Acceptable Uses for Royalty Free Stock Photos

Permitted uses for royalty free images vary slightly from company to company, but the following standard uses are generally permitted.

A royalty free license is fairly flexible, so RF photos can be used for a wide variety of purposes.

Let's begin with a quick refresher of what "royalty free" is. Royalty free is a type of license that grants the stock photo buyer the right to use the photo for various personal or commercial purposes, with no time limit, and without having to pay a royalty for each use.

The following list will give you a good idea of typical acceptable uses of royalty free stock photography:

Advertising and Marketing
Printed materials
Product packaging
Film and video
Commercials
Catalogues
Brochures

Business
Trade booth displays
Corporate identity documents
Letterhead
Presentations

Promotional (ie. not for resale or license)
Greeting cards
Postcards
Flyers
Posters

Entertainment
Books and book covers
Magazines
Newspapers
Editorials
Newsletters
Video
Broadcast
Theatrical presentations
Desktop wallpapers
Cell phone wallpapers

On-line or Electronic
Web pages articles (maximum of 800 x 600 pixels)
Design themes
Design elements

Personal Use (ie. not for resale or license)
Prints
Posters
Other reproductions

Misc
Editorial use
Decor in a home, office, or any public area.
Royalty free images can also be used in projects for a paying third party (ie, clients). However, the third party does not own or have any rights to the image.

It is important to understand that royalty free does not mean "free for any use". There are certain usage restrictions. It's always good practice to read the license requirements and restrictions for any stock photo you purchase and plan to use.