All silhouette images on PhyloPic are free to reuse, but some have requirements about attribution, about commerical use, or about the licenses for derived works. Keeping track of these differing requirements, especially for multiple images, can be difficult, so PhyloPic offers a tool to make some tasks easier: the Collections Drawer.
Attributing images to PhyloPic is never required. (But mentioning the site is always appreciated!)
Licenses
PhyloPic silhouette images are each under a Creative Commons deed or mark. This is listed on the Image Pages (example) above the image. General notes about the licensing requirements are listed below the image, along with a link to the Creative Commons website for more information.
Public Domain
Images under the Public Domain Mark (PDM) or the Creative Commons Zero Deed (CC0 1.0) are essentially free of requirements. You may use them anywhere, in any way, without attribution.
Attribution
Images under a Creative Commons Attribution Deed (CC-BY 3.0 or CC-BY 4.0) must be credited to the creator(s). The attribution text can be found on Image Pages (example). You must also provide a link to the license. And, if you have made any significant changes to the images, you must indicate what they are.
In some circumstances (for example, Fair Use), you may not need to follow these requirements.
If these requirements would prevent you from reusing images, you may want to select the “public domain” filter on PhyloPic pages with multiple images.
NonCommercial
Images under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial Deed (CC-BY-NC 3.0 or CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0) follow all the requirements of the Creative Commons Attribution Deed and forbid you from using the image for commercial purposes. (This includes most publications.)
In some cases you may be able to contact the person who uploaded the image to waive the license requirements. Look for the “contact the contributor” link on Image Pages (example). This may not be available for all contributors. As well, in some cases the person who uploaded the image may not hold the rights to the image.
If this requirement would prevent you from reusing images, you may want to select the “free for commercial use” filter on PhyloPic pages with multiple images.
Multiple Images
Many users of PhyloPic wish to use multiple images, such as for a figure in a research article. Keeping track of the licensing requirements can be an onerous task, so PhyloPic provides a tool to make it easier:
The Collections Drawer
Toward the bottom of this page, you should see a wide horizontal bar with an arrow icon pointing upward. Underneath it should say, “Drag and drop silhouette images here to start a collection.” Click on the horizontal bar to open the Collections Drawer. Or, click here.
Adding Images
Any place you see an image on PhyloPic, you can drag and drop it into your collection. Image Pages also include an “Add to Collection” button. Drag and drop the image below into your collection, or click here.
Removing Images
To remove an image from a collection, click the “×” icon below it.
You’ve removed all your images! Or maybe you never added any! Either way, keep reading.
Collection Pages
Once a collection has more than one image, a web page for it becomes available. This web page has some license information about the image collection as well as consolidated attribution text that covers all of them.
You will need to add at least two images to your collection to see the link icon. Drag and drop two of these into your collection.
Permalinks
Each Collection Page (example) has a link saying “click here to create a permalink for attribution”. Permalinks (example) are pages with snapshots of image collection metadata. Instead of including lengthy attributions for derivative works, you can simply provide a permalink URL.
Renaming Collections
To rename your collection, open the drawer and click the pencil icon after “My Collection (0 images)”. You will be prompted for a new name.
Creating Multiple Collections
To add another collection, open the drawer and click the plus icon (“+”) in the Collections Drawer. You will be asked to provide a name for it.
Deleting Collections
To delete your collection, open the drawer and click the trash can icon after “My Collection (0 images)”.
You’ve deleted everything! Keep reading.
A Note About Storage
Your collections will be stored locally by your web browser. They will not be accessible from other devices.
Hope this was helpful!