Is Clip Art Safe to Use?

I think you are worrying needlessly. AFAIK, none of the common graphic formats (JPEG, GIF, PNG) can carry a virus or Trojan. For example, this list of potentially dangerous extensions does not include any of those. The same is true of various other lists you can find by googling for "viruses in graphic formats." There's a specific answer for JPEG and TIFF files here.

What you might be more concerned about is whether the art you find is copyright-protected or royalty-free. To get high-quality royalty-free, uncopyrighted art, see https://pixabay.com/.

The clipart you find in Office 2007 is licensed to you by MS. It is safe and free to use without license issues.

Like anything else on the internet you have to be careful where you go for files. Although it isn't common there has been malware associated with image files, ie:

https://www.google.ca/search?q=malware+jpg&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=8pBhV9rkBomeyQL8m6DACg

There are a number of relatively safe sites that provide free images you can use as clipart.

Here are some more free clipart/graphics/images sites I have heard about

http://www.worldstart.com/open-clip-art/print/

http://webdesign.about.com/od/freegraphics/?nl=1

https://community.articulate.com/articles/best-of-2014-5-awesome-downloadable-free-graphics

http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/how-to-fine-free-stock-photos-clip-art-powerpoint/

http://www.indezine.com/products/powerpoint/learn/picturesandvisuals/bing/

https://www.shapechef.com/libs/graphics-and-templates

https://community.articulate.com/articles/free-stock-photo-sites-for-e-learning

Looking for some fresh images to use in your e-learning projects but short on budget dollars?  You’d be surprised at how many stock photo sites offer free images you can use in personal and/or commercial projects.

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/four-ways-to-find-free-images-to-use-legally-with-google-apps/

PowerPoint Tutorials - http://www.indezine.com/products/powerpoint/learn/

Subscribe to their newsletter to get notice of free templates and clipart and links to PPT tutorials

This site has a weekly (Mondays) newsletter that offers you choice of 6 free downloads. They can be various types of products that are normally sold on the site: clipart, background images, photoshop addons, templates to name just a few.

The only disadvantage is that you have to put up with additional advertising emails during the week.

http://blogs.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/how-to-easily-search-free-stock-images/

http://blogs.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/complete-list-free-stock-image-sites-e-learning/

Or you can create your own clipart:

http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/little-known-ways-to-create-your-own-graphics-using-powerpoint/

http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/how-to-create-characters/

September 30th, 2014

http://blogs.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/customize-free-stock-photos-presentations/

August 11th, 2015

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/window-on-windows/quick-tip-create-professional-looking-graphics-with-art-text/7858

By Greg Shultz                 June 12, 2013, 10:47 AM PDT

http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/little-known-ways-to-create-your-own-graphics-using-powerpoint/

Off topic: MS Excuse for killing Clipart in Office 2013

You used to be able to go to Office.com to get clipart from MS, but they shut down that site back in 2013.   Here is the "official"Reason / Excuse for the change - Technet Changes in Office 2013 Page

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc178954%28v=office.15%29.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc178954.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396

It's not so much the image, as perhaps WHERE it's coming from. If you search on Google Images, you may receive a virus, not from the images, but from the website it's coming from. Same can apply to this. However, I don't know exactly how Clip Art works, so you may be correct. As for whether it's copyright-protected or royalty-free, I don't really care, since it's just my own personal journal.

But thank you for your suggestions!

You mean the Clip Art that comes with Microsoft Word? Actually, I hadn't been able to find it until now - thanks! So, those images are safe, but the "web collections" could contain viruses? I'd think it'd have to, or at least maybe from WHERE it's coming from, since I'm almost sure I did receive some unwanted software via Clip Art. But anyway, thanks! And thank you for the suggestions!

Oh, ok, thank you. I've looked into it. It's very unfortunate.. :(  Does that include photos on Facebook or the Lego.com gallery, etc.?

Sure. 

The problem can be found in files on any source if they do not take appropriate steps to scan files that are being uploaded.

Bottom line, the internet is like the "wild west", anything goes.  Assume that all incoming files are infected, even if you trust the site.

Man, that's horrible... You sure it's not any different than just sending a raw photo to someone by email? Like, if you upload a photo to a website, it sort of becomes part of the website, right? That could mean it's safer to see it there than as it is 'raw'. I wouldn't think it's the SAME same thing. But, I don't know..

Is this anything to worry about? Should I stop visiting Facebook?

Using the internet is just like ****. There is the digital equivalent of AIDS, HIV, and all of the other STD's out there. You just have to practice safe computing. 

• Always have a trusted anti-malware program running, scanning files you download.
• run periodic additional scans with other antimalware programs
• Be aware of the sites you visit.
• do not use a Windows "admin" userid for daily computing

(I have not heard anything about RAW file formats being infected with malware, but I have not researched the question at all. I have no idea if those formats are vulnerable, but it is always safest to assume that all file formats are vulnerable)

Lets turn the question around, is it safe to receive emailed photos (any format) from a friend.  If they practice "unsafe computing", then it is certainly possible that any files on their computer can be infected. Emailing you those files exposes you to the possibility of becoming infected too. However, just because you have an infected file on your computer does not mean you are also automatically infected. The infection/program has to be run.  So downloading an infected file is not the end of the world. But viewing / opening the file may be enough to trigger the infection process, depending on how it is setup.

Thank you for your reply. I've looked into Facebook, to see if it's safe, and I usually see that it is. But now from your responses, it (along with every other website) is not. Correct?

I do have an anti-malware scanner: Malwarebytes. It has real-time protection, as well as a scanner. And I also have Mcafee Total Protection.

About the RAW files, I didn't mean the file type (I didn't know that existed, actually). I meant the picture being sent by email, with out seeing it on a website. But I suppose you pretty much answered the question.

Now I'm uneasy about all this...

I've copy/pasted a lot of images from Google Images in the past (I don't do this anymore, because Google Images is unsafe), and still copy/paste images from websites. This is dangerous? I really don't know how I should go about things. Basically, being on the internet is always a risk. I can never be calm about it ever. Correct?