What's a royalty-free license?

Royalty-free licenses let you pay once to use copyrighted images and video clips in personal and commercial projects on an ongoing basis without requiring additional payments each time you use that content. It's a win-win, and it's why everything on iStock is only available royalty-free.

How can you use royalty-free images and video clips?

From social media ads to billboards, PowerPoint presentations to feature films, you're free to modify, resize and customize every image and video clip on iStock to fit your projects. With the exception of Editorial use only photos (which can only be used in editorial projects and can't be modified), the possibilities are limitless.

Understanding royalty-free images and video clips

When you download a stock photo, illustration or video clip from royalty-free sites like iStock, you aren't buying the file itself — you're buying a royalty-free license that lets you use that file in a wide variety of projects and products. Not sure what that means? We're here to help.

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Support artists

For every download on iStock, we pay the artist a one-time royalty payment for using their intellectual property upfront, supporting their creativity and encouraging them to continue investing in their craft. We're proud to work with over 200,000 artists worldwide.

Protect yourself legally

We make sure every file has legal releases for any recognizable people, locations, or intellectual property, so you can use our files without worrying about lawsuits related to the people and property depicted. And we back it up with a $10,000 USD guarantee.

Pay once and use anywhere

Get high res images and 4K video clips that you can use anywhere, with royalty-free photos and illustrations from $12 USD, royalty-free 4K video clips from $60 USD. Or save big with flexible plans to suit every budget -- learn more about our plans and pricing.

What kinds of royalty-free files are available on iStock?

Royalty-free licenses are the best option for anyone who needs to use stock images commercially, which is why every file on iStock is only available royalty-free. Ready to check out our amazing collection of royalty-free photos, illustrations and video clips?

View royalty-free stock photos

View royalty-free stock illustrations

View royalty-free stock video clips

Editorial and publishing

Newspapers or magazine articles, news reports, e-books, books, blog posts, textbooks (up to 500,000 prints)

Advertising and marketing

Print ads, marketing campaigns, product packaging, in-store displays, digital banner ads, billboards, outdoor displays, transit ads, flyers, brochures, TV and video commercials, trade shows (up to 500,000 prints)

Websites, apps and social media

Web and mobile applications, social media posts, digital banner ads, email marketing, e-newsletters, web design, digital wallpapers, digital art

Promotional purposes

Flyers, brochures, posters, cards, direct mail, email marketing, newsletters, prints and posters (not for resale), novelties (up to 500,000 prints)

Broadcast media

Film and television productions, TV and video commercials, documentaries, personal video and film projects

Corporate (including decor)

Corporate presentations, branding material, decor in a home, office or any public area

Add an extended royalty-free license to do even more

Adding an extended royalty-free license to the standard license lets you use our content in even more ways, including:

500,000+ printed copies
Physical products for resale
Sharing files with team
Digital templates for resale

For more details on extended licenses, check out our license comparison page or view our license agreement.

Prohibited uses of royalty-free photos, illustrations or video clips

Regardless of what license you buy, you can you can never use iStock content for:

Use in any logo or trademark
Pornographic, obscene or libelous works, or anything else unlawful