There are multiple sources for scripture illustrations. In general, the kind of images that are most suitable for printing in Bibles are black and white line drawings, while it is better to use color images for app and Web, as they are more engaging for the reader. For a more consistent look and feel, avoid mixing illustrations of very different styles in the same publication/product. See How to tell Paratext which images are for print and which are for electronic outputs.
It is important that your selection of illustrations and their captions goes through the same checking/review process (community testing, translation consultant checking, pastor/community committee approval), along with the scripture text. This is true both for images for print and images for app or Web.
SIL Illustrations Repository
The SIL Illustrations Repository is the best source for black and white illustrations for print productions. Some of these sets may also be used in digital publications, if permission in writing is obtained. There are also some color and halftone images available. Each set of illustrations has different rules on what kind of written approval/agreement is required by the copyright owner, whether they can be used in print/app/web, and whether non-typesetters may possess the master copies. : SIL Open Illustration Repository
Technical note for typesetters: Whether the translator inserts sample images into Paratext using the searchable/tagged samples (with names like CN01600.jpg) or using the version with descriptive filenames (e.g. JesusWithChildren_CN01600.jpg), these won't exactly match the filenames of the master files you'll use. (e.g. CN01600.tif) The default changes.txt file generated by Publishing Assistant will include rules to map these filenames to the master image filenames. For projects that already have an older changes.txt file, these rules are also available here.
The 2-letter code that begins each filename indicates the owner of the collection, which determines how the images may be used and must be attributed:
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Code
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Type
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Artist
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Pre-auth Required?
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Print/App/Web
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Attribution (On Publication Data page except for Cook)
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CN
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B&W
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David C Cook (NT)
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Yes. For SIL Publications.
For non-SIL
publications
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Any, but needs written permission
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Imposed on each image: “© 1996 David C. Cook”
Sensitive locations: “© DCC” or equivalent in local script
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CO
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B&W
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David C Cook (OT)
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HK
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B&W
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Horace Knowles
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For “non-SIL publications”
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Print is OK.
App use requires a formal agreement and annual reporting. SAG has such an agreement for its use in India.
Web use is not permitted.
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Illustrations on pages ___ by Horace Knowles
© The British & Foreign Bible Society, 1954, 1967, 1972, 1995.
Sensitive locations: Illustrations on pages ___ © BFBS, 1994.
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LB
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B&W
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Louise Bass
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Illustrations on pages by Louise Bass © The British & Foreign Bible Society, 1994.
Sensitive locations: Illustrations on pages ___ © BFBS, 1994.
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BK
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B&W
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Knowles revised by Bass
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Illustrations on pages by Horace Knowles revised by Louise Bass
© The British & Foreign Bible Society, 1994.
Sensitive locations: Illustrations on pages ___ © BFBS, 1994.
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BA
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Color, Halftone
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Louise Bass
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No
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Medium not restricted
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Illustrations on pages ___ used by permission of Louise Bass.
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DY
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Color
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Carolyn Dyk
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No
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Medium not restricted
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Illustrations by Carolyn Dyk, © 2001 Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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GT
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B&W
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Gordon Thompson
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No
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Medium not restricted
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Illustrations on pages by Gordon Thompson © 2012 Wycliffe Bible Translators Inc. and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License.
Sensitive locations: No special permissions granted?
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DH
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B&W
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David Healey
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No
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Medium not restricted
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Illustrations on pages by David Healey © 2012 Wycliffe Bible Translators Inc. and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License.
Sensitive locations: No special permissions granted?
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MH
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B&W
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Michael Harrar
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No
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Medium not restricted
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Illustrations on pages by Michael Harrar © 2012 Wycliffe Bible Translators Inc. and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License.
Sensitive locations: No special permissions granted?
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MN
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Color
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Muze Tshilombo
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For "non-SIL publications"
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Medium not restricted
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Illustrations on pages used by permission of Muze Tshilombo.
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WA
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B&W
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Graham Wade
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For non-SIL publications
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Print only
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Illustrations on pages ___ by Graham Wade, © United Bible Societies, 1989.
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DN
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B&W
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Darwin Dunham
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Illustrations on pages ___ by Darwin Dunham, © United Bible Societies, 1989.
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IB
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Color
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Faadil
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Not for use in the Middle East without written permission.
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Print only
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Illustrations by Farid Faadil. Copyright © by Biblica, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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All needed permissions shall be obtained prior to using illustrations in Scripture publications. Write to: [email protected]. Trial print editions of 50 or less copies do not need to request permission to use illustrations.
NOTE: Illustrations from all non-SIL partners (e.g., Cook) may NOT be modified except to rotate, flip, crop or resize them.
Use in Digital Publications
Note that for on-screen use, black and white images are generally not as engaging to the user.
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Only for the DY, GT, DH, and MH images does the license agreement (CC BY-NC-ND) have no restriction on app/web use.
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For Cook images (CO, CN), app and web use require advance permission, as they do for print.
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If you wish to use the LB/HK/BK series of illustrations within Scripture Apps, then it is possible to negotiate a licence with the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS). However, the terms and conditions of that agreement are not straightforward, and they also expect “usage reports” at least annually. (An example agreement - that CIC was able to negotiate can be found here.) If you want to pursue this, then please contact [email protected] at BFBS.
FreeBibleImages.org
These images are available under Creative Commons licenses that require attribution. The Good News images cannot be used in products that make you money.
Your app developer will need to scale these down to a resolution suitable for the app. e.g. 480 px.
App Picture Sets
The following app pictures sets are available:
