Whether you have to name the source of a free asset is rarely obvious. Sites that say “no attribution required” sometimes attach conditions, and the expected format differs from site to site. Here is the order in which to decide, with samples of how to write a credit for each medium.
What a credit line is
It is a note, added by whoever uses an asset, naming the asset's source or creator: a line such as “Photo by [name]” or “Illustration: [name]”. Rather than a legal duty, it is a condition set in each site’s terms of use. So “it is a free asset, so I do not need one” does not follow: check the terms of each site you use.
“No attribution required” can still come with conditions
A heading in the terms may say attribution is not required while the body narrows it. The common patterns are:
- Not required for personal use, but required for commercial use
- Not required on the web, but required in print
- Not required in general, but required when the asset itself is the main product (asset packs, template sales and so on)
- Not required, but appreciated (optional)
Keep that last case, “optional”, separate from a real requirement. If it is optional, leaving it out is not a breach of the terms.
Any format that shows “whose asset, from where” will do
If the site specifies a format, following it is the safest course. If it does not, any form that makes clear whose asset it is and where you got it is enough. If a link is required, do not remove it. The examples below use our assets.
Web pages and blogs
Put it directly under the image or at the end of the article. In HTML, make it a link.
Illustration: <a href="https://visual-hub.net/">Visual Hub</a>In an article with many images, you can gather the credits at the end under a heading such as “Assets used”. The point is that a reader can trace the source, so making the text tiny or hiding it where nobody will find it defeats the purpose.
Slides
Put it in small type at the bottom right of the slide that carries the picture, or list the assets used on the last page. For a deck you show every time you present, putting it on each slide is the more considerate choice.
You cannot link, so write out the site name and the URL as text. On a flyer, the bottom of the back is the usual place; in a booklet, the imprint page.
Neighbourhood Clean-up Notice
Issued by: [Name] Residents' Association · Illustration: Visual Hub (visual-hub.net)
Social media and video
Write it in the post itself or in the video description. Where the character limit is tight, people also list the credits together on the page linked from their profile.
Illustration: Visual Hub https://visual-hub.net/Avoid using an asset that requires attribution in a format where you cannot credit it (such as a service with nowhere to put a credit). You would be using it without meeting the condition.
Keep a record even when it is not required
Even where the terms do not require it, we recommend noting which asset you got from where. It helps when you want to swap an image later, match a set to the same look, or answer someone who asks where an image came from. The file name and the source URL are enough.
How Visual Hub handles it
Our assets need no credit line. That does not change between personal and commercial use, or between web and print. You are welcome to credit us if you wish, but leaving it out is not a breach of the terms. At the bottom of each asset page, we provide ready-made wording like the samples above.