It isn’t always easy to tell if an image has the right releases (permissions), so here are a few handy tips to help you check before you buy…
1. Does the image need a release?Â
There are 2 things to think about when checking if an image needs a release:
1. Does the image contain people, or property such as works of art, trademarks, brands or buildings? If it doesn’t, you don’t need a release, but if it does you need to think about:
2. How you’re going to use the image. Generally, your usage will fall under one of the below categories:
Editorial use – you won’t need a release if you use an image in context, to support or illustrate an article, story, critique or educational text.
Commercial use – a release will be needed when an image is used to promote or sell a product, to raise money for a cause, or for marketing, advertising, packaging and consumer or merchandising products.
If you want to use an image that contains recognisable people or property for commercial purposes, you will need a model or property release for the image.
If you want to know more about releases, our helpful infographic covers all you need to know!
2. Check for release information
Once you’ve checked the image and you think a model or property release is required, the next thing to do is check whether there’s anything written on or around the image to say that a release is held.
Search by releases
Stock image libraries like 17³Ô¹ÏÔÚÏß have filters than enable you to search for photos that have model or property releases. On 17³Ô¹ÏÔÚÏß, you just type your search term in the search bar and tick ‘Model Released’ or ‘Property Released’, and all the images shown in the search results will have the relevant release.
If you’re looking on a photographer’s website, it may not be possible to filter your search by releases. Likewise, if you haven’t used the filters on a stock image site and have simply selected an image that you like, you can check for release information on the image page.
Check the image page
If releases are held for an image, this information will likely be detailed in the image description or in the image credits.
Here’s an example from the 17³Ô¹ÏÔÚÏß site:
Here, you can see in the credits that there is a ‘Yes’ next to the ‘Model release’ option, showing that the contributor has confirmed they have a model release for the people shown in this image.
Every site is different, so the details will be displayed in different ways. If you can’t see any information about releases, it’s always best to make contact with the site hosting the image via the contact details provided.
3. Contact the stock image site or photographer
It’s important to remember that just because an image is for sale, this doesn’t mean it has all the right releases. Equally, if the release information isn’t displayed, this doesn’t mean releases are not held for the image.
If you’re not sure whether an image has the right releases, or if an image contains more than one person and you want to double check model releases are held for each person, the best thing to do is contact the site hosting the image via the contact details provided. This will be a stock image library or, if you’re looking on a photographer’s own website, the photographer directly.
Ultimately, it’s your responsibility to make sure you have the releases you need before you use an image, so it’s always best to check before you buy.
The 17³Ô¹ÏÔÚÏß customer service team are always happy to help! Check out our Contact page or use the Live Chat feature on our site!
Want to know more about releases? Take a look at these great blogs:
Model and property releases explained
How to make sure you’re legally covered to use an image