Getty's Library of 35 Million Images Now Free to Use

Professional photo catalogue Getty Images is opening up its library of more than 35 million images for non-commercial use.

Getty's new Embedded Viewer tool will let Internet users search for and share Getty photos on websites, blogs, and social media.

Looking for a stock image of a sweeping mountainside or in-action snowboarders to liven up your blog? Just click any photo's embed icon on the search results or image detail page, and copy the embed code provided. Paste that into the source code of a website, format accordingly, publish, and voila! You've got a polished snapshot to spice up your Facebook post or personal website.

The tool is meant for editorial use, meaning events that are newsworthy or of public interest, and not all Getty content is available to be embedded. Users, meanwhile, are strictly prohibited from sharing images for commercial purposes (advertising, promotions, merchandising) or to suggest sponsorship of any kind. So, adding a shot of a couple lovingly staring into each others' eyes while sipping espressos is not OK to plaster all over your cafe's website.

And please, don't use Getty's photos in defamatory, pornographic, or "otherwise unlawful" ways.

The company also reserves the right to add or remove images from its Embedded Viewer at any time, and may collect data about the use of the new tool and how its content is being used.

This move marks an acknowledgement by Getty that, for years, its images have been ripped off by the simple right-click-and-save mouse action. In an effort to curb that, embedded Getty images will include photographer attribution and a link back to Getty, where the image can be licensed for commercial use.

"Innovation and disruption are the foundation of Getty Images, and we are excited to open up our vast and growing image collection for easy, legal sharing in a new way that benefits our content contributors and partners, and advances our core mission to enable a more visually-rich world," Jonathan Klein, co-founder and CEO of Getty Images, said in a statement.

The professional photo library already pulls in revenue from Pinterest, thanks to the companies' October licensing agreement, which allows pinners to use Getty Images legally.