DropYourFiles

Free template

A model release form for photos and video.

“Can we use her in the ad, or just on the website?”

A release is what lets you and your client use a person’s face and voice in what you publish. This one covers photos, video and audio from one shoot, and has a line for a parent when the model is under 18.

Download for WordDownload PDFSend it for signature

A starting point, not legal advice. Laws differ from state to state, so have a lawyer where you work read your version once before you rely on it.

What’s in it, and why.

  • Who and which shoot

    The model, the studio and the shoot it covers, by date and place, so it can’t be stretched to cover another day.

  • What’s being released

    The model’s image, likeness, voice and name, in photos, video and sound recorded at that shoot.

  • Where it can be used

    Advertising, websites, social media, print and editorial, worldwide and without an end date. Narrow it if the model asks.

  • What the model gets

    Payment, prints, or nothing at all. Write it down either way, because a release with something given in return is harder to argue with.

  • Edits and approval

    The material can be cropped, edited and combined, and the model doesn’t approve each final use.

  • Sensitive uses

    A fair limit: the material isn’t used to suggest the model endorses something sensitive, like a political cause or a medical condition, without asking first.

  • Minors

    If the model is under 18, a parent or legal guardian signs too.

The template.

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. The Word file has the same words, ready to change.

Model Release

This release is given by [Model name] (“the Model”) to [Studio name] (“the Studio”) for the shoot [Project name] on [Shoot date] at [Location].

1. Grant

For the consideration below, the Model grants the Studio, its clients and anyone they authorize the right to use the Model’s image, likeness, appearance, voice and name, as recorded in photographs, video and audio at the shoot above (“the Material”).

2. Uses

The Material may be used in any lawful way, including advertising, websites, social media, print, broadcast and editorial use, in any medium now known or later developed, worldwide and without time limit. [Narrow this if agreed, for example: on the Client’s own website and social media for two years.]

3. Consideration

In return, the Model receives [payment amount / prints / no payment], which the Model acknowledges receiving.

4. Edits and approval

The Material may be cropped, retouched, edited and combined with other images, text or sound. The Model waives any right to inspect or approve the finished work or how it is used.

5. Sensitive uses

The Material will not be used in a way that is defamatory, or that suggests the Model personally endorses a political cause, a religious view, or has a health condition, without the Model’s separate written consent.

6. Release of claims

The Model releases the Studio and its clients from claims for invasion of privacy, right of publicity or payment arising from uses this release allows. The Studio is not required to use the Material.

7. Age and authority

The Model confirms they are 18 or older and free to sign this release. If the Model is under 18, the parent or legal guardian signing below agrees to these terms on the Model’s behalf.

8. Governing law

This release is governed by the laws of [State].

Model: signature, printed name and date
Parent or guardian (if the Model is under 18): signature, printed name and date
Studio: signature, printed name and date
Download for WordDownload PDFSend it for signature

A starting point, not legal advice. Laws differ from state to state, so have a lawyer where you work read your version once before you rely on it.

Send it for signature.

Signatures is part of DropYourFiles, on every plan including Free. Your client signs on the same kind of link they review your work on.

  1. Download it for Word

    Open it in Word, Pages or Google Docs and change anything: your terms, your prices, your name. Save it as a Word file or a PDF.

  2. Upload it to Signatures

    In DropYourFiles, open Signatures and upload your file. Put a signature, initials and the date where each person signs, and fill-ins like the client’s name, the date and the price.

  3. Send your client a link

    Your client opens it on a phone or a computer, agrees to sign electronically, and draws or types a signature. No account, no app.

  4. Countersign and keep the record

    You sign in the studio. When everyone has signed, each person gets the signed copy by email, with a record of who signed and when, and it stays with that client in your studio.

Questions.

When do I need a model release form?

When a recognizable person appears in photos or video used to sell or promote something, like ads, a brand’s website or social posts. Editorial use, like news, usually doesn’t need one, but many studios get a release anyway.

Does this release cover video as well as photos?

Yes. It covers photographs, video and audio recorded at the shoot it names, so one form works for a mixed photo and film day.

What if the model is under 18?

A parent or legal guardian signs too. The form has a line for them, and in Signatures you can send each person their own link.

Can the model sign on their phone?

Yes. Upload the form to Signatures and send the link. The model opens it, agrees to sign electronically and draws or types a signature, with no account. You get the signed copy with a record of when it was signed.

Does every person in the background need a release?

Usually not for a passing crowd, but anyone recognizable and featured in commercial work should sign. When in doubt, ask, or keep them out of frame.

Keep reading.

Send your next contract on one link.

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