13 Using Images
In this chapter you’ll learn how to find, use and cite images for documents and presentations.
Images
You can use your own images in your presentations. You can also use downloaded images, but be careful—not all online images are legal to use. When using someone else’s images, make sure you’re using them legally, and credit the creator.
See the NSCC Copyright Guide – When you can use images.
Watermarks
Images that you see online are protected by copyright—you can’t use them without the creator’s permission. A lot of those images have watermarks to make sure people don’t use them.
- Don’t use watermarked images—it’s not legal.
- These images are available to purchase for use from commercial stock photo repositories.
- Using watermarked images is illegal, unethical and shows your boss, colleagues and clients that you don’t respect copyright or intellectual property. It also puts the business at risk for a copyright infringement notice.
An image with a watermark looks like this:
Where to Find Available Images
There are many sources of high-quality images that are freely available for you to use. Here are some:
- Google Images:
- After typing your search words, click the word “Tools” underneath the search bar.
- Click on “Usage Rights” then select the usage right you want.
- Burst
- Pexels
- Unsplash
- Pixabay
Citations
- Always cite (give credit) for data, information, quotations or images that you didn’t create.
- A citation is more than a URL (link to the image)
- If your image has a Creative Commons (CC) licence you must include the CC licence type in your reference.
See How to cite CC Licensed Images.
Presentation Slides
- List all your citations on one blank slide
- Make it the last slide in the slide deck
