Tips & Tricks

The 6 best pages for free pictures 

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Are you looking for options to visually upgrade your digital publications? Do you want to brighten up your articles, reports or white papers by using some significant graphics? Are you planning to create engaging promotional materials? Well in these cases you won’t be able to avoid using stock photos.

The demand for great pictures is very high in the online sector. However, only very few companies have access to a large media databases. Even less businesses have budget for complex and costly productions on their own. Good news: this isn’t necessary at all. In many cases, professional stock photos are an ideal solution. These are nowadays a dime a dozen – most of them are chargeable.

Worth knowing:

By using the photos of third parties for commercial or private purposes, copyright always becomes important. Even photo material which you find online (e.g. on social media) without a license notice may only be used if you have asked the author for permission beforehand – otherwise a warning may follow.

For making use of stock photos a license is purchased usually. However, this can become very expensive in the long run. That is why many content managers are turning their attention to image databases that offer license-free media.

But beware: license-free doesn’t necessarily mean free of charge! Often a one-time fee is charged. This allows you to use the favoured photo on different channels and without any time restrictions.

Stock photos are mainly used for the following purposes: 

  • Websites and blogs
  • Digital media such as web publications, online magazines, brochures, catalogues, reports and studies
  • White paper
  • Newsletter
  • Posts on social media
  • Printed marketing materials, e.g. flyers or posters

Luckily, there are a few excellent websites where you can download license-free imagery for free use. We would like to recommend the following providers, which we use ourselves frequently:

1. Pixabay.com 

One of the largest and most well-known platforms for free stock images is Pixabay. In addition to photos, the database provides: illustrations, vector graphics, video clips (usually less than 20 seconds long), music and even sound effects.

There is no option to search by category on Pixabay. Instead, you can enter the desired keyword and immediately thousands of photos relevant to the topic will be offered. Alternatively, you can get inspiration from the most popular search terms.

At the top of the search results, Pixabay shows you some paid photos from iStock. Below you find free images. The search results can be filtered more detailed if needed, e.g. by media type, orientation (horizontal / vertical), size and color.

Information about the camera, the original resolution, the type of image and the publication date can be viewed as soon as you click on the desired photo. Before downloading, you can adjust the resolution and size (kB or MB).

Pixabay.com gives easy access to high-quality visual media even to users who have not registered with the platform, so there's no need to log in or create an account. The stock photos are free for commercial use; the content may be freely distributed and modified; a photo credit is not necessary. Pixabay is undoubtedly one of the most popular and best providers of free stock photos.

Pixabay is one of the largest and most well-known platforms for free stock images. Even non-registered users can access high-quality visual media easily.

2. Pexels.com 

Pexels has a very similar structure to Pixabay, but is a bit more appealing visually. The website only offers photos and videos.

The search for your ideal stock photo starts with a carefully chosen term. It’s convenient that popular topics and related search terms will be suggested right away. Matching photos will then be displayed. The results can be sorted by size, alignment and color. The selection is similar to what you’ll find on Pixabay.

Before downloading, you can decide whether you want to download the image in its original size or in a smaller format. A nice feature is the option to say thank you: as soon as you have downloaded an image, you can show your appreciation to the responsible photographers by a donation or mentioning him/her.

Pexels and Pixabay work like a community where good-natured artists upload their own photos. The usage licenses are very generous. There are a few restrictions only: for example, you may not monetise the media on other platforms or sell it as unmodified copies in digital/analogue form.

3. Unsplash.com 

On Unsplash you will find high-resolution photos, wallpapers and background images that can be used, modified and distributed license-free – without first asking for the permission of the copyright holder. However, the website points out that mentioning the responsible photographers is highly appreciated.

To view the available stock photos, you can either select one of the suggested categories or enter a search term. The first shown results will be so-called “Premium Images” from iStock. Simply scroll down to access the free, license-free stock images from Unsplash.

The filter options could be improved, so you should select keywords that are as specific as possible in order to move forward quickly. Once you have chosen the desired image, the following procedure is almost the same as on the previous platforms. After downloading, you will receive an invitation link to thank the responsible artists.

If you're looking for original and creative images, you should stick to smaller image banks owned by individuals or artist groups.

Original images from selected photographers

It feels like many free stock pics have traveled around the globe three times already. In addition, the typical "stock photo look" is not always suitable. If you're looking for original and creative images, you should stick to smaller image banks owned by individuals or artist groups. Of course, these offer way less options, which is why very special requests won’t always be satisfied.

The following three websites have already built a loyal community:

4. Gratisography

This crazy and colourful image database by Ryan McGuire contains photos and vector graphics. Lots of the pictures come with humor, making browsing through the handful of categories and collections a nice pastime.

5. Picjumbo.com

On this page, Victor Hanacek offers some of his own pictures for free use. Images are always downloaded in original size. After each successful download, there is an opportunity to send a small PayPal donation to Victor.

6. Barnimages.com

Igor Trepeshchenok and Roman Drits have uploaded a fine selection of free non-stock images. The photos may be used for private and commercial purposes, but are subject to copyright. The site is funded by donations.

…and where can you find free videos?

Videvo.net specialises in video clips, motion graphics, video templates, music tracks and sound effects. Many of them can be downloaded for free. Videvo differentiates between two types of licenses: In the case of attribution licenses, the author must be named in order to use the content free of charge. With royalty-free media, you enjoy more freedom and do not have to provide proof of copyright.

Pexels and Pixabay are other places to go for free video content that can be shared, published and edited as you like. On those sites, the videos can also be downloaded in a reduced size.

Final words on the subject of free stock photos

It is very tempting to use images from the Internet for your own web presence. Fortunately, there are many photographer communities and artists who are willing to support businesses in this regard. It’s important to understand that not all license-free images are available for free, and that free photos don’t necessarily come without copyright. To avoid copyright infringement, always read the terms of use carefully.

Pexels, Pixabay and Unsplash offer a large selection of images on all topics. However, you should take enough time to browse. Due to limited filter options, your search for the "perfect" image can be time-consuming.

By the way: Well-known image agencies such as Adobe Stock, iStock and Shutterstock offer trial versions where you can download a certain amount of images free of charge for the first month, for example.  This is handy if you need one-time photos for a project.

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