An independent reference on image formats and preparing pictures. It does not distribute images or files, does not give legal advice and is not affiliated with the previous site on this domain.
Rights & risks
A picture from search results always has an author, even if their name isn't shown anywhere. And a file you send yourself has secrets of its own: the time and sometimes the place it was taken, passersby's faces, license plates in the driveway. Here are the risks worth keeping in mind as an image changes hands.
A picture with no visible author doesn't become nobody's — you just can't see the author.
How this section works: we describe risks and general warning signs without naming websites, services or programs. We don't give legal advice: if the rights question is serious, for example commercial use, talk to a lawyer.
Situations where a picture causes more trouble than it's worth.
A picture found through search belongs to its author or to whoever they transferred the rights to. Publishing it without permission can lead to a complaint and a demand to take it down. If the terms of use are unknown, it's wiser to find another picture or make your own.
Some images may be used only for yourself: as a desktop background or on a homemade greeting card. In an ad, on a company website or on a product, that picture is already outside what's allowed. Read the terms in full, not just the heading.
A street shot almost always includes other people's faces, license plates, signs and the fronts of houses. Before posting, think about whether it reveals something about people who never agreed to be in it.
Photo roundups (in Russian)
A photo can store technical details: the camera model, the date and time it was taken and sometimes location coordinates. Before posting, check the file's properties and remove what you don't need — many editors can do this when saving a copy.
An archive that promises a huge collection of images could contain anything, including executable files. A picture doesn't need an installer, and it doesn't need an archive password printed right there on the same page.
Big “Download” buttons in ad blocks often lead not to the picture but to an unrelated installer or a page with a paid subscription. If you need an image, look for it from the author or on a page with clear terms of use.
Saving a picture from the web is easy: a couple of clicks and it's sitting in a folder next to your own photos. A week later nobody remembers where it came from or on what terms it can be used.
Roundups and reposts make it worse: the image gets separated from the author's credit and travels on as if it belonged to no one. The further it gets from where it was first published, the harder it is to tell who made it.
The reliable habit is a boring one: keep the source link and the terms of use together with the picture, get images from places where the license is spelled out, and whenever possible draw and photograph things yourself.
Step-by-step guides: crop, shrink and compress a picture and get it ready for an email, a slide or print. The article catalog lives here too.
What to do when a picture turns blurry or jagged, gets too heavy, loses its transparent background or looks dull on paper.
Key terms: pixel, resolution, dots per inch, raster, vector, Bézier curve, compression, transparency and alt text.
Answers about this reference, about picture sizes and formats, about printing and about using images found online.
The kinds of programs and features that help with images, from the built-in photo viewer to a vector editor and the eyedropper.
This advice is written in general terms as of the date it was prepared. Menu items, save dialogs and export settings are named differently from one editor to the next and change with updates, so check the help for the program you actually use rather than matching our wording exactly.