Freely Use Images With Google's Advanced Image Search - Week 11

Google is our friend in so many ways. It’s always there to help us when we need, gives us answers we didn’t know before, is there for us 24/7 - 365 days a year. Although it gives and gives, we as users have to be cautious about how we use what we find. Take searching for that perfect image to add to your presentation or multimedia project. We can search for an image on Google and it will find it for us in a flash. Yet, many of the images that come back in a Google Image search are copyrighted and belong to commercial sites that have paid to take that photo or have created that graphic so we can’t do whatever we please with those. In order to freely use images you find online, they have to be public domain (meaning not subject to copyright) and not require attribution (meaning you do not have to give credit).

There are some fabulous sites out there you can use to find public domain images such as:

Pixabay, Pexels, Unsplash, FreeImages.com

Sometimes though, you just want to stick with tried and true, Google Images. Good news: You can still use Google Images to find your images without worrying about restrictions. Here are a few ways to do this.

Google Images Advanced Search To Find Free-To-Use Images

Option 1: Tools Button

• Go to Google.com
• Click Images (on the top-right corner).
• Type the image you’re looking for. i.e. “globe”
• Click Tools
• Click Usage Rights
• Click Labeled for reuse with modification OR Labeled for non-commercial reuse with modification 

• Filter your image search even more
• Size - Large, Medium, Icon
• Color - Any Color, Full Color, Black & White, Transparent 
• Type - Face, Photo, Clipart, Line Drawing, Animated
• Time - Anytime, Past 24 Hours, Past Week, Custom Range

Option 2: Settings Button + Advanced Search

• Go to Google.com
• Click Images (on the top-right corner).
• Type your what kind of image you’re looking for. i.e. “globe”
• Click Search
• Click Advanced Search

You can narrow your search results by image size, colors in image, file types, etc

Important!

• MOST of the images come from sites that allow you to freely share, copy, modify, reuse the image. 

• SOME of the images come from sites that still require attribution.

If you hover your mouse over the images, you can see the site that the image is coming from.

If you want sites that do not require any attribution, look for images that come from the sites listed above such as Pixabay. You might find images that come from different sites. Simply look for the license requirements. Click on the image from your search result > click Visit Page.

WOW Everyone With Adobe Spark - Week 4

Adobe Spark is a free design tool suite that allows you to create graphics, web pages, and animated videos in seconds. You can use this tool on your computer browser or your iPhone & iPad. You can access Adobe Spark by logging in with your Google single sign-on or an Adobe ID. Spark contains three different tools:

Post, Page, and Video.

Once you login and click the yellow-circle plus-sign, you'll see this:

Three different creation options: Video (red circle), Page (blue circle), Post (green circle).

Adobe Spark Post (for creating graphics/images)- Design custom social media images in seconds. You can upload your own photo as a background, search from tons of free photos, or even use solid color backgrounds. Add eye-catching text and in no time you can create images to be used for almost any reason imaginable: social media (with preset sizes for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc), memes, event invitations, custom graphics for presentations or projects, the options are endless. You can download your image to your computer or phone or tablet library. And the ease with which you can create all this on your phone is so great.

Choose what size you want your graphic to be i.e. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Poster, Slide, etc.

On the top right, you'll find the tools you need to customize your graphic. 

Adobe Spark Page (for creating a webpage) - Create magazine-style web pages in minutes. This is an easy and modern looking way to communicate information like newsletters, photos, reports, etc. You’ll find different page designs and layouts, colors, and text to use and can add photos and different text to customize. Everything comes to life by what’s called “Glideshow”; your page will have a smooth sleek motion to it. Sharing your page can be done via social media or by a direct link via email.   
When you begin creating your page, it looks like this:

Once you begin, you can click the plus-sign to add photos, text, buttons, videos, photo grid, glideshow.

Adobe Spark Video (for creating animated videos)- Create quick, beautiful, compelling animated videos. You can combine video clips and photos into your video plus add customized text, search free music, add your own personal music, or add your voice. There are different styles and themes to choose from to match your story and message.

You'll see an inspiring prompt that focuses on the story or idea right when you begin a new project.

To help guide your video creation, you can choose to a story template such as: Promote an Idea, Tell What Happened, A Hero’s Journey, Show and Tell, Personal Growth, Teach a Lesson, An Invitation, or Start from Scratch.

Easy to customize and navigate "storyboard" style template.

For your iPhone or iPad:

Adobe Spark Post iOS App  

Adobe Spark Page iOS App

Adobe Spark Video iOS App