Stock Images : 5 Of The Best!
5 of the best websites for free stock images
An image is part of the story you will tell, but for many small businesses, they just don’t have the budget to get access to the highest quality images without having to pay for them. The good news is, there are a number of great websites out there with huge databases full of free stock images for you to use.
To make your job a little easier when searching for the best sites, we’ve compiled a small list for you of five of the best websites for getting access to free stock images.
1. Stock Vault:
Stock vault brings together designers and photographers and has amassed a collection of over 40,000 photos and currently has 60,000 members. The site is really easy to use with a great range of photos covering all sorts of topics from nature and construction to transportation and people. Photos can be downloaded without needing to sign up. The site also encourages members to donate to it to help maintain the free nature of it.
2. RGB Stock:
You need to register to use RGB Stock but once you have taken the time to register, there are a number of great images available to use for personal or commercial use. If you are ever stuck for an image to use in your blog or looking for something that would make your brochure or flyer look great, bookmark this site. There are some fantastic images to use and the website and search tool are so easy to use. Simply type in what you are looking for and browse through the images. Download the image you are happy with and hey presto, you’re ready for business.
3. Photl.com:
Photl.com has over 500,000 images on their database which are free for users to download every day. There is a limited though of 10mb worth of image downloads per day. All photos within the website belong only to the Photl database meaning they are only available on this website and not shared on other stock image websites. The images can be used for personal or educational purposes but must not be used for commercial reasons. The search function within the website is also easy to use.
4.Free Pixels:
With over 4,000 photos in 40 categories, Free Pixels is an easy to use website that doesn’t require any sign up. Use the search bar to find the image you are after and then click download. It’s that easy. Other sites may have a wider range of images but Free Pixels is one of the easiest to use.
5.Flickr:
Probably the most recognisable and surprising on the list is Flickr. While most of the images are copyright protected and owned by the person who uploaded the picture, there are still millions of images available to use through the advanced search section. When in advanced search, search images in the Creative Commons section to find free images that are available for commercial use among other things.
If you are happy to pay for photos, particularly those for a commercial use, then iStock Photo and Shutterstock are two of the largest image database websites on the market, although both sites do offer some free images. You will find millions of photos to go through (we suggest just searching for what you are after) and add them to your light box or download them. Some paid for sites offer great monthly deals where you can download countless images for a month. This is a great way to building up your own database of stock images for personal, educational or commercial use.