RE: Hey Steemit - Royalty Free Images Are Not Free Images!
A clear line should be drawn between "Royalty Free" and "CC0-Public Domain"
Sometimes it is difficult for people to tell the difference because stolen images will be uploaded to Stock sites and labeled "Public Domain" when they are not.
If you know the source, you should ALWAYS contact the owner of the image for permission to use it.
I use many images from pixabay, and occasionally pull clipart from Google images. I tend not to credit Pixabay images because they are all CC0 licensed, however I don't claim to have made the image either. When I find something in a Google image search I try to make sure it belongs to the person I'm asking permission from (by digging a little deeper) and ask the owners permission.
These are generally good "best practices".
Steemit is a creative platform
Much better value and ROI will be achieved by those who go out and produce ORIGINAL content!
That's my
Original image by me, Re-use permitted with attribution
I like your two cents' worth! :-) Thanks for commenting! I have found my own work on free sites! That's why everyone should drop an image they find on Pixabay and such places into Tineye to make sure it is not also listed on a real stock site or some photographer's photography website!