TeachersFirst Free Image Resources
Finding high-quality images for classroom projects just got easier. This collection of free image resources offers educators and students access to a wide variety of photos, illustrations, and graphics that are either copyright-friendly or licensed under Creative Commons, making it simple to find and use visuals responsibly across subjects and grade levels. Whether students are designing a poster, building a presentation, or creating a multimedia project, these trusted sources provide the visual content they need to produce polished, professional work — while also offering a valuable opportunity to teach students about image licensing and ethical digital citizenship.
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Public Domain Pictures - Bobeck Ltd.
Grades
2 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Public Domain Pictures is a database of pictures allowed to be used in any way that you see fit. You can also upload pictures to share. The only time to ...more
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Public Domain Pictures is a database of pictures allowed to be used in any way that you see fit. You can also upload pictures to share. The only time to worry about a model or property release is if you choose to use an image for commercial use. Most images are free. Enjoy some time browsing pictures. Please note that a log-in (with an email address) is required to upload your own pictures. You do not need an account to download a picture for free. Be sure not to click on the "Premium Download" button, as this download is for a fee (even with the "free" photos). Scroll down a bit and click on "download picture" to download for free.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): graphic design (49), images (267), photography (136)
In the Classroom
Share this website on your class web page so that students have easy and legal access to pictures for their projects and presentations. Of course, you will still require proper image credits! Be sure to offer clear instructions about how to download FOR FREE. In an art or photography class, have students post their work to get exposure and recognition for their great images. Read tips for safely managing email registrations.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Wikimedia Commons - Wkimedia Foundation
Grades
K to 12
6 Favorites
0 Comments
Wikimedia Commons is a huge database of free media files (images, sound, and video clips) available in a wide range of languages. You can both access or contribute files. Using ...more
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Wikimedia Commons is a huge database of free media files (images, sound, and video clips) available in a wide range of languages. You can both access or contribute files. Using the same technology as Wikipedia, you can edit, upload, and embed media file projects into any Wikimedia project. Every media file comes with a description, name of the author and complete licensing details. Search for videos, images, or sound media by keyword, content categories, nature, science, or society. This is an amazing resource to use when searching for any multimedia content.
tag(s): creative commons (28)
In the Classroom
Address the needs of the visual learner and include media files as part of the research process. Wikipedia Commons offers a way for students to gain an understanding of content through images, sounds, and video. Give students the opportunity to communicate their knowledge by narrating a slideshow of images found on Wikipedia Commons or create multimedia presentations on a site such as Lucidpress. These free media files will also help ENL/ESL teachers explain concepts and key vocabulary. This site is a valuable resource for imagery useful when creating presentations, lectures, digital stories, reports or to include on a class website. Students learning a foreign language may benefit from using Wikipedia Commons to learn about more about the culture and lifestyle of the country whose language they are studying.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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openverse - Word Press - Creative Commons
Grades
4 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Find digital images that are available for use without violating copyright. This search tool finds images licensed under Creative Commons. While most major search engines offer advanced...more
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Find digital images that are available for use without violating copyright. This search tool finds images licensed under Creative Commons. While most major search engines offer advanced features to filter content by copyright status, the CC search website makes it easy and convenient. Be sure to READ the information about verifying licensing. The results provide extensive options that can be legally (and ethically) used in wikis, blogs, reports, and more, as long as you provide the attribution information. What a fabulous tool for students to use for interactive or traditional projects!
tag(s): copyright (42), creative commons (28), images (267)
In the Classroom
Teaching students to understand and respect the copyright of digital information can be complicated and overwhelming. The first step in helping students understand digital copyright is to have them explore the terms of use and copyright for a variety of information. Create a scavenger hunt for students to find the terms of service and/or copyright for common websites. Once they realize that not all information is "free" for them to use, introduce the Creative Commons website and the symbols used to describe how the content is licensed. Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to demonstrate how to search using the CC search site. Perform searches that yield results that show several different types of licenses. Discuss each type using scenarios of how users can and cannot use information. As an extension activity for this site, students can create their own work and publish it using a Creative Commons license. The work can be as simple as using a digital picture or as complex as creating a derivative artwork, such as a collage or a "photoshopped" image. It can be published on a commercial site, such as Flickr, or on your school webpage. Make sure to follow any school guidelines before publishing student work. Perhaps you can create a class wiki of annotated creative images created by students with explanations of where they found the "parts" and how they created the original works from these parts. What an excellent model to share with future students, as well. Teachers will also appreciate being able to find images you can freely use on class web pages and in online project samples, etc. (with attribution).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Vecteezy - Eezy Inc
Grades
K to 12
5 Favorites
0 Comments
Discover a slick way to find Creative Commons pictures (pictures you are ALLOWED to use without copyright problems, simply by giving credit). Vecteezy searches for creative commons...more
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Discover a slick way to find Creative Commons pictures (pictures you are ALLOWED to use without copyright problems, simply by giving credit). Vecteezy searches for creative commons images and locates those with licenses that permit use in other activities and projects. Enter text or tags, and Vecteezy does the rest, providing thumbnail images for you to choose from. After you search, be sure you have checked the box in the LEFT sidebar of the search results, specifying that you want Creative Commons images, NOT commercial ones. Click to search again, if necessary. Choose from the results that appear below the dotted line. (Those above the line are images you must pay for!) Click on the image you like and double-check the license information under item 1 to be sure it is available for non-commercial use with attribution and can be used for "derivative works." Click the image itself to copy and paste its URL to use in image credits. Remember that Creative Commons DOES require that you give proper credit!
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): creative commons (28), images (267), search engines (42)
In the Classroom
Users need to be able to use good search terms to find the best pictures possible as well as knowing how to save images on their computer. Use in the classroom any time that an image is needed for projects, even if it is not going to be put on a website for others to see. Be sure students are aware that any time another person's image is used, they must give full credit for it, even if that owner cannot see it. Demonstrate Vecteezy on a projector or interactive whiteboard so students know how to use it. Student groups can use Vecteezy to collectively find the best image to use for a project. Have students create a multimedia presentation using Image Annotator, reviewed here. For example, students studying renewable energy can use Vecteezy to find images of various renewable energy sources, then explain them using Image Annotator. Teachers can collect Creative Commons images for use on their interactive whiteboard for sorting activities (monocots and dicots, producers and consumers, etc). Never assume that your students, even the gifted ones, understand about giving proper credit and only using copyright-safe images (CC or public domain). Vecteezy makes it easier. Be sure to hold students accountable by including a "digital citizenship" category in your project rubric, requiring proper credit for all images. You will want to spot-check a few of the URLs to be sure they are actually correct credits. Share Vecteezy as an important tool on your class web page, wiki, or blog so students can access it anywhere, anytime.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Pics4Learning - Tech4Learning,Inc.
Grades
2 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Pics4Learning offers free, safe images for educational use. Find pictures using the search feature or by choosing from the categories listed on the home page. Download selected images...more
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Pics4Learning offers free, safe images for educational use. Find pictures using the search feature or by choosing from the categories listed on the home page. Download selected images quickly using the included links to download to computers or Google Drive. Although it isn't required, each image also includes the citation for attributing work to the source.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): creative commons (28), images (267)
In the Classroom
Use images from this site with any classroom activities including research papers, blogs, and multimedia presentations. Have students create a simple infographic using images from this site using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, or Venngage,reviewed here. Include images from Pics4Learning when creating screencast explanations. Use a tool like Free Screen Recorder Online, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Flickr - Flickr
Grades
5 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Flickr allows you to upload and share images online. It is not specifically an educational site, so it may include "inappropriate" content. As a teaching tool, you can upload picture...more
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Flickr allows you to upload and share images online. It is not specifically an educational site, so it may include "inappropriate" content. As a teaching tool, you can upload picture collections and "tag" them with a unique keyword so students can access them for various activities, such as creating sequenced "comic strips," making annotated posters, including photos in blogs, and other electronic projects. This is a great way to make the photos accessible to students. Note: Use the DIRECT URL to the specifically-tagged photos ("photosynthesisproject") or create a collection for each project.
tag(s): images (267), photography (136), Storage (7)
In the Classroom
Create a free account and take a moment during setup to adjust your notification settings so you only receive the emails you want. Upload and organize photos for the projects you plan to use with students so they are easy to access year after year. You can manage privacy settings at any time, making images public when needed and switching them to private when they are no longer in use. Be sure that you are the copyright holder of any images you upload by using original photos you have taken rather than images from the internet. To use the site effectively, you will need basic skills such as taking and saving digital photos, locating and uploading files, tagging images for easy student access, copying and sharing URLs for collections, and adjusting privacy and sharing settings. Find other tools such as Big Huge Labs Captioner or Motivator to use with the photos.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Prints and Photographs On Line - Library of Congress
Grades
1 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Welcome to the Library of Congress' photo archive. This site offers a searchable database containing thousands of photos all almost any subject. History and social studies teachers...more
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Welcome to the Library of Congress' photo archive. This site offers a searchable database containing thousands of photos all almost any subject. History and social studies teachers will find this a rich resource for "what was life like then?" images, old maps, and other printed matter. Note that not all of these images are guaranteed "copyright free," but this collection was established largely for educational and research uses, so most images are freely usable in that context.
tag(s): comics and cartoons (61), drawing (57), maps (224), posters (44), wright brothers (17)
In the Classroom
Use the images on this site to create a "picture walk" in your classroom, introducing any number of the topics hosted. Select 10-15 of the more powerful and diverse images, hanging them up in different locations around your classroom. Have students rotate around the classroom every 30-45 seconds, jotting down what they observe and infer about each image until the entire class has completed the circuit. After the class is back in their seats, have a class discussion based on what they observed and what this says about historical events. A great way to get students thinking about the content in a way that's more personal and lecture-less!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Nasa on the Commons - Flickr
Grades
2 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
This is a nicely indexed, searchable collection of NASA photos whose topics range from aeronautics to space, the planets, and beyond. Most are copyright-free, since they were created...more
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This is a nicely indexed, searchable collection of NASA photos whose topics range from aeronautics to space, the planets, and beyond. Most are copyright-free, since they were created for government use. While some image sizes are quite large, this could be a wonderful resource for creating web projects, student use, or other space and astronomy applications.
tag(s): aircraft (25), images (267), nasa (36), planets (123), solar system (124), space (248)
In the Classroom
Use the images on this site to create a visual discovery activity in your classroom, introducing the topic of Solar Flares, or another outer space related topic. Select 3-5 images from this site, choosing the most powerful and moving images. Placing the images on individual slides, allow students 1-2 minutes to observe each image. During that time period, students should be taking notes based on what they observe, predict and infer about each image. The more powerful and detailed the image is, the more information students can take out. After the class has observed all the chosen images, have a class discussion based on the notes students took. This is a great way to introduce content in a way that engages and gets students thinking, as well as avoiding the typical lecture format.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Unsplash - Ooomf.com
Grades
4 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Unsplash offers breathtaking, high resolution imagery free for any use through a Creative Commons Zero license. Scroll through images to view options and download. No registration required;...more
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Unsplash offers breathtaking, high resolution imagery free for any use through a Creative Commons Zero license. Scroll through images to view options and download. No registration required; however, creating an account allows you to curate collections of images.
tag(s): creative commons (28), images (267), noregistration (75), photography (136)
In the Classroom
Use images from Unsplash as creative writing prompts. Have students create a multimedia presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint Online, reviewed here, uploading the image they choose and narrating it. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted to be reproduced), and then narrate the photo as if it is a news report. Allow students to browse through Unsplash when locating images for multimedia projects and curate collections for all to use.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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