sites with free video. Last updated around 2012, but still many useful resources. |
| Vimeo | Many HD videos to play or embed. Most of them have a CC license. |
| Youtube | Many videos to play or embed. Either with CC license or a Youtube license. |
| Youtube Educational channels | A terrific overview of Youtube channels with educational videos, ordered by subject |
Audio
| CCMixter | A community music remixing site featuring remixes and samples licensed under Creative Commons licenses |
| Free Music Public Domain | A music library for the public (fee required for commercial use) |
| Freesound | A collaborative database of Creative Commons Licensed sounds. |
Miscellaneous
| 400+ Free Online Philosophy Resources | An organized collection of links and resources on a wide range of philosophical topics. Free access, but most resources not published under a CC license. |
| Anatomy tool | Images, videos, 3D models, games, lessons and quizzes about anatomical structures. Well described and maintained by the Leiden University Medical Center of the Netherlands. All licensed with a Creative Commons license. |
| Beeldbank Rijksdienst Cultureel Erfgoed | ~ 1M images and drawings of Dutch cultural heritage from various sources. |
| Classic Papers | A mirror of some classic papers in fields like Biology, Computer Science and Social Sciences |
| Critical Commons | A public media archive and fair use advocacy network that supports the transformative reuse of media in scholarly and creative contexts |
| Digital Public Library of America | ~23M images, texts, videos, and sounds from across the United States |
| Europeana | ~60M artworks, artefacts, books, films and music from European museums, galleries, libraries and archives. Some resources are not free to use. |
| Imaginary | Your place for open and interactive mathematics. Lots of free fun stuff for exploring the world of math. |
| Internet Archive | A non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more |
| Observer | Copernicus for Open Education: bringing Earth Observation into the classroom |
| Open Culture | Free cultural and educational media (a.o. music, films, e-books) |
| Project Gutenberg | Free e-books (Public Domain) |
| Public Domain Review | A curated collection of images, books, films and audio, all Public Domain |
| Rijksmuseum | Digital collection of the Dutch Rijksmuseum. Includes the option to create your own art, repurposed from originals from e.g. Rembrandt. |
| Slideshare | Tons of slidedecks, to show, embed or download. Many of them with CC license. |
| Smithsonian | Millions of 2D and 3D digital images from the collections of the Smithsonian in Washington. Also several tools to rework and remix the images are available. |
| Wikimedia Commons | Collection of ~50M freely usable media files to which anyone can contribute |