What are royalty-free illustrations?

Royalty-free images are images that can be used multiple ways without paying a royalty for each use. Generally, these images are stock photos that are sold by a company.

Individuals first pay a licensing fee to purchase the image, but there are no other royalty payments owed after the purchase of the license. There are multiple licenses that royalty-free images fall under, such as non-transferable, non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide and multiple use. These licenses limit who can use the image and where the image can be used. Companies that provide royalty-free images have a detailed license that tells exactly how and when their image can be used.