Images serve many different purposes in multimedia. They illustrate the information in the content of the text. They serve to break up large areas of text which makes it easier to read. They add to the overall style and design of a multimedia product.

Once you make an image, you own the copyright to your work. Copyright means that the original creator of a work has the rights to choose how their work is used. This includes if its published, distributed or adapted into other forms. The idea of copyright is that the creator has control of their work. It also safeguards any profits made from the sale of their work.

It is illegal to download or use images from the Internet if you don’t have the permission of the person who made it.

However there is also a licence called creative commons or CC. This is where the creator of a work decides that they will allow for others to use their work within chosen limits.

Never use someone else’s work unless it has a creative commons licence. Websites such as http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net have works that you can use with a creative commons licence.

For more information see:
http://creativecommons.org/about/what-is-cc