How to search for open-licensed images using the Pexels search tool.

There are numerous image libraries on the internet with open licenses or in the public domain that you may not have discovered yet. Would you like to find images to illustrate your articles freely, without infringing on anyone's copyright? This guide will show you how to do that.

Components.

• You will see the text ‘Search for free photos...’ in the search field at the center of the screen. This is where you will enter your search term.
  • Right below the search field, there is the text: ‘Popular Searches:’, followed by links to various popular search terms.
• To the right of the search field, there is a small magnifying glass icon. This is where you click to perform the search after entering your query.
• On the top-right corner of the screen, from left to right, you will see the following terms:
  • License: Information about the license for images on Pexels.
  • Upload: The section where you can upload your images to Pexels.
  • Browse: Where you can browse through various options on Pexels.
  • …: Where you can join Pexels and explore additional information about the site.
• On the lower-right of the search tool, there is a small text: ‘Are you a photographer?’. If you are a photographer, click that text to become part of Pexels!

Licensing and usage rights for all images on Pexels. Click on ‘License’, the first word in the top-right corner of the screen, to access the page detailing licensing information for all images on Pexels.

• All images on Pexels are licensed under Creative Commons Zero – CC0. This means the images are completely free to use for any legal purpose.
  • Images are free to use for personal and commercial purposes.
  • You can modify, copy, and distribute the images.
  • Users are not required to ask for permission or provide attribution, so crediting is optional.

License information for the selected image. You will find the license details for the chosen image in the middle of the right side of the window. As mentioned in the ‘Learn about Pexels’ License’ section above, the image is licensed under CC0, meaning you have full rights to:

• Use it freely for any purpose, whether personal or commercial.
• Attribution is not required.

Download the image. Just above the license information, you'll see a green rectangular button labeled ‘Download’.

• Click on it, and a small window will appear showing several sizes of the image you’ve selected.
• Choose one of the available image sizes you prefer.
• Click on the small green rectangular button below that says ‘Download’ to download the image in your chosen size.