Royalty-Free Graphics
Tom Range
Council Rock School District
Royalty-Free Graphics
• Accessible Does Not Mean Free
– It's easy to copy and paste any number of
images, photos, graphics and text from the
Internet. Just because you can do it doesn't mean
it's legal, and you could be guilty of infringement.
To avoid this, when searching for this type of
intellectual property online, be certain that you are
downloading from a royalty-free site. Some are
free; some have associated fees.
http://www.ehow.com/about_5078793_meaning-royalty.html
Royalty-Free Graphics
• Comes from a term having to do with
book selling
– When a book is sold, an author receives a
“Royalty” for every book sold.
– For example, I wrote the book, “The Penn
State Blue Band: A Century of Pride and
Precision.” For every book sold, my coauthor and I shared a 5% royalty.
Royalty-Free Graphics
• Most sites on the Internet are not Royalty
Free!
• Students today are accustomed to just
copying and pasting. Some might leave a
source where the graphic came from
• Some Graphics are actively protected by
their copyright
– Disney
– Simpsons
Royalty-Free Graphics
• Another word for Royalty-Free is Public
Domain
• That term comes from Copyrighting
• After so many years, songs and other
material become part of the Public
Domain, meaning anyone can use it.
Royalty-Free Graphics
• So what can the kids do?
• I offer a list of sites from my own
website that the students can go to
download Royalty-Free graphics
• The list has grown since I started
teaching and many sites I obtained
from magazine articles
Royalty-Free Graphics
• How to get to my list:
– www.crsd.org
– For School, Choose SLOAN
– Under Staff, Choose MR. RANGE
– On the left-hand side there should be a
link called ROYALTY FREE GRAPHICS
Royalty-Free Graphics
• You have permission to copy this list
• No reason for you to re-invent the wheel!
• You should check to see if all of the sites will
work from your school website.
– Nothing is more irritating then clicking on a link
and having that link not work!
Royalty-Free Graphics
• What about Animations?
• There are plenty of sites that offer free
animation creators.
• Most charge a fee but some have
certain animations free.
Royalty-Free Graphics
• To get an animated gif, it is the same
as getting a picture off the web.
• Right Click and Save As…
Royalty-Free Graphics
• www.grsites.com
– Looks like there is money involved
– Check out the pricing info link though
– If you do use it, they ask you to link the
button back to their site.
– It depends on your school district. I do not
use my animations from here
Royalty-Free Graphics
• www.cooltext.com
– You can use graphics generated from this website
with no strings attached
– “You are welcome to use any of the generated
graphics in any way, shape, or form without
asking permission. If you'd like to thank us, please
tell your friends about this service and consider
linking to us.”
Royalty-Free Graphics
• www.3dtextmaker.com
• According to the website…
– “Images created with the 3D Text Maker
can be used for free on personal and
commercial pages.”
Royalty-Free Graphics
• www.flamingtext.com
– This was the first website I discovered that
let you create animated text sites.
– You do not have to link back to them:
• “If you enjoyed or use this image, a link back to
our site is a great way to say thanks!”
Royalty-Free Graphics
• Animated Graphics
– You can have animations or little cartoons
running on your webpage as well.
– Again, you have to check the permissions
for the websites you are borrowing from.
Royalty-Free Graphics
• http://appleanimation.com/animation.ht
m
• This one is free for education but asks
you to link back to them.
• Ask your IT person at school.
• I do not use this one
Royalty-Free Graphics
• http://www.school-clip-art.com/
• This one is also free for education but
asks you to link back to them
Royalty-Free Graphics
• www.gifanimations.com
• Image Usage
– All images contained within the GIFAnimations
collection are in the public domain. We do not
require you to obtain our permission to use any of
these images. Images may be used in any media
(web site, email, powerpoint, print, etc.) Our
images can be used by any entity (i.e.,
commercial, non-profit, educational, governmental,
religious, etc.)
Royalty-Free Graphics
• Words of Advise
– Do not over use Animations!
– Too many animations DETRACT from a
webpage
– The purpose of a webpage is information
Royalty-Free Graphics
• That is about it!
• Have fun adding some spice to your
website!
• Feel free to contact me at:
– [email protected]