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Finding and Using Good Images

Flickr: Using the Advanced Search Features

Limiter/Feature

Use
  • All of these words
  • The exact phrase
  • Any of these words
  • Full text tags only
  • None of these words

Use these options like you would keyword or subject searches.


Use "none of these words" in the place of "NOT" in databases.
  • Photos / Videos
  • Screenshots / Screencasts
  • Illustration/Art / Animation/CGI
Limit by media type.
  • Photos & Videos
  • Only Photos
  • Only Videos
  • HD videos only
 Limit by media type.
  • Photos taken
  • Posted
 Unlike a Google image search you can find images from a certain time period by searching for images by the date range.
  • Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content
  • Find content to use commercially
  • Find content to modify, adapt, or build upon
 See the box to the right about Creative Commons licensed content.

The Commons

The Commons was started as a project between the Library of Congress and Flickr to increase access to archival photographs. Since it has spread to other historical or heritage institutions and has created a large pool of public domain, historical photographs.

Creative Commons Licensed Images on Flickr

Creative Commons Licenses allow creators to set different attribution, commercial, derivative and sharing restrictions to their work, which often makes reusing or sharing content easier than traditional copyright, while maintaining authorship. In an advanced Flickr search you can limit your results to display only CC licensed works.