How to Find Open Licensed Images with Google Images tool

If your aim is to have images to illustrate your article and want to find openly licensed images, like those of the Creative Commons system ^{[1] X Research Source} , capable of sharing , reuse and modify the artwork as needed? This article will show you how to do so with the help of Google Images’ image search engine ^{[2] X Research Sources} .

Table of Contents

Google image search engine

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/b/b7/Google-Images-Search.png/728px-Google-Images-Search.png”,”bigUrl”:”/images /thumb/b/b7/Google-Images-Search.png/728px-Google-Images-Search.png”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:138,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:219, “licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”><p><a href=”/index.php?title=B%E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by- sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”>Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p ></div>”}

Find tools. To get Google image search, go to: https://images.google.com/.

Search field. In the middle of the screen is a long rectangular box, which is the search field. This is where you would type in any phrase you want to search for.
Search command execution icon. To the right of the search field is a small magnifying glass. Click on it to perform a search with the term you entered in the search field. You can also perform a search by pressing the Enter key on your computer’s keyboard.
Image search icon. Right next to the small magnifying glass to the left is a small camera. When hovering over it, you will see the words ‘ Search by image ‘ appear, indicating that this is a specialized tool for searching Google images.

Search and filter results by image’s license

Type in any search term. For example, if you want to find flower images, type the phrase ‘ flower images ‘ into the search field and then press Enter.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/7/7a/Google-Images-Search-Searching-2.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Searching-2.png” ,”bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/7/7a/Google-Images-Search-Searching-2.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Searching-2.png”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight “:172,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:272,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”><p><a href=”/index.php?title=B% E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”> Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p></div>”}

Work with searchable results. The result obtained after the search is a screen full of miniature flower image samples. Of these flower images, not all flower images are open-licensed so you have the ability to share, reuse, and modify the flower images as needed. So now is the time when you need to filter out what flower images you need, flower images that are open licensed and/or are in the public domain, with a CC0 license.

Click on the phrase ‘ Search tops ‘ in the menu bar just above the flower images. You will see another menu bar opened right below. Click the ‘ Usage rights ‘ drop-down box and you’ll see a bunch of options.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/2/26/Google-Images-Search-UsageRights2.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-UsageRights2.png”,”bigUrl” :”/images/thumb/2/26/Google-Images-Search-UsageRights2.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-UsageRights2.png”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:148,”bigWidth”: 728,”bigHeight”:234,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”><p><a href=”/index.php?title=B%E1%BA%A3n_m%E1% BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”>Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self </a>n</p></div>”}
- The default selection is ‘ Not filtered by license ‘. With this default selection, flower images may or may not be open-licensed – the kind of proprietary license that you would normally need to obtain and/or pay for permission to use. money to the author if you do not want to infringe copyright.
- Labeled for reuse with modification . You can select this selection for reuse and you have the right to modify the selected flower image if you wish. This case is the most free choice for you, it’s like choosing a flower image with CC BY or CC BY-SA license.
- Labeled for reuse . You can choose this option if you want to use the selected flower image without any modification. This case is the same as your choice of CC BY-ND license.
- Labeled for Non-Commercial reuse with modification . You can choose this option if you are not using the selected flower image for commercial purposes, but you have the right to custom modify the selected flower image. This is the same as your choice of CC BY-NC or CC BY-NC-SA licenses.
- Labeled for Non-Commercial reuse . You can choose this option if you are not using the selected flower image for commercial purposes and also do not modify the selected flower image. This case is the same as your choice of CC BY-NC-ND license.

Combination of use rights with image formats

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/5/50/Google-Images-Search-Type-Any.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Type-Any.png” ,”bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/5/50/Google-Images-Search-Type-Any.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Type-Any.png”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight “:203,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:322,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”><p><a href=”/index.php?title=B% E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”> Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p></div>”}

By default, all image types ( Type ) are selected. However, you can also choose your preferred image format individually. Since the purpose of this article is to have openly licensed images with freedoms to share, reuse, and modify, it’s perfectly fine to combine the two. Image search engine Google Imges distinguishes a number of image types, in addition to the default, other types include: (1) Face – Face; (2) Photo (Photo taken); (3) Clip art (Collection of art); (4) Line Drawing ; (5) Animated (animated images). Below is an example of a combination of rights to use two types of images:

Clip art – Collection of photo art.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/f/fc/Google-Images-Search-Type-Clipart.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Type-Clipart.png” ,”bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/f/fc/Google-Images-Search-Type-Clipart.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Type-Clipart.png”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight “:149,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:236,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”><p><a href=”/index.php?title=B% E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”> Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p></div>”}
Line Drawing – Draw lines.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/1/18/Google-Images-Search-Type-LineDrawing.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Type-LineDrawing.png” ,”bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/1/18/Google-Images-Search-Type-LineDrawing.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Type-LineDrawing.png”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight “:157,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:248,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”><p><a href=”/index.php?title=B% E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”> Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p></div>”}

The impact of combining. Combining the rights of use with each image type will filter and keep you the images that you really like the most. In turn, the number of resulting images will be significantly reduced because of the combination.

Define permissions and download using images selected by source

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/c/c9/Google-Images-Search-NC-with-Modification.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-NC-with- Modification.png”,”bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/c/c9/Google-Images-Search-NC-with-Modification.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-NC-with-Modification.png”, “smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:210,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:332,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”><p><a href=”/ index.php?title=B%E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”>Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p></div>”}

Specify the source of the image. Let’s say that in the usage rights choices you select the usage rights under Labeled for Non-Commercial reuse with modification . You will see a new screen full of flowers, filtered by the permissions you just selected. Notice a little when hovering over the thumbnails, you’ll see at the bottom of each thumbnail showing the size and source of the image.

Image sourced from Pixabay ^{[3] X Research Source} . When you click on an image sourced from Pixabay with the option Labeled for Non-Commercial reuse with modification , you’ll see a screen like this:

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/8/8d/Google-Images-Search-View-Source-1.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-View-Source- 1.png”,”bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/8/8d/Google-Images-Search-View-Source-1.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-View-Source-1.png”, “smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:265,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:419,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”><p><a href=”/ index.php?title=B%E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”>Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p></div>”}
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons ^{[4] X Research Source} . Similarly, when you click on an image sourced from Wikimedia Commons, you will see a screen like this:

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/2/26/Google-Images-Search-View-Source-2.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-View-Source- 2.png”,”bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/2/26/Google-Images-Search-View-Source-2.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-View-Source-2.png”, “smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:226,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:358,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”><p><a href=”/ index.php?title=B%E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”>Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p></div>”}
Image sourced from Wikipedia ^{[5] X Research Source} . Similarly, when you click on an image sourced from Wikipedia, you will see a screen like this:

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/e/ee/Google-Images-Search-View-Source-3.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-View-Source- 3.png”,”bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/e/ee/Google-Images-Search-View-Source-3.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-View-Source-3.png”, “smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:225,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:356,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”><p><a href=”/ index.php?title=B%E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”>Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p></div>”}

Identify the license by the source of the image and download the image for use. Although the source of the image is different, the way to determine the license of the image is similar, specifically as follows:

Image sourced from Pixabay. Click on the photo you want to select, or right-click the photo you want to select and open it in another tab of the browser.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/6/6d/Google-Images-Search-View-Image-Pixabay.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-View-Image- Pixabay.png”,”bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/6/6d/Google-Images-Search-View-Image-Pixabay.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-View-Image-Pixabay.png”, “smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:182,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:288,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”><p><a href=”/ index.php?title=B%E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”>Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p></div>”}
- Click on the link with the word Pixabay in the image description, just the second line from the top to go to the Pixabay page containing the image and check the license of the selected image.
  
  {“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/9/92/Google-Images-Search-Check-License-Pixabay.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Check-License- Pixabay.png”,”bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/9/92/Google-Images-Search-Check-License-Pixabay.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Check-License-Pixabay.png”, “smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:252,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:399,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”><p><a href=”/ index.php?title=B%E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”>Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p></div>”}
- In this particular example, the selected flower image with a CC0 license is in the public domain ( Public Domain ) and you are free to use it, including for commercial use ( Free for commercial use ) and you do not No attribute required . Images are also available for you to download and use.
- Click the green ‘ Free Download ‘ button just below the license description to select the download image size, then press the ‘ Download ‘ button to download the download. . The first time you download an image, Pixabay gives you a few options:
  
  {“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/0/0a/Google-Images-Search-Download-Image-Pixabay.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Download-Image- Pixabay.png”,”bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/0/0a/Google-Images-Search-Download-Image-Pixabay.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Download-Image-Pixabay.png”, “smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:252,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:399,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”><p><a href=”/ index.php?title=B%E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”>Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p></div>”}
  - Retype capcha template words to download images without having to register to Pixabay.
  - Subscribe to Pixabay to download images next time without having to enter capcha anymore. Please enter your username ( username ), email address ( Email address ) and password ( Password ) in the respective fields and then press the ‘ Sign up ‘ button.
    
    {“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/f/f1/Google-Images-Search-Join-Pixabay.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Join-Pixabay.png” ,”bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/f/f1/Google-Images-Search-Join-Pixabay.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Join-Pixabay.png”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight “:260,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:412,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”><p><a href=”/index.php?title=B% E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”> Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p></div>”}
  - Quickly sign up to Pixabay using the accounts you already have with Facebook, Google+ or Microsoft. For example, if you signed up with your existing account on Facebook, just click on the ‘ Facebook ‘ box at the top of the ‘ Join Pixabay ‘ dialog box.
    
    {“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/8/88/Google-Images-Search-Join-Pixabay-Via-Facebook.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Join- Pixabay-Via-Facebook.png”,”bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/8/88/Google-Images-Search-Join-Pixabay-Via-Facebook.png/654px-Google-Images-Search-Join-Pixabay -Via-Facebook.png”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:393,”bigWidth”:655,”bigHeight”:560,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”>< p><a href=”/index.php?title=B%E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=” Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”>Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p></div>”}
Image sourced from Wikimedia Commons. Click on the photo you want to select, or right-click the photo you want to select and open it in another tab of the browser.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/7/77/Google-Images-Search-View-Image-WikimediaCommons.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-View-Image- WikimediaCommons.png”,”bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/7/77/Google-Images-Search-View-Image-WikimediaCommons.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-View-Image-WikimediaCommons.png”, “smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:238,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:377,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”><p><a href=”/ index.php?title=B%E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”>Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p></div>”}
- Click the link that says Wikimedia Commons in the image description, just the second line from the top to go to the Wikimedia Commons page containing the image and check the license of the selected image.
  
  {“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/6/69/Google-Images-Search-Check-License-Commons-Wikimedia.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Check- License-Commons-Wikimedia.png”,”bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/6/69/Google-Images-Search-Check-License-Commons-Wikimedia.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Check-License -Commons-Wikimedia.png”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:259,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:410,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”>< p><a href=”/index.php?title=B%E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=” Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”>Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p></div>”}
- In this particular example, the selected flower image is in the public domain ( Public Domain ) and the author has given anyone the right to use this image for any purpose and without any conditions. , unless such conditions are required by law. Right-click on one of the links to different image sizes just below the image and select ‘ Save link’ to download the image.
Image sourced from Wikipedia. Click on the photo you want to select, or right-click the photo you want to select and open it in another tab of the browser.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/7/70/Google-Images-Search-View-Image-Wikipedia.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-View-Image- Wikipedia.png”,”bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/7/70/Google-Images-Search-View-Image-Wikipedia.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-View-Image-Wikipedia.png”, “smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:233,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:368,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”><p><a href=”/ index.php?title=B%E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”>Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p></div>”}
- Click the link that says Wikipedia in the image description, just the second line from the top to go to the Wikipedia page containing the image and check the license of the selected image.
  
  {“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/c/c8/Google-Images-Search-Check-License-Wikipedia.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Check-License- Wikipedia.png”,”bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/c/c8/Google-Images-Search-Check-License-Wikipedia.png/728px-Google-Images-Search-Check-License-Wikipedia.png”, “smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:239,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:378,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”><p><a href=”/ index.php?title=B%E1%BA%A3n_m%E1%BA%ABu:cc-by-sa-nc-3.0-self&redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self (page chu01b0a u0111u01b0u1ee3c viu1ebft)”>Bu1ea3n_mu1eabu:cc by sa nc 3.0 self</a>n</p></div>”}
- In this particular example, the selected flower image carries a Creative Commons Attribution – Share Alike – CC BY-SA (Creative Commons Attribution – ShareAlike) license. You may share, reuse and modify the selected flower image, as long as you acknowledge attribution by creating a link back to the original image and if you modify the original image then Your derivative work will also carry a CC BY-SA license. Right-click on one of the links to different image sizes just below the image and select ‘ Save link’ to download the image.

There may also be other image sources included in the search results. In the search results screen, there may also be other publicly licensed and/or public domain image sources that you are free to use, in addition to the sources listed above, such as pexels ^{[6] X Research Source} – as described in the article: Finding Openly Licensed Images using Pexels’ search engine, Public Domain Pictures ^{[7] X Research Source} (Public Domain Images ), Free Stock Photos ^{[8] X Research Source} (Free Stock Photos), .etc You can follow the same license and usage rights checks above to download and use them .

Advice

With the 2 menu bars you see when you search for images using Google Images’ tool, you can have even more features and options to use if you’re interested in exploring them.
With Google Images, you can search for any image in Vietnamese . However, most of the sites containing images do not have this feature, they do not work with Vietnamese , and you will have to type in search words, most of which are in English .
There are other sites and other ways of searching for downloading openly licensed images available on the Internet that you are free to use.

Steps

Google image search engine

Search and filter results by image’s license

Combination of use rights with image formats

Define permissions and download using images selected by source

Advice

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