Image Usage Examples

1. Brochures, advertisements, book covers, packaging, promotional materials, newsletters, scholastic materials, presentations, within films and videos, and web site designs. As long as the photo is an integrated, supportive part of your project or product, and not a main, definitive part of the product, you are generally fine.

"Definitive" means it is a main, important part of why someone would want your product.

Examples of non-definitive image use:

• If the image is small and used in an ancillary manner and is not the main focus of the shirt design, page layout, or product, then it's probably allowable.
• If the image is used as a smaller, supporting part of the product and not a main definitive part of the product or design, you are probably OK.

2. Web sites. Using the photos in your web page design is fine. Please don't post image or images alone in a size larger than 800 pixels, or in a "gallery" format where you have many images as in a photo album. Inviting users to download Bigstock images from your site for their own use is NOT permitted. You would need a Special License for this.

3. Web site templates and PowerPoint templates. Using the photos in a web site or PowerPoint template is allowed. We are one of the only royalty-free photo sources that allows this usage. You MAY NOT distribute the full-size images apart from your templates. The image MUST be embedded into your Photoshop, Firewords, Illustrator or Powerpoint (.PSD, .PNG, .AI, .EPS or .PPT) file. Remember to re-purchase the image if you use it in multiple templates. You could lose your rights to the image usage if we notice that you are selling multiple templates with an image in it but only purchased the image once.

4. On a business card. Using a photo in a business card design is OK because the photo is not being re-sold and it comprises just a portion of the card design.

5. Book covers. Book covers are allowed, since they represent just a small part of a whole book.

6. Product packaging. Product packaging is always OK except in cases where it could defame a model that appears in the photo.

7. Posters, postcards, etc. for personal use. This usage is OK because the photo is not being re-sold or distributed. If you need to make more than one print for your business office for instance, this is OK as long as you are not reselling the print and you purchase a license for each copy you use in your business. Printing posters to SELL requires a Special License.

8. Film and video. You may use the images inside a film or video production.

9. Re-touching or editing the photo. This is permitted in any of the usages listed above.

1. Printing photo on a postcard, poster, canvas print, t-shirt, clothing, mug, hat, art print, calendar, canvas print, re-painting the photo, etc. Any case where a Bigstock image is a definitive, main part of the product is not allowed under our standard usage agreements. These uses may be permitted with a Special License.

2. Re-selling the photo or rights to it. This is not allowed. Please consider a Special License and Contact Us if you have a need to re-sell an image, or if you have questions about whether your usage is allowable.

3. Distributing the photos as a gallery, or within software programs or screen savers. You cannot sell or distribute a group of photos within a software application in a "stand-alone" manner that would make it easy to copy the photos and share them with others. For example, do not distribute software in which the images are stored within a folder that makes the files easy to copy. Images should be embedded in your software in a way that makes it difficult to extract the photos. You can use the photos in most any manner if text or other elements are overlaid over the photo.

4. Printing or re-painting the photo as a painting or art print. This is not allowed without Special License.

5. Within a logo. This is not recommended, because you would be unable to copyright the logo. Bigstock image copyrights remain with the contributor. By using a Bigstock image in your logo, you are preventing yourself from ever owning the copyright to your logo unless you purchase the copyright from the photographer.

6. Making photos available to your clients or users online, via CD or DVD, or any other method. This is not OK unless your users are each purchasing licenses to the photos themselves. In other words, you cannot download a bunch of photos from our site then post or share them for your customers to use. Each usage should be paid for.

If you want to share Bigstock images, we recommend you become a Bigstock affiliate. As an affiliate, you can give your users access to a special version of Bigstock site and earn a 25% commission on the first purchase from each new user you refer. Read about our affiliate program.

7. Never defame the models in a Bigstock image in any way.