a model release form, also sometimes called a model release agreement, is a document that is used when the image of a person, known as the “model”, has been or will be used in photographs, video, or other art and the artist would like to acquire the full legal rights to that image to be used in any way they would like in the future. in a model release form, the model “releases” the rights to the specific images that were used. if so, there is a space for the model to describe what those restrictions would be. when working with images of another person as an artist, a model release form is very important to ensure that the artist has properly acquired and retained the rights needed for the art, whether it is commercial or otherwise.