Toolbox Image Sourcing
This toolbox contains information on image sources and useful tools for image research, as well as interesting facts about the legal aspects of image procurement.
Always check before publication:
- What can ETH Zurich use images/videos for?
- What is the correct image credit?
- Have the persons depicted expressly consented to the use of the photos/videos?
- Were participants in events informed about the photo/video recordings in advance or on site?
Toolbox: Clarifying and documenting image rights
Use this form for detailed clarification and comprehensible Download documentation of image rights (PDF, 57 KB). This will help you avoid legal violations.
Here you will find further information on image rights.
People photographed must consent to the use of their photos. Please have them sign the Download photo release form (PDF, 196 KB).
The ETH Library offers the E-Pics platform for the various image catalogs of ETH Zurich.
E-Pics also contains the university communications image catalog: hk.e-pics.ch. The catalogue contains up-to-date information on research, teaching and campus life, as well as portraits of ETH professors. These images may be used by ETH members and authorised external individuals for communication purposes within the ETH context.
- Access for ETH members: on the ETH network or via ETH VPN
- From outside: Request guest access by .
Standard image credit for images from E-Pics: [Name of image author] / ETH Zurich
Images from Adobe Stock
ETH members can obtain image material free of charge from external page Adobe Stock and use it for ETH purposes in accordance with the “License for Educational Institutions.” To use Adobe Stock, the “external page Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps CC DC” license must be obtained from the IT Shop.
- ETH user account ()
- ETH password for email (Active Directory)
- One-time password (OTP)
If you have problems logging in, please contact the ID Service Desk.
Selecting and using Adobe Stock images
- Image style guide when selecting stock images.
- Choose a common image style within a theme.
- Cite image credits correctly.
- Adobe images may be used in an unaltered or slightly edited form exclusively by and for ETH Zurich and only for non-commercial purposes.
When is an image credit required for Adobe Stock images?
Image credits are only required for editorial use, in particular if:
- the image is used in news articles or editorial channels.
- it is related to the content of the text (e.g., thematic illustration).
No image credits are required for:
- Teasers (even if the image does not appear on the linked subpage)
- Heavily edited images that represent a new work (e.g., collages, infographics)
- Purely decorative use (e.g., background images, visual enhancement of web content, posters, flyers)
- Use of icon sets, patterns, or mockups
Image credits for collages, edits, and infographics:
- New work (e.g., heavily edited infographic):
- No Adobe credit/image credit requiredMinor editing: Credit required
- Infographics containing Adobe illustrations may be used in an editorial context.
Adobe requirement for image credits
The image credit must always include Adobe Stock AND the name of the creator(s). According to the terms of use, the image credit should include the URL: [Name of image creator]/stock.adobe.com
Avoid free image databases
For images under a Creative Commons license, it is important to read the terms of use and strictly comply with the required labeling requirements. Violations of the rules may result in warnings, which can be expensive.
- Caution is advised with images under the CC NC (non-commercial) license: their use in university PR and social media can be interpreted as commercial.
- Images under the CC ND (no derivatives) license may not be edited.
- Images under the CC BY (by name) license are the least problematic.
- However, it is important to note that the author must be correctly named, the license must be named and linked, and any changes made to the image must be transparently identified.
- Creative Commons images from the field of open access scientific publications are generally less problematic than those from image portals such as Flickr, Photobucket, Wikipedia, Instagram etc..
AI-generated images and illustrations
If a topic cannot be illustrated with authentic photos, image montages, collages, or AI images can also be used. If images are generated with the help of AI, the same quality requirements apply as for photographic material. AI should be used with particular care and always declared transparently.
Key premises
- AI images are not a substitute for editorial photography.
- Recommendation: only generate images that do not otherwise exist
- The audience must not be misled
- Outputs must not infringe copyright
- Proof is mandatory! See section “Image credits”
Image editing
- Recommended tools: Photoshop & Firefly
- Be careful with Midjourney, as it is also trained with copyrighted material
- Image editing using AI without changing the message is usually not a problem.
Research images
Researchers often make images related to their topics available. If authors wish to pass these images on to external media, they must clarify the image rights with the researchers before publication.
You can use the Download Image Rights Documentation form (PDF, 57 KB) for clarification and documentation purposes. If people are visible in the images, written consent from the persons photographed or the signed Download Photo Release form (PDF, 196 KB) should be available.
“Media Images” website
On the Media Images website, Corporate Communications offers a selection of images that may be used by external media without consulting ETH.
AI images and media relations
It is important to note that news portals generally do not accept AI-generated images.
Organising a photo shoot
Photo shoots involve a great deal of effort. Using theforms in the toolbox for photo shoots ensures thatlegal aspects are clarified and that the image quality meets ETH requirements.
Toolbox: Three steps to an image
1) Regulate usage rights contractually
It is advantageous to hire photographers who have signed an Download individual or framework contract (ZIP, 66 KB). ETH members can download the protected page list of photographers.
2) Prepare a written briefing
Provide the photographer with all the necessary information using the photo briefing template.
3) Einwilligungserkl?rung der fotografierten Personen einfordern
People photographed must consent to the use of their photos. Please have the Download photo release form (PDF, 196 KB) signed before the photo shoot.
Taking photos and filming at events
Participants must be informed about the planned image production and subsequent use of recordings for ETH communications before taking photographs or recording videos at events. This notice will be included in the following communication channels:
- Invitations
- Landing pages
- Posters
- Projections
Here are two sample sentences:
- ‘Please note that film and photo recordings will be made at this event.’
- Visitors acknowledge that audio recordings, photographs, films or videos may be taken of them during or in connection with the event, and agree that these may be used without financial compensation or restrictions as to time or location.”
If participants do not wish to be photographed
One option would be to provide participants who do not want to be photographed with different coloured lanyards or highly visible stickers. Alternatively, you could designate an area where photography is not permitted.
Posting notices at events
At events, use the Download notice board (PPTX, 57 KB) and/or our text modules mentioned above to inform visitors about the use of image material.
Copyright regulates who owns the rights of use for an image. These rights can be transferred or licensed (e.g., through a full buyout).
The moral right always remains with the author of a work and is not transferable. It protects the personal connection to the work (e.g., the right to be named).
Personal rights belong to the persons depicted. If images are to be released for university-wide use on E-Pics or for media relations purposes, the people in the images must sign a consent form (“Photo release”). Guests at events must be informed in advance.
Image credit requirements
When publishing images, always include a correct and complete image credit. (Exception: purely decorative images from Adobe Stock. See “Images from Adobe Stock”)
Standard image credit:
“Image” or “Illustration”: [Name of image creator] / [Copyright holder]
Examples:
- Image: Berta Beispiel / ETH Zürich
- Image: Max Mustermann / Keystone
- Illustration: Emma Exempel / adobe.stock.com
Caution: For scientific publications (papers), the individual requirements must be complied with.
All AI-generated images must be labeled as such
- Image created with AI: Creators / ETH Zurich
- Image edited with AI: Creators / ETH Zurich
- Image created with AI: Adobe Stock (for AI-generated Adobe Stock images)