Using Stock Images From DeviantArt & Flickr

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How to Correctly Credit and Use Stock Images
On DeviantArt & Flickr

Introduction
The purpose of this tutorial is to show people how easy it is to use stock images and credit the photographers of the stock images. If people see how easy it is, perhaps they will stop stealing copyrighted images because it’s ‘easier’. If it is the same level of difficulty, then there is no reason for them to use that excuse. This is also for the naïve manipulator, who has yet to learn that there are rules like this and that doing otherwise is stealing.

How to Find Stock Images on DeviantArt
To find stock images on Deviant Art, what you must do is to search in the correct place. The correct place is under the Resources and Stock category. This ensures that you are ONLY searching through stock and that you are not going to have to sort out what is stock and what isn’t.

Find that place and you can go searching. This is to ENSURE that all the photos you are looking through are stock. Even if you search "Wolf Stock" on the search bar, it will not guarantee that all the wolves are stock or that all the stock shown are wolves. It is best to do it in this way. So, the next step is putting, in the searchbar, what you want to find.

Soon, you should find many pages to browse through--all of stock. Now, this is not the final thing to do, you must click on the pictures. Now, before you go a take that stock, you must read under which terms the stock provider wishes you to use it.

Some of them would like for you to upload your picture on DeviantArt instead of Photobucket or TinyPic. Others don’t care. Some people require that place the credits right on the manip, while others are fine with it being in the comments accompanying your pic, or as basic text under your pic. It really all depends on who you get the stock from. I will put how to credit the pics at the very end.


How to Find Stock Images on Flickr
Flickr is a bit like DeviantArt, except, you are looking for CC pictures. CC stands for Creative Commons. Just like the DeviantArt stock, they have a few rules attached to them, but they are all very easy to follow. To look for stock, first you must go to advanced search. This is the address:

Once you are there, it should be very obvious that you are in the advanced search. I usually fill it out from the top down because it makes the most sense. There are really just two things you need to fill out. The first one is near the top and it is what you are looking for.

After you put in what you are looking for, you scroll down to the near end until you find the Creative Commons section. Checkmark everything so that it looks identical to this picture:

Then, search! You will have a whole catalog of pictures to look through. However, even though they are CC and safe to use, some of them are different in their rules. Be sure to check all the terms of use of all the pictures. However, once you know what each little symbol means, you don't have to click on the terms. This is where you click, it is highlighted:

When you click it, it takes you to a page that explains everything. In the case of that picture, you are free to use, manipulate, and play around with the picture as long as you credit the photographer. This is usually the way it goes.

That one means that you can't use the photo to make money and you have to release it under Creative Commons Share-Alike. That means you have to be sure not to Copyright it, but instead, make it free for others to use in their manips as well.


How to Credit
Crediting is the final step in making sure you are properly using stock. And it is one of the most important! What you have to do is provide a way for people to find the original pictures that you used. Some people just put the links right on the picture. Other people have a deviant art and list all the links on there.

This is an example of a DeviantArt page with proper credits on it. It even shows that not only were the images credited, but everything that the manip used.

Please credit and use stock! It isn't hard ^_^ Also! If you can't do manips, but would like to pick out your own stock for the manip, it is best NOT to link to the image, but to the page the image is on so that the request-filler gets all necessary information