If you're a TPT seller, you know how important it is to use quality images and clipart in your resources, product covers, and marketing materials. But finding images that are both beautiful and safe to use commercially can be challenging. That's why I've put together this list of 10 places to find royalty-free and images and clipart, both free and paid options, to help you elevate your resources while staying on the right side of copyright. 

Let's dive into 10 free and paid resources that will give your TPT store that polished & professional look you're after! 

Paid Resources:

1. Creative Market: 

   Creative Market is a great website to get professionally created clipart, fonts, and design elements. You can use them for free for personal use, but to use them in the resources you sell, you must purchase the appropriate license. You do not need to credit the creator. 
   
   Restrictions: There are two different types of licenses on Creative Market that you should be aware of.
   
   1. A Standard License allows you to use up to 5,000 physical or digital end products. This means that you can use the element in a maximum of 5,000 TPT products. 
   2. An Extended License allows you to have unlimited sales and use in digital templates that will be resold. 
      
      
      

2. Teachers Pay Teachers - of course, I'm including TPT! 

   TPT is going to be the best, most straightforward place to find commercial use clipart. The clipart on Teachers Pay Teachers is typically created by educators and is tailored to teachers. Plus, when you purchase clipart on Teachers Pay Teachers, you are supporting another TPT seller! For that reason alone, I will always purchase clipart and fonts from TPT sellers. 
   
   It is important to read through the description, terms of use, and preview to ensure that the clipart is for commercial use. 
   
   Restrictions: Each seller may have different terms of use, but almost all clip artists require the user to credit them inside the resource and hyperlink their logo to their TPT store. Be sure to check the usage limits for each clipart set. 
   
   
   

3. Etsy:

   Etsy is a great place to find unique, custom-made clipart and design assets. Similar to Teachers Pay Teachers, some clipart and design elements are commercial free and some are for personal use only. Read carefully! 
   
   Each seller has their own terms of use and will let you know if and how you need to credit them within the product. I have found that many Etsy graphics sellers require attribution similar to how Teachers Pay Teachers sellers do. 
   
   Restrictions: Each seller sets their own license terms, so always review them before purchasing. Look for commercial licenses, especially if attribution-free use is important to you. 
   
   
   

4. Vecteezy:

   Vecteezy has both free and paid vectors and illustrations. I would encourage you to purchase a pro license so you have access to a larger library of images, mock-ups, and graphics. I think it is nice that this website offers some graphics for free and a free trial to download and use their images. 
   
   Restrictions: If you choose to use the graphic listed as "Free", you must give proper credit to the artist. If you want to have access to all graphics on the website and not have to give credit, you will need to purchase the pro license.
   
   

5. Adobe Stock:

   Adobe Stock has professional-grade images and illustrations. In order to use these commercially, you will have to purchase an appropriate license. On the bright side, there is no requirement to give credit.
   
   Restrictions: There are two different types of licenses that you should be aware of:
   
   1. A Standard License will cover up to 500,000 copies of an end product. It's not suitable for items where the images is the primary product (like a template). 
   2. An Enhanced License allows for unlimited use and more flexible terms, but you still can't sell the original images as standalone assets. 

Alright, now that we've talked about the paid resources that help you find royalty-free and commercial use images, let's talk about the free ones. We're all on a budget! But there's no need to go to a sketchy website that will probably have a virus in your digital download. These free resource websites are used by many sellers for images and graphics. 

Free Resources: 

1. Unsplash 
   

   Unsplash is great for finding high-quality photos. I would definitely recommend this for social studies and science to find real-life images form! 
   
   Yes, you are allowed to use them commercially and you do not need to credit them, but it is definitely appreciated when you do! 
   
   Restrictions: Don't sell the images as-is or use them to create a competing stock photo site. Avoid using the images in way that imply endorsement by the photographer. 
   
   
   

2. Pixabay

   Pixabay has great photos, illustrations, and vector art to use commercially in your products. I would recommend these for anyone making digital resources where the pictures need to appear. as students answer questions. You do not need to give credit, but linking back to the creator/artist is appreciated! 
   
   Restrictions: You cannot resell or redistribute the images as standalone files. Be cautious when using images with identifiable people or brands in them. 
   
   
   

3. Pexels

   Pexels has both photos and videos that sellers can use in their resources. Many videos are of nature scenes. I can see this being not only used for subject purposes but also added to daily slides. 
   
   Again, you can use these images and videos commercially without giving credit, but it is always nice to do so. 
   
   Restrictions: Avoid reselling the images as-is or using them to imply endorsements. 
   
   
   

4. The Noun Project

   The Noun Project is known to be building a global visual language and has a wide variety of icons and symbols. I would definitely recommend this to teachers to use in diagrams or pictorial scenarios. This would also be a good site to share with students when they are creating visual projects in a slide deck. 
   
   This, too, is allowed to be used commercially, but you must give credit to the creator. If you purchase the pro version, that removes the requirement. Make sure to not sell the icons as standalone assets - like clipart. 
   
   
   

5. Openclipart
   

   As the name predicts, this website has illustrated clipart for anyone to use. There is a large variety of illustrations to use! Just scrolling through the site I see several options for my own products. 
   
   These clipart illustrations are for commercial use without having to credit the creator or artist. 
   
   Restrictions: All images on this website are in the public domain and can be used freely, but you cannot claim ownership of the designs or resell them as standalone files. 

Before you go off exploring these websites for clipart that is just right, here are a few reminders and tips for using images and clipart that you are not the creator of. 

• Always read the license terms before using an image for commercial purposes, especially on paid sites where the seller's terms of use can vary. 
• Avoid redistributing the images as standalone files. You must transform or add value (like using images in your TPT products) so the image or graphic is not the primary feature that is being sold. 
• Give credit when required to respect the artist's work and meet the terms of free and paid resources. 
• Check usage limits for paid licenses, especially if you're planning to create a high volume fo products. 

Using high-quality, royalty-free commercial use images in your TPT products doesn't have to be complicated! These resources will give your products a more professional look while keeping you legally protected. 

Happy Selling!