Image + credit in HTML
01figure + figcaption is the semantically correct place for a credit line — it groups the image and its caption as one unit.
<figure> <img src="bridge.jpg" alt="Golden Gate Bridge at sunset" > <figcaption> "Golden Gate Bridge at Dusk" by <a href="…">Thomas Hawk</a>, via Openverse, licensed <a href="…">CC BY-NC 2.0</a> </figcaption> </figure>
TASL — the credit formula
02Whenever a license requires credit, these four pieces are what it needs — in this order.
TTitle
The work's name. Use "Untitled" if none is given.
AAuthor
Creator's name or username, linked to their profile.
SSource
A link to where you actually found the image.
LLicense
The specific license, linked to its full text.
Reads as one sentence
"Golden Gate Bridge at Dusk" by Thomas Hawk, via Openverse, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
The Creative Commons spectrum
03Built from four blocks — BY (credit), SA (share-alike), NC (non-commercial), ND (no derivatives). More letters, more restrictions.
CC0Public DomainNo rights reserved. Use it however, no credit required.
CC BYAttributionDo anything — just credit the creator (TASL).
CC BY-SAAttribution-ShareAlikeSame as BY, but your work must carry the same license.
CC BY-NDAttribution-NoDerivsPass it along whole and unedited — no cropping or remixing.
CC BY-NCAttribution-NonCommercialFine for class projects. Not for anything that makes money.
CC BY-NC-SANonCommercial-ShareAlikeNon-commercial, and derivatives inherit the restriction.
CC BY-NC-NDNC-NoDerivsMost restrictive CC license — as-is, credited, non-commercial only.
© ARRAll Rights ReservedNot a CC license — the web's default. Assume this unless told otherwise.
Finding images: Openverse
04Indexes hundreds of millions of openly licensed images — and writes the credit for you.
- Search openverse.org — every result is already openly licensed or public domain.
- Open Filters to narrow by license, e.g. commercial-use allowed.
- Open an image's detail page and hit Copy on the attribution box for a ready-made TASL credit.
- Still click through to the original source — Openverse is an index, not the license authority.
Filtering Google Images
05Usage-rights filtering is buried under a menu most people never open.
- Search your term at images.google.com.
- Click Tools, then open Usage Rights.
- Choose Creative Commons licenses for openly licensed results.
- Click through to the hosting page — the thumbnail alone tells you nothing.
Google is guessing. The filter reads page metadata — it doesn't verify the license. Treat it as a starting point, not a source of truth.
Verify before you ship it
06- Click through to the original source page — not just the search thumbnail.
- Confirm you can actually find the license stated on that page.
- Check it covers your use case — commercial needs BY/BY-SA/CC0, not NC. Editing rules out ND.
- Have all four TASL pieces ready for the figcaption.
No license foundAssume
© All Rights Reserved — don't use the image.Thumbnail onlyA search result thumbnail proves nothing about the license — always click through.
Still unsure?Ask the creator directly — most people say yes if you just ask.