Media Licensing FAQs

Before completing the form you will need to identify the items you would like to order and locate the IWM catalogue number for each one. Please use Collections Search

•             Less is more.  Using keywords relevant to the subject of your search rather than full sentences will produce better results

•             Use quotation marks to search for an exact phrase, e.g. “market garden”

•             Use the + symbol to ensure key words appear in results, e.g. +Churchill +Malta

•             Select ‘show all records’ or ‘search by digitised media only’ depending on project deadlines

•             Make use of the various filters available for object category, time period, etc.

Images

We offer three sizes of high-resolution (300dpi) image files:

A5 images have pixel dimensions of 2480x1772 and paper dimensions of 210x150mm.
A4 images have pixel dimensions of 3471x2480 and paper dimensions of 297x210mm.
A3 images have pixel dimensions of 3508x4910 pixels and paper dimensions of 420x297mm.

Standard digital files are suitable for general use. A copy is created from our master archive image, cropped to remove rebate and sized. Digitally restored files are available on request at an additional cost. Learn more about the range and quality of digital files we offer here.

Sound

Sound files can also be ordered in two different formats:
WAV files (CD quality) recorded at 16-bit 44.1KHz
MP3 files are recorded at 16-bit 192Kbps. These files are digitally compressed to around one tenth the size of the equivalent .WAV file, so are quicker to download, but have somewhat reduced fidelity (not usually problematic with spoken material)

Film  

Please register on IWM Film, our dedicated film website, to access free downloads of digitised films as .MP4 files with time-code, film number and IWM logo for evaluation and review purposes.

For broadcast quality HD clips, we supply H.264 or ProRes 422 LT as clean MOV-wrapped files 1920 x 1080 at native speed or 25fps.

For all other film formats, contact us for more details. Supply fees apply.

Digital Image Orders:

Orders can be dependent on resources so please check with the team for estimated delivery time. Here are some guidelines:

• Up to 5 files – 2 working days
• Up to 20 files - 5 working days
• Over 20 files - by negotiation

Digitisation will take longer:

• 2D photography (documents, posters). 10 working days. 1-20 images
• 3D photography (objects) - 20 working days - 1-20 images.
• 2K/4K film digitisation. 15 working days. For up to 20 films - then by negotiation.
• Sound – On case-by-case basis. Masters held externally

For more details visit Digitisation on Demand

Please refer to our Policies and Terms and Conditions

Licence/supply fees vary depending upon the nature of the project and are based on the rights, territories and duration required. Discounts are also available for bulk use.

Contact our licensing teams to provide a quote.  View sample rate card for Exhibition Use.