make your own. I usually photoshop runway models but that only covers people walking.

that is the best advice. design them. you will probably receive a better grade and feel more satisfied. take pictures of cool looking people and render some wild colors. those images you are talking about are not very helpful because they have already been produced before your design has needed a person walking at a specific angle.

you can use the sample images from getty images and similar, though the resolution is low and the legality is maybe dodgey...


i took pictures of people exiting train station some years back and use those fairly often. also have collection of trees that i made on my own. it is tedious work however so it has literally been the work of some years..

have fun.

never heard of www.flickr.com ?
when you find an image, be sure to see i you can find better resolution images of it, on the same page...

keep in mind that you are breaking copyright laws when you:

1. Take Getty images
2. flikr images
3. runway models (assuming you scanned these) - can't stand it when these are used, personally
4. photographing people on the street without their permission (written)


This is why stock photography is a business. Once you buy them you can use them how you like, no legal worries.


That being said, being a student these are probably not large concerns. I would ask your fellow students, they should have something. I always liked using abstracted images of people, so I didn't need perfect photos.

"4. photographing people on the street without their permission (written)"

In the US, you are allowed to take pictures of anyone in a public place.

(http://www.krages.com/bpkphoto.htm)

I am also quite sure that you are allowed to use those pictures in renderings - both commercial and academic.

As for 1, 2 and 3 - isn't there some rule regarding copyrighted works that you are allowed to use them for learning purposes?

I source images from 70s and 80s architectural rendering books. it's in B&W and the people are wearing some funky clothes and hairstyles, but that just adds to the ambience. Since you're in school, you can probably find several of these books in your library.

I have a whole library that offices buy but it is from the 80's. the cars and people are awesome. All the ladies have shoulder pads and the men have weird fitting suits.

kungapa - this is a gray area, for sure, but I didn't see anything contrary to what I said (if I missed anything, let me know).

Imagine this - you are walking down the street, picking your nose, then some schmuck snaps you, sticks in a rendering and that rendering is used on billboards, tv, bus sides, etc.

It is my understanding that you need written permission to do this.

If it is used for academic or learning purposes - you are fine.

However, if you use it for promoting goods and services you need a written permission. To use it that is, not to take the picture.

trace - are you sure that's true about flickr images? They aren't for sale and are under the creative commons license. I believe you can use them as long as you aren't benefiting financially from them. So in school it's okay - but for clients it is not.

as far as I know

If I take a photo, it is my creative property. I dont' believe you give up the rights to that photo. Kinda like if I design a logo, then it is posted on a forum, I still own the copyright of that design.

I honestly don't know the specifics, but every copyright law that I do know, the photography books I've read/classes I've taken have said that you need permission to use a photo of someone.

Personally, I'd be pretty upset if someone used a photo of mine without asking first, regardless of the use.


Bottom line, if you are student no one is going to say anything (or see it). I don't really care what kids do in school, you do what you have to get things done ;-)

trace you can change the settings on flickr to define the measure of copyright you wish to use. That said for academic purposes they are legal under crown/commonwealth law. I am not sure about the US, but seeing as it is a public forum I can't expect it to be different.

Most copyrights are for two reasons 1.to limit people taking ownership 2. to stop people making profit from them.

also it depends on what context you are using the image.

I sell stock photography at Alamy.com, so I am aware of the legal implications for using images of people in renderings, etc.

If you use an image of a person in renderings you must must have a model release signed by that person unless the image is used for editorial use (newspapers, magazines, etc). If it's used for commercial purposes (such as promoting a hotel interior for potential buyers, or an advertising campaign for a business, etc) you're opening yourself up to legal problems.

All that said, if you're using it for school projects, and will not be using the images for commercial purposes, the persons in the images will never know about it, and most likely will not be a problem. Just be aware that, depending on where you get your images, and if the images are copyright, you could be using the likeness of a person illegally.

In regards to flickr, you should review their creative commons policy:
http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/

Some people post pictures on flickr and have no problem sharing stock images with certain limitations. Just be aware that many images on flickr don't have proper model releases, and if you end up using an image of a person under creative commons from a photographer who doesn't understand the law, it does not indemnify your illegal use of the person in the image for your purposes.

There's tons more info in the internet about this. But, if the OP just wants some people to populate a school project which will never be published or used commercially, most likely the images you find online will not be a problem.