Where to Find Free, Non-AI Images
Writers: looking to do the ethical thing and avoid AI images in illustrating, promoting, and selling your work? There are many places to find public domain and free to use images. Always double-check the license before you use an image (especially for commercial purposes or if the image contains a recognizable face) and remember to credit your source with a citation and/or link.
Pexels: photographs uploaded by contributors – does not allow AI. I found the photo for this post on Pexels. My blog post citations are usually a link on the photo itself or at the bottom of the page.
Public Domain Image Archive: out-of-copyright historical images.
Artvee: public domain paintings, posters and illustrations.
Smithsonian Open Access: images and data from across the Smithsonian’s 21 museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives, and the National Zoo.
Getty Research Institute: images of Getty-owned artworks in the public domain.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art: public-domain artworks in the Met collections. Be sure you select “open access.”
New York Public Library Digital Collections. Be sure you select “search only public domain.”
Wikimedia Commons: lots of free-to-use and public domain images. This is my other go-to for blog posts.
Note: I have removed Unsplash after hearing they may feature photos uploaded by people who don’t have the rights to them.
Remember, if you want custom artwork and book covers, there are tons of real, live artists you can commission to create for you! And as a fellow creator, you should not have a problem paying artists for their work.
PS: please don’t use AI to write, either…nurture your own voice! We want to hear it.
Sign up for my free monthly newsletter and never miss a writing article! Or subscribe by RSS