Everybody has probably exported a picture from Google Earth and composited their rendering into it. We did it all the time in university and every architect probably uses Google Earth or Google Maps internally. Google Earth even includes an export function for images up to 4k resolution.
But is it actually legal to use Google Earth images commercially (for Archviz)?
I've been googling all day and could not find a clear answer. Google Permissions page states that we may use GE Images as long as we attribute Google and the image owners and don't alter the images substantially. But I think Googles TOS states that images may not be used commercially. However, I also could not find any option to purchase a license to use GE images, and since Google Earth Pro is free, those license don't seem to exist anymore.
The more I research, the less I understand, to be honest, so...
Could I use an image from google earth, comp my rendering into it and then sell that image to a client? If not, how is everyone doing aerial shots? I guess drones exist now, but that is still a lot more work than simply zooming over to a site in Google Earth...
I would love to get some input, sources or discussion on this topic, especially since I could not find anything relating to Google Earth + licensing + archviz in particular.
