With 3,000,000+ photos in their database, Unsplash is undoubtedly one of the most powerful tools for website owners to source free, high-quality photos for their website.
With over 20 billion page views per month and an abundance of photographers contributing to its content base, Unsplash is home to some of the most beautiful, high-resolution photos on the Internet.
The big question – is Unsplash really free?
All Unsplash images are free to use, for both personal and commercial use, which is positive news for those of us who like to use high-quality images in our work.
The site has a wide range of categories, from nature scenes to cityscapes, all available in high resolution. With over 50 different categories to choose from, whether you’re looking for a beautiful landscape photo to use as a background or a more abstract image to use in your design work, chances are good that you’ll find it on Unsplash.
The Unsplash license explained
In short, the Unsplash license allows anyone to use Unsplash photos for free, for both personal and commercial use.
There are no attribution requirements, and you can modify the photos as you see fit.
The Unsplash license was created in order to give photographers a way to freely share their work and to give users an easy way to access high-quality photos for their projects.
Can I use Unsplash images for commercial use?
Yes, you can. And while permission is not required, attribution is still appreciated.
By attributing who the photographer was, wherever you use the image, this helps to promote the photographer’s photos and get their name out there.
What can’t I use Unsplash photos for?
According to the Unsplash license terms:
- Photos cannot be sold without significant modification.
- Compiling photos from Unsplash to replicate a similar or competing service.
And from their Terms & Conditions page, note that the Unsplash license does not include the right to use:
- Trademarks, logos, or brands that appear in Photos
- People’s images if they are recognizable in the Photos
- Works of art or authorship that appear in Photos
- If you download photos with any of these depicted in them, you may need the permission of the brand owner of the brand or work of authorship or individual depending on how you use the Photo
Do Unsplash photos have a ‘Creative Commons’ license?
Yes, Unsplash images are Creative Commons. All assets on the site are either licensed under the CC0 license or Unsplash’s own Unsplash license.
Either way, this means that you can use their photos free for commercial or non-commercial use, and you don’t even have to give credit to the photographer, although it would be nice if you do.
Is Unsplash copyright-free?
No, all photos on Unsplash are protected by copyright laws and belong to their respective photographers.
You can use Unsplash photos for free, but you can’t claim them as your own, use them for illegal or immoral uses, or compete directly with Unsplash, by putting the photos on your own free image site for example.
Is Unsplash safe?
Yes, Unsplash is a safe website. But, is it safe to download their free images, and not get sued for Copyright Infringement? Well, the answer to that question is; yes and no. Mainly yes; but not without some risk. Let me explain…
If you want to know whether there is zero chance of ever being sued for copyright infringement, for unknowingly downloading an image that turns out to have been uploaded by someone who had no right to do so, then the answer is no. There are no such things as 100% guarantees in life, no matter what some marketing companies might say about their client’s products and services.
But yes, downloading images from Unsplash is as safe as you can expect it to be, given you’re downloading images from a free image site.
And if there were no legal concerns at all, paid-for image sites would have gone out of business by now. That’s only logical. Unlike Unsplash though, the paid-for image sites like Shutterstock, iStock, and Getty Images go to great lengths to make sure that what they are selling, is owned by the photographers supplying them; they even require model releases before they approve photos for sale.
So, as Unsplash does none of these checks, you can be sure some illegal uploads slip through the cracks.
And there are obviously concerns, or you wouldn’t be reading this particular section of the article, word-for-word, with your attention on high alert, would you?
The question to ask yourself in all situations like this though is, “Is the risk worth the reward?” Well, only you can answer that.
To make that decision easier though, here’s the best answer to the question of risk vs. reward, regarding getting sued for Copyright infringement that I’ve been able to find.
Read the whole article to get the context, but especially note the comment by AC KO to Logan Cressler.
AC KO’s comment is the longest comment on that blog post, so you can’t miss it.
Try searching ‘AC KO’ on that page to speed it up.
Then, please make up your own mind.
For me, I will continue to think most humans are honest and trustworthy, with a few bad apples spoiling it for the majority, as they always have.
So, I’ll keep downloading images from Unsplash, and all of the best image sites out there, to find the perfect photo for whatever content I’m creating.
But that said, I always take screenshots of the source of everything I download and then use, once I’ve decided to use it in any of my content.
That won’t stop some sue-happy law firm from coming after me of course, but at least I’ll know who uploaded what and when.
Uploading your own photos to Unsplash
The Unsplash team is always on the lookout for new and interesting photos to add to the site. If you have a great photo that you think would be a good fit for Unsplash, you can submit it for consideration. The Unsplash team will then review your photo and decide whether or not to include it in the site’s library.
Approval can take time, which can be frustrating to the photographers, without whom this site couldn’t function.
But from the user’s perspective, that’s a good thing, as we don’t then have to wade through thousands of inferior images as we have to do on some of the lower-quality sites.
It’s hard enough to find great photos for your project, even on a site as easy-to-use as Unsplash, without having to worry about low-resolution and low-quality images as well.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, Unsplash is a great resource for high-quality, free photos.
The site is easy to use and with over 3 million photos available, there’s sure to be something to fit any need. Whether you need a photo for a website, blog, or just to spruce up your desktop, Unsplash is a great place to start looking.
How does Unsplash compare to other image sites?
What sets Unsplash photos apart from other stock photo websites, in my opinion, is the creative quality of their images. While you can find plenty of generic photos on sites like Getty Images or Shutterstock, Unsplash offers a unique collection of photos that are perfect for your more creative projects.
Plus, in my opinion, Unsplash is one of the easiest free image sites to use.
Some of the ones I’ve tried, and I’ve tried about a hundred, seem to enjoy making it hard for you to find out what their licensing terms are, which of their assets are free to use and which have to be paid for, or that set silly rules like “you can only use the image for 6 months” – whatever that means!?
Unsplash cuts through all of that.
- Simple pricing structure; free!
- Simple licensing terms; do whatever you want with the images, as long as it’s not evil, illegal or in competition with them.
Those are just some of the reasons it’s as huge as it is, and I for one say good luck to them, and thank you for the great service. I’ve been using them for coming up a decade and I don’t see that changing.
They add fresh content all the time, with new categories created all the time.
What’s missing from Unsplash?
The only thing missing for me is free, high-quality videos.
Once they bring them on board, they’ll shake up the industry even more than they already are.
The only downside I can see with Unsplash is that I wish they would find a way to pay their photographers a share of whatever profits they make. As a user, rather than a contributor, I wouldn’t mind more intrusive ads if half of the ad revenue went to the contributing photographers that make this site what it is.
If you’re looking for beautiful, high-quality photos to use in your next project, then explore the vast collection of images available at Unsplash.
If you think I’ve left something out of this review, or have a great tip for how to use the Unsplash service or assets, please let me know in the comments section.
