FAQs

If you've spent some time looking around the images, vectors, and videos in Shutterstock's library, you've probably seen the term "royalty-free." Is royalty-free the same as free of charge? These two terms do not mean the same thing. With the exception of the weekly free photo and free vector, all content available at Shutterstock is royalty-free but has an associated cost.

Traditionally, a royalty is a fee paid to the author or creator of a work each time a copy of that work is used or sold. For example, an author usually earns a percentage of the cost of every book sold. If you use a copyrighted picture for your website or ad campaign, for example, you need to pay some sort of fee to the creator. Generally, this fee comes in the form of a royalty.

With the easy availability of images, videos, and artwork on the internet, it can be tempting to consider using copyrighted content without any sort of license. However, it's actually illegal and risky. Using content without permission constitutes copyright infringement and can lead to lawsuits and fines. It also robs artists and creators of fair compensation.

Benefits of Royalty-Free Images

Shutterstock is here to make the licensing of content easy - all our content is royalty-free. Shutterstock has taken care of compensating the creators fairly, so you don't have to worry about it. You can use these royalty-free images, vectors, photos, and illustrations multiple times after paying a single fee.

This type of license offers many advantages, including ease and convenience. It can also make images more affordable, which is beneficial for hobbyists and small-business owners. For example, you can use a Shutterstock image on your website, business cards, print materials, and online banner ads without time limits. You can rest assured that you are using images legally. Additionally, Shutterstock provides indemnification for licensed content. The details and amount of protection vary depending on the type of product and license.

Costs Associated With Royalty-Free Images

With Shutterstock, you can avoid paying royalties on images by purchasing the usage rights once. There are numerous plans available for different circumstances. You can find inexpensive plans for a single project or affordable monthly plans for ongoing needs. Plans include a specific number of images. There are also larger plans for teams and corporations that provide access and collaboration tools for multiple users.

Purchasing royalty-free images make it easy to find just the right look for your website, ad campaign, or article. With Shutterstock's extensive library, you can get the image you want for an affordable price that ensures legal use and fair compensation.

Editorial use is generally defined as use made for descriptive or illustrative purposes in a newsworthy context or of human interest. On Shutterstock, such content is labeled as “Editorial Use Only” and it is not cleared for commercial use. There are no exceptions to this restriction, so even religious, educational and nonprofit organizations must respect this important guidance.

Some common ways to permissibly use editorial content include:

• news articles, archives, and publications

• documentaries

• nonfiction books

• public-service content

Some unacceptable uses of editorial content are:

• promotional articles and graphics (including “advertorials”)

• commercial productions

• product packaging

• advertising

• merchandise

• social media campaigns

How to find Editorial vs. Non-Editorial Content

When you search Shutterstock's library, the results in Image and Video content categories will display both editorial and non-editorial content by default. To narrow the results, click on “More” in the filtering options at the top of the page and then select “Only editorial” or “Non editorial” in the Usage section.