{"id":40230,"date":"2014-03-07T20:04:56","date_gmt":"2014-03-07T14:34:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=40230"},"modified":"2026-10-08T19:23:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T13:53:30","slug":"embed-free-getty-images","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2014\/03\/embed-free-getty-images\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Embed Free Getty Images in Your Blog Posts (Rules and Downsides)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Getty Images is one of the world&#8217;s best-known photo libraries, and its pictures appear in top news sites every day. Normally a single licence costs hundreds of dollars. But in 2014 Getty opened a huge part of its collection, tens of millions of images, for free embedding on blogs and websites for non-commercial use. Here&#8217;s how to embed free Getty Images in your articles, what the rules are, and the downsides you should know before relying on them in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Search <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Getty Images<\/a>, open an image, and click the <strong>embed<\/strong> icon (<code>&lt;\/&gt;<\/code>) if it&#8217;s shown. Copy the embed code and paste it into your post in HTML\/Text mode. The embedded image is free for editorial, non-commercial use, shows Getty&#8217;s credit and links back to Getty. You can&#8217;t download it, use it as a featured image, or use it in ads.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ae36c3295977\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ae36c3295977\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2014\/03\/embed-free-getty-images\/#Why_we_tried_Getty_embeds\" >Why we tried Getty embeds<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2014\/03\/embed-free-getty-images\/#How_to_embed_free_Getty_Images\" >How to embed free Getty Images<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2014\/03\/embed-free-getty-images\/#The_rules_what_you_can_and_cant_do\" >The rules: what you can and can&#8217;t do<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2014\/03\/embed-free-getty-images\/#The_downsides_of_embedded_Getty_Images\" >The downsides of embedded Getty Images<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2014\/03\/embed-free-getty-images\/#Better_free_image_options_in_2026\" >Better free image options in 2026<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2014\/03\/embed-free-getty-images\/#Frequently_asked_questions\" >Frequently asked questions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2014\/03\/embed-free-getty-images\/#Are_Getty_Images_free_to_use\" >Are Getty Images free to use?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2014\/03\/embed-free-getty-images\/#Can_I_use_an_embedded_Getty_Image_on_a_monetised_blog\" >Can I use an embedded Getty Image on a monetised blog?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2014\/03\/embed-free-getty-images\/#Why_cant_I_find_the_embed_button\" >Why can&#8217;t I find the embed button?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_we_tried_Getty_embeds\"><\/span>Why we tried Getty embeds<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We used to buy stock images from Fotolia (now Adobe Stock) to illustrate our posts, at over $1 per image. Free embeds from Getty looked like a great way to add professional photos at no cost, so we tested them.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_embed_free_Getty_Images\"><\/span>How to embed free Getty Images<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Go to Getty Images and search for a photo.<\/li>\n<li>Open the image&#8217;s detail page and look for the <strong>embed<\/strong> icon (<code>&lt;\/&gt;<\/code>). Not every image can be embedded; if there&#8217;s no icon, that image isn&#8217;t available.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-40234\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/getty-images-embed.png\" alt=\"Embed free Getty Images icon\" width=\"500\" height=\"444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/getty-images-embed.png 500w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/getty-images-embed-150x133.png 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/getty-images-embed-300x266.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li>Click the icon and copy the embed code. You can choose the size.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/getty-images-code.png\" alt=\"Getty Images embed code\" width=\"481\" height=\"678\" \/><\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li>In WordPress, paste the code into your post. In the Classic Editor, switch to the <strong>Text<\/strong> tab first; in the block editor, use a <strong>Custom HTML<\/strong> block.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The embedded image appears in an iframe, much like an embedded YouTube video. It isn&#8217;t watermarked, but it shows the photographer&#8217;s credit and links back to Getty, where visitors can see more of their work and buy a licence.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_rules_what_you_can_and_cant_do\"><\/span>The rules: what you can and can&#8217;t do<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Editorial, non-commercial use only.<\/strong> Blogs, news articles and social media posts are fine. Ads, product pages and promotional material are not.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use the official embed code.<\/strong> Don&#8217;t screenshot, download or crop the image.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Getty may show ads or collect data<\/strong> in the embed, and can remove or change the image at any time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Read Getty&#8217;s terms of use before you embed.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_downsides_of_embedded_Getty_Images\"><\/span>The downsides of embedded Getty Images<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>No SEO value:<\/strong> the image lives on Getty&#8217;s servers in an iframe, so it doesn&#8217;t rank in Google Images for your site, and you can&#8217;t add your own alt text.<\/li>\n<li><strong>No featured image:<\/strong> you can&#8217;t use it as your post thumbnail or Open Graph image, so social shares won&#8217;t show it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Slower pages:<\/strong> each embed loads extra scripts from Getty.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Images can disappear:<\/strong> if Getty removes an image or changes its embed program, your post is left with an empty box. Our original example embed from 2014 is one reason we&#8217;ve replaced it with screenshots here.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Better_free_image_options_in_2026\"><\/span>Better free image options in 2026<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For most blogs, images you can upload and own are better:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Free stock photo sites<\/strong> like Unsplash, Pexels and Pixabay let you download and use images freely, including as featured images. See our list of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2022\/12\/best-free-images-stock-photos-sites\/\">best free stock photo sites for blogs<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>AI-generated images:<\/strong> create custom illustrations with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2022\/12\/ai-art-generators\/\">free AI art generators<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Your own photos and screenshots<\/strong> are unique and often the most useful for tutorials.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Use Getty embeds when you need a specific news or celebrity photo that you can&#8217;t get any other way.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_asked_questions\"><\/span>Frequently asked questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_Getty_Images_free_to_use\"><\/span>Are Getty Images free to use?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Only through the official embed tool, for non-commercial editorial use, and only for images that show the embed icon. Downloading or copying Getty images without a licence can lead to copyright claims.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_use_an_embedded_Getty_Image_on_a_monetised_blog\"><\/span>Can I use an embedded Getty Image on a monetised blog?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Getty&#8217;s terms allow embeds on blogs, but not in ads or for promoting products. Read the current terms, and if in doubt, buy a licence or use a free stock photo.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_cant_I_find_the_embed_button\"><\/span>Why can&#8217;t I find the embed button?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Not all images are available for embedding. Try another image, or check whether the embed program is available in your region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getty Images is one of the world&#8217;s best-known photo libraries, and its pictures appear in top news sites every day&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":40234,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[49],"class_list":["post-40230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogging","tag-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40230"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40230\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63682,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40230\/revisions\/63682"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}