Hey Korupt,
Appreciate you sharing your work some of those edits are creative and clearly a lot of time went into them. That said, this whole copyright thing seems to have gone a bit sideways, so let’s clear a few things up in a chill and honest way.
First off crediting a source doesn’t make it legal to use. That’s one of the biggest misunderstandings online. Giving someone a shoutout is good etiquette, sure, but it doesn’t override copyright law. The moment someone takes a photo, designs an image, or creates any piece of original work, copyright automatically exists, no matter where in the world they are. That’s the case in Canada, the US, the UK, the EU, pretty much everywhere under the Berne Convention, which most countries are part of.
So no, you don’t have to file anything to have your work protected. You can choose to register it, which helps legally if you’re chasing damages in court, but the protection is there from the get-go. In Canada, for example, registration is $50 online, not $10,000, and it’s the same in most countries, not expensive. You can even register whole batches of images. But again, you don’t need to register for your work to be protected. It’s just a bonus if you’re going after someone who’s pinched your stuff.
Now, about using other people’s images, grabbing pics off Google is risky, even if you’re just playing around. If they’re not labelled for reuse, you don’t know who owns them or what rights they’ve reserved. And while it might seem harmless if you’re not profiting or it’s just for fun, it’s still technically infringement if you don’t have permission or the correct licence. Whether it goes anywhere legally is another story, but that’s the line you cross the minute you upload/publish.
As for 3D artists and texture users, the pros don’t use random Google grabs. They use stock sites (like textures.com), paid libraries, or shoot their own references. Why? Because commercial projects can’t afford a copyright strike, and honestly, neither can artists building a reputation.
None of this is to knock your creativity. Quite the opposite you’ve clearly got some skills, so why not lean into your own photography more? If you want to do fantasy edits, try mixing in public domain images or use stuff from sites that allow it with clear licenses. There’s loads out there.
And yeah, online forums can be rough when it feels like people are jumping on you. But what you’re hearing here isn’t trolling, it’s folks trying to point you in the right direction so you don’t get caught out later.
All the best with your projects and keep creating, just keep it above board. There’s enough shady stuff on the internet already, no need to add to the pile.
As for your work it’s not ‘graphic design’ per se - it’s photography art, so it’s subjective. If you like it then you like it.
I used to photograph my own textures at the start (before stock sites if you can imagine such a time). Walking in the park to find foliage, or finding some bubble wrap, cork board, and many many other things.
I even learned techniques in Photoshop to create lifelike leaf patterns and many other textures.
It’s so easy to grab an image off the internet these days, you’re not the only one doing it.
