Frequently Asked Questions

How do I license an image?

Detailed instructions can be found here.

Once you have registered, you can peruse all the photos in the various Galleries. When you find an appropriate image, add it to your Lightbox. After you have selected all your candidate images, open your Lightbox (found under your menu). Click the "License Request" button at the top of the "My Image Bank" page.

Who owns the copyright to the photos on your website?

Joshua Greene owns the copyright to all photos taken by Milton Greene which are represented by The Archives, LLC. The collection is made available on this website. The Archives Licensing reserves all rights to use, reproduce, distribute, license or sell any photo found on this website. Each photo exhibited on this website is copyrighted protected and registered with the Library of Congress. Each image on our website is watermarked and copyrighted protected by The Archives, LLC with the photographer's copyright notice in the form of "©". It is a violation of the Copyright Act to remove or tamper with the copyright information found on any copyrighted material, including the photos found on this website.

What is the difference between rights-managed (RM) and royalty-free (RF) photos?

Royalty-free photos allow you to pay one flat price for a photo and use it any way you like. Rights managed photos are priced according to a set of factors, intended use, size, duration of use, territory used and revenue generated. When you license a rights-managed photo, you are granted the rights to use the photo in a specific way and for a specific period of time.

How much does licensing a image cost?

The cost of licensing an image varies and depends on several factors which include type of use (editorial or commercial), size, exposure/circulation, duration of use and revenue generated commercially. Since these factors are unique to each use, we recommend that you fill out the License Request form after you have made your selection of images, which will appear in your Lightbox.

You will need to register with us in order to create a Lightbox of the thousands of images in our collection. Registration is free and can be completed in just a few moments.

How do I license one or more images on this web site?

After you complete the free Registration process, you will be able to review all the images using the "Galleries" button in the top menu. When you find a potential image that meets your specific application, simply click the "Add" button to put it into your Lightbox.

Once you have all your candidate images in your Lightbox, click the link for Current Lightbox in your menu at the top. Above the Lightbox images, click the link to “Request a License.” We will automatically be notified once you have completed the form. We try to respond to each licensing request as soon as possible.

What file format are the images available in your licensed photos distributed in?

Our high-resolution files are available in a TIFF format. Medium-resolution can be TIFF or PDF format, depending on the clients’ request. All low-resolution files on our website are JPEG, which are optimized to a screen resolution (72-99 ppi) and are watermarked. We license 300 ppi files for publishing use and 99 ppi files for web use. All files are distributed in 8-bit RGB color mode in AdobeRGB (1998) color space. All licensed images have id codes, titles and copyright. Further descriptions or back story can be made available, based on your needs.

Can I crop or alter images that I license?

It is perfectly alright to manipulate our images in a variety of ways such as lifting off of a background, placing it on different backgrounds, cropping, converting it to color from black and white or black and white to color or made to look like a painting. We encourage our clients to be as creative as possible when utilizing the images for commercial licensing. Once a license has been granted, all proposed usages are subject to our approval.

How will I receive high-resolution files of the images that I have purchased a license?

Once the license is final and approved and payment has been received high-resolution files will be uploaded to our server and a link to them will be emailed to you. Alternatively, we can FTP the image(s) to your server, if you provide the needed access information.

Why is it necessary to give photographic copyright and website credit?

In the case of the Milton H. Greene collection, his son Joshua owns the copyrights, yet the photographs were created by the artist. The Archives, LLC is the managing agent and organization that represents all of the collections available for licensing on this website. So it is necessary for the credit to read "photo by Milton H. Greene © Joshua Greene www.archiveimages.com/licensing."

We negotiate the full credit for any or all usages at the preliminary stage of all negotiations. Furthermore, clients are made aware that failure to give full credit may result in tripling the negotiated usage fee.

Why do you need to know how I am going to use the photographs?

Photographs are intellectual property, and licensing their use is how we generate income. All of the photographers and artists represented by The Archives, LLC have specific criteria that must be met in order for the images to be used. This is why we need to know the "how, where and in what context" prior to our approval.

You mean I pay you and I don’t own it?

Photographs are the intellectual property of the creator. Much like software or a book, you can purchase the use, but the creator still owns the material. We own or represent the rights to the The Archives, LLC collection of images, but we can negotiate a license to allow you to accomplish your desired use. Our price will reflect the various usages captured in the license.

What does personal use mean?

A personal print is for the buyer's use only: to hang on a wall, give as a gift, etc. Any other use of a print from The Archives, LLC must first be discussed with our staff. Prior permission has to be given in writing before any such use.

If I own a print, why can’t I make copies?

A print purchased for personal use cannot be copied, reproduced, published or used editorially or commercially. The rights of reproduction are controlled by the owner of the copyright. The Archives, LLC represent the copyright holders of the images in its collection, therefore, all rights of reproduction are forbidden unless those rights are granted from Archive Images in writing, usually in the form of a license.

Are any of the images on this site available as prints?

Yes! You can find many of them at our sister site, shop.archiveimages.com, where we have prints available in all price ranges. If you are interested in a custom print, please contact us directly.