Pexels

Features

•  Free to use for personal and commercial use
•  Attribution to the photographer or Pexels is not required
•  Modification of the photos is allowed

Restrictions

• Identifiable people may not appear in a bad light or in a way that is offensive
• Selling unmodified photos whether as a stock photo, poster, print or on a physical product is not allowed
• Implying endorsement of your product by people or brands in the image is not allowed
• Redistributing or selling the photos on other stock photo or wallpaper platforms

Click here to view the full license terms and here to view the terms of service.

Caution

This applies to most free stock photo websites

Releases

The photos on free stock photo sites generally do not include releases such as property releases, model releases, or logo (trademark & copyright) releases.

Why do you need releases? Here are some generalized examples:

If a picture features an identifiable person, you can’t use the picture for commercial purposes without their consent. That consent comes in the form of a model release.

The same applies to private property where you need property releases or identifiable logos where you would need a trademark & copyright release.

When a photographer uploads the photo to a free stock photo website, they might or they might not have the releases. Most of the services don’t require the photographer to upload these releases, so you have no guarantees.

A good general rule of thumb would be to avoid using pictures with identifiable people or logos from free stock photo websites.

If you need to use pictures with identifiable people, logos, private property, I recommend using a paid stock photo website that collects these releases.

Tips for Using Pexels and other Free Stock Photo Websites

Create a tracking sheet for all the photos you use. This tracking sheet should include:

• Photo file name
• Screenshot of the photo’s original location with the website URL
• Screenshot of the license photo is released under
• Screenshot of the license terms
• Photographer’s Name
• Date
• Article (or other places online) you’ve used the photo