Getty Images recently announced its decision to make some, but not all, of their images free. Nearly 13 million images without watermarks will now be available to the public by simply embedding a code for the image. These embedded images will contain a footer with credit linking to the company’s licensing page.
We have been paying to use Getty’s services for years, so after hearing that free images are now available, I wondered, what’s the catch?
In the past, Getty images could be Googled and then captured with a screenshot that did not include watermarks. This process of attaining images is illegal. Getty understood that this was taking place and sought to prevent illegal use of images. The company reasoned that by offering some images for free, there would no longer be a motive to use images illegally.
Mashable pointed out that through these new embeds, Getty will have the opportunity for a new source of revenue. Getty will now have the ability to “gather user information and run ads within branded, embeddable frames.” Another potential “catch,” noted by The Verge, is if Getty were to remove the image from public consumption, the embedded image would disappear from where you placed it as well.
As Ragan’s PR Daily pointed out, it is important to note Getty’s terms of use. These embedded images are not for commercial use, including advertising, promotions or merchandising. Furthermore, the terms prohibit use of these images for endorsement or sponsorship.
These free embeddable images, however, enable private users to enhance their work with images, all while doing so legally. As long as Getty does not remove your image and you are willing to bear the credit footer in your image, these high quality, free images are quite the steal. Getty has made it easy for anyone – from bloggers, social media users, and companies alike – to use the power of images to strengthen their piece.