Yahoo Creative Commons Image Filter

Adding an image to a blog post can add interest and help get the point across effectively and can make a post look more attractive to visitors. Finding the exactly the right image takes imagination flare and a knowledge of copyright restrictions.

There are many times where the image you want to use is subject to copyright and cannot be used. You can now cut out your frustration by using Yahoo’s creative commons image filter. Creative commons is a licensing which allows use of the copyright owners work under certain restrictions. Creative Commons license fall into one of four different types:

• Attribution – you must acknowledge the owner and source.
• Share-a-like – the work can be altered but the derived work must also be licensed under the creative commons, share-a-like category
• No modification – can be used without modification
• Non commercial – you cannot use the work to make money

Creative commons rights are not the same as a work being in the public-domain where the original owner has given up all rights to the information.

Yahoo have added a filter to their image search facility. As can be seen in the screenshot below.

As well as a range of size, color, Flickr filters the image restrictions can be filtered for commercial use and share-a-like restrictions. Should be useful in future posts.