What Happened To Pixabay Images?

Pixabay is one of the largest free image sharing sites in the world, but what happened to all those images that were uploaded?

What Happened To Pixabay Images

Pixabay was founded in 2010 by Mathias Schreiber and has grown into a very popular site for both photographers and graphic designers. It offers an easy way to share your photos with others online.

The service uses a Creative Commons license which means you can use the images on websites or blogs without having to ask permission from the photographer.

The site also allows users to download high-resolution copies of their favorite images. The site’s popularity continues to grow as it now boasts more than 25 million registered members.

But many are wondering what happens to the millions of images that have been uploaded over the years.

So we decided to find out.

Pixabay History 

It’s best that we begin by examining how Pixabay came about in the first place.

Mathias Schreiber created the website back in 2009 while he was studying at the University of Hamburg.

He wanted to create a platform where people could upload their own photographs and then share them with other users.

He named his new venture pixabay because he thought the name sounded like “picture” and “bay”.

Schreiber began uploading images onto the site and within just two weeks had already received around 50,000 hits.

He continued to add more features to the site including a search engine so that users would be able to easily locate specific images they were looking for.

In addition, he added a feature called “Like” so that users could rate the quality of the images they found.

This proved to be quite successful and soon attracted many visitors who were looking for free stock photography.

Today, Pixabay has become one of the most popular platforms for professional and amateur photographers alike.

It currently hosts more than 25 million registered users and provides access to more than 100 million high-quality images.

The site has also expanded its services to include video clips, audio files, vector graphics, and even 3D models.

Pixabay’s Growth 

As mentioned earlier, Pixabay started off as a simple photo sharing site. But since then it has developed into something much bigger.

Since its launch, the site has seen tremendous growth, and today it attracts more than 10 million unique visitors every month.

This makes it one of the biggest sources of free content on the internet.

When it comes to traffic, Pixabay ranks third behind Google and Wikipedia with the site receiving around 2 billion page views per month.

What Happens To The Images When They Are Uploaded To Pixabay?

When a user uploads an image to Pixabay, it gets stored in a folder called “images”. This folder contains three subfolders: “public”, “private” and “downloads”.

The public folder is where anyone can view the images. Anyone can browse through the thousands of images available on the site and click on any of them to see a larger version of the picture.

The private folder is only accessible to those who have signed up to the site. Only these individuals will be able to view the images in this folder.

Finally, the downloads’ folder stores all the images that have been downloaded from Pixabay. These images can be viewed using any web browser but cannot be shared or downloaded again.

Those that have used Pixabay to source their content will have redistributed them to their own platform of choice (such as YouTube or WordPress). 

How Can I Download An Image From Pixabay?

To download an image from Pixabay you need to head over to the site’s homepage. Click on the “Download” button located on the top left-hand side of the screen.

You’ll now be taken to a form which allows you to select the file type you want to download. There are four options: JPG, GIF, PNG and PDF.

Once you’ve selected your file type, simply enter the URL of the image you’d like to download. You can find the URL by clicking on the image itself.

Once you’ve entered the URL, click on the blue “Get File” button. After a few seconds, the image should start downloading onto your computer. 

Can I Use Pixabay Images And Videos For Commercial Use?

Can I Use Pixabay Images And Videos For Commercial Use

Yes but there are restrictions. There’s a stipulation from Pixabay known as Model and Property Release.

To put it simply, if you are uploading an image to Pixabay that has someone who can be identified – that person must give their explicit permission for that image to be uploaded. 

This also applies to logos or other private property. Pixabay does this to protect people and companies from things like fraud or malicious use of their property or image. 

Some imagery that has a corporation’s products in it such as Disney or Lego may be especially delicate because they may have only allowed their imagery to be used for editorial use.

Therefore, you would not be allowed to use the images for commercial use. 

What If I Did It Anyway Or By Accident?

Whether you knowingly or unknowingly used images that you did not get explicit permission to use for commercial use.

The likely outcome is that you’ll receive correspondence from the owner of the property and be asked to take their image down, or they may request payment for their use. 

If you ignore this, you may find yourself in a civil-legal dispute which could prove costly.

Is Pixabay Easy To Use?

Pixabay is easy to use. Once you’ve registered with the website, you’re free to upload any number of images at once. As long as you follow the guidelines above, you won’t run into any issues. 

There are two ways you can upload images to Pixabay. One way is through the uploader tool found on the home page.

This is the most straightforward method. Simply drag and drop your files into the box provided.

The second option is to use the direct link. This is available via the homepage. Just click on the green “Upload Files” button. Then just paste the URL of the image into the text field provided. 

The best thing about Pixabay is that it’s free to use.

I’m Not A Photographer, Do I Need To Be?

No. While Pixabay was originally launched as a place where photographers could share their work, it’s grown beyond that. Anyone can upload an image to the website.

The only requirement is that you own the copyright to the image you wish to upload and/or have the correct permissions to use imagery or redistribute imagery.

You don’t need to be a photographer to use Pixabay either. In fact, many people use it to create stock photography portfolios. 

How Many Images Can I Upload At Once?

You can upload up to 100 images per month. The limit is based on your account level. The more images you upload, the higher your account level will become.

The Bottom Line

Pixabay is still going strong today and is one of the most popular places to upload and source imagery with fewer restrictions on copyright through other avenues, and with a large library. 

It’s key however that you know the correct procedures and terms of use before you upload your chosen imagery or use someone else’s imagery.

Katie Dawson