Finding royalty free photos

Banned 10 years ago

Hi Michael, if you do a search for threads with the words "images" and/or "photos" in their titles, you'll find a lot of threads listing various suggestions/sources which answer this question.

(You can also become an affiliate of sites like "Allposters", which entitles you to use any of their pictures with a link to their site, where they're sold, if that's of interest).

Thanks

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Nick Kon

10 years ago

I personally love photography, so I've built up a large collection of images for my own personal use... but if I'm looking for a specific image that I don't have in my personal library I will usually just pay for the single image. I would recommend a subscription service to a stock photo site if you require a lot of images though, as it'll save you money in the long run.

Thanks

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Meharis

10 years ago

Originally Posted by MichaelNz

Hi,
I was looking for pictures to add to my new site posts and all the royalty free ones cost a lot of money. Since i have an iphone 5 (which takes pretty good photos) I thought i would take my own pictures for my website but i know im going to run out of ideas really fast. How do you guys get pictures for every post on your site(s)?
Thanks

MichaelNz

Either royalty free photos and/or ideas are plenty of them available through Google.

Meharis

Thanks
1 reply

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Alex Mensah 10 years ago

Originally Posted by Meharis

MichaelNz

Either royalty free photos and/or ideas are plenty of them available through Google.

Meharis

You can search google images and filter according to images that allow re-use on websites etc.
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ParkerArrow

10 years ago

Stock exchange is a decent one. Just make sure to check the license. Some require attribution, but the standard license is ready for commercial or personal use.

Thanks

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GoodFE

10 years ago

You can do a search on creative commons, and google images also has a filter that allows you to find royalty-free images.

Thanks

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Rmipro

10 years ago

Here's a few:
sxc.hu
freedigitalphotos.net
freeimages.com.uk

Thanks
1 reply

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owais211 Banned 10 years ago

You check istockphoto for royalty free stock photos for print and use on websites and presentations.
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JamesHellwig

10 years ago

I use Flickr.

Thanks
1 reply

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JohnMcCabe

10 years ago

Seems you've discovered the difference between 'free' and 'royalty free'.

There are tons of images available if you are willing to pay with an attribution/link Do the search Alexa suggested.

Taking your own photos for commercial use has its own set of challenges, especially if there are people in them. If a person is recognizable, it's best to get them to sign a model release. If you take photos of kids, be double damn sure to get releases from a parent or legal guardian. I'd suggest checking the requirements for submitting photos to commercial magazines - they'll usually cover the basics pretty well in order to cover their own behinds.

You know when you see photos or video footage of people with the faces blurred out? Those people didn't/wouldn't sign a release...

[ 1 ] Thanks
1 reply

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Steve B

10 years ago

I'm going to give you a specific way to search for free images that I use. But I must caution you that you must follow these directions exactly to avoid copyright issues:

The site is Google Images.

1. Begin your search at Google Images.

2. Enter your image keyword phrase in the search bar then click the magnifying glass to the right. Let's say you want an image of a "cruise ship" for this example. Many, many images of cruise ships pop up, but most of these are copyright protected.

3. Now in the top horizontal nav bar, all the way to the right, click on "options." That link is a picture of a small gear. If you hover over the gear, the word "options" will appear.

4. A drop-down box appears. Click on "advanced search."

5. On the advanced search screen, scroll to the bottom where you'll see a "usage rights" drop-down box. Click the down arrow for that menu.

6. Once you've clicked on the menu, go to the last item which says "free to use, share or modify, even commercially." Click on that choice (filter).

What you're left with are many images of cruise ships that you can use or modify however you want.

Depending on how specific your image needs to be, you will typically find some very good images to use that are totally free.

Good luck to you.

Steve

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CurtisSWN 10 years ago

Truthfully, I would just shell out a couple bucks for some images than sort through the "dustbins" of free image repositories. You don't want to be spending too much time doing anything other than creating and putting in front of people good content, prospecting and closing sales.
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BradVert2013

9 years ago

Originally Posted by Steve B

I'm going to give you a specific way to search for free images that I use. But I must caution you that you must follow these directions exactly to avoid copyright issues:

The site is Google Images.

1. Begin your search at Google Images.

2. Enter your image keyword phrase in the search bar then click the magnifying glass to the right. Let's say you want an image of a "cruise ship" for this example. Many, many images of cruise ships pop up, but most of these are copyright protected.

3. Now in the top horizontal nav bar, all the way to the right, click on "options." That link is a picture of a small gear. If you hover over the gear, the word "options" will appear.

4. A drop-down box appears. Click on "advanced search."

5. On the advanced search screen, scroll to the bottom where you'll see a "usage rights" drop-down box. Click the down arrow for that menu.

6. Once you've clicked on the menu, go to the last item which says "free to use, share or modify, even commercially." Click on that choice (filter).

What you're left with are many images of cruise ships that you can use or modify however you want.

Depending on how specific your image needs to be, you will typically find some very good images to use that are totally free.

Good luck to you.

Steve

Be very cautious doing this, as Google can make no guarantee that the images are really free to use. Nor will Google offer any protection/help should someone pursue a copyright infringement case against you.

I've had a few occassions where i found some good images, only after digging deeper, found they were not free to use after all.

Google images is a great starting point, but do your proper research to protect yourself.

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1 reply

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Steve B 9 years ago

I'm not sure why this old thread from last summer was started again.

BradVert2013 is correct - using Google images as I outlined is not 100% foolproof even though the instructions I gave follow Google's advice for "free to use, share or modify, even commercially." They have some fine print on their site that says they cannot guarantee that these images are uploaded by their copyright holders.

Because of that, I have not continued to use this method.

I currently use public domain images, images I create myself, and licensed images for which I have paid a fee. That seems to be the safest way to go.

Steve
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- JohnMcCabe 9 years ago
  
  It's buried somewhere deep in the Google Images help files, but I read where they don't even attempt to verify licenses. As they crawl the web, they scan for licensing terms and simply record whatever is there.
  
  If someone took the photo from the front page of the NY Times, uploaded it to their site, and tagged it 'free to use', Google would duly indicate that in a search. That wouldn't stop the actual rights holder from pursuing damages.
  
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GenF

9 years ago

Originally Posted by Steve B

I'm going to give you a specific way to search for free images that I use. But I must caution you that you must follow these directions exactly to avoid copyright issues:

The site is Google Images.

1. Begin your search at Google Images.

2. Enter your image keyword phrase in the search bar then click the magnifying glass to the right. Let's say you want an image of a "cruise ship" for this example. Many, many images of cruise ships pop up, but most of these are copyright protected.

3. Now in the top horizontal nav bar, all the way to the right, click on "options." That link is a picture of a small gear. If you hover over the gear, the word "options" will appear.

4. A drop-down box appears. Click on "advanced search."

5. On the advanced search screen, scroll to the bottom where you'll see a "usage rights" drop-down box. Click the down arrow for that menu.

6. Once you've clicked on the menu, go to the last item which says "free to use, share or modify, even commercially." Click on that choice (filter).

What you're left with are many images of cruise ships that you can use or modify however you want.

Depending on how specific your image needs to be, you will typically find some very good images to use that are totally free.

Good luck to you.

Steve

Steve you're a legend, thank you!

Thanks

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MichaelNz

10 years ago

Thank you so much for all your help guys and gals!

Thanks
1 reply

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AnniePot

10 years ago

Even when taking your own photographs be careful. A few years ago, I published several photographs I took myself of my dog and shortly after, I received a claim from Getty images.

When trying to resolve this I visited various other sites and read about a man in Arizona who took pictures of his home's exterior and published them on a 'for sale by owner' website. He too was threatened by Getty images. It almost seems that they pursue people randomly, knowing some with be intimidated into paying their 'fines'.

Thanks
1 reply

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HelpingYouBeAnExpert

9 years ago

Originally Posted by AnniePot

Even when taking your own photographs be careful. A few years ago, I published several photographs I took myself of my dog and shortly after, I received a claim from Getty images.

When trying to resolve this I visited various other sites and read about a man in Arizona who took pictures of his home's exterior and published them on a 'for sale by owner' website. He too was threatened by Getty images. It almost seems that they pursue people randomly, knowing some with be intimidated into paying their 'fines'.

This is the problem when we live in a place where every year there are thousands of new laws then lawyers can just sue and extort money and that is what they do.

Thanks

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Cameron Fulton

10 years ago

Resources I use for royalty free images:
(No affiliate Links)

Free Photos - Free Images - Free Stock Photos - FreeDigitalPhotos.net
stock.xchng - the leading free stock photography site
Free Stock Photos, Royalty-Free & Unlimited Downloads | Free Stock Photos

I hope this helps. It always helps me a great deal. Just make sure to always check the rights to the images though. Non free images can slip though the systems. Just be sure to check. If this helps you make sure to hit 'Thanks'.

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TristanEric

10 years ago

Google images is def. the way to go.. just go to the advanced tab on the top right and select the image sizes you are looking for and click the "royalty free" box and that is all!

Thanks
1 reply

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ParkerArrow

10 years ago

Originally Posted by King T

Google images is def. the way to go.. just go to the advanced tab on the top right and select the image sizes you are looking for and click the "royalty free" box and that is all!

Originally Posted by Steve B

I'm going to give you a specific way to search for free images that I use. But I must caution you that you must follow these directions exactly to avoid copyright issues:

The site is Google Images.

1. Begin your search at Google Images.

2. Enter your image keyword phrase in the search bar then click the magnifying glass to the right. Let's say you want an image of a "cruise ship" for this example. Many, many images of cruise ships pop up, but most of these are copyright protected.

3. Now in the top horizontal nav bar, all the way to the right, click on "options." That link is a picture of a small gear. If you hover over the gear, the word "options" will appear.

4. A drop-down box appears. Click on "advanced search."

5. On the advanced search screen, scroll to the bottom where you'll see a "usage rights" drop-down box. Click the down arrow for that menu.

6. Once you've clicked on the menu, go to the last item which says "free to use, share or modify, even commercially." Click on that choice (filter).

What you're left with are many images of cruise ships that you can use or modify however you want.

Depending on how specific your image needs to be, you will typically find some very good images to use that are totally free.

Good luck to you.

Steve

This is handy advice. Still, people should be careful with Google search. Just because the search says it filters by license doesn't mean it does so accurately. Some images may still require attribution or other license. When it comes to copyright violation - the law respects the creator's rights no matter what other parties may share online.

Copyright is not something to take lightly - unless you don't mind the odd six-figure fine.

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wtatlas

9 years ago

Originally Posted by ParkerArrow

This is handy advice. Still, people should be careful with Google search. Just because the search says it filters by license doesn't mean it does so accurately. Some images may still require attribution or other license. When it comes to copyright violation - the law respects the creator's rights no matter what other parties may share online.

Copyright is not something to take lightly - unless you don't mind the odd six-figure fine.

Excellent advice above. Google doesn't own any of the images and has no way of knowing whether the use of the image has been rightly described. Neither do you.

This is straight from the horse's mouth...

"Before reusing content that you've found, you should verify that its license is legitimate and check the exact terms of reuse stated in the license. For example, most licenses require that you give credit to the image creator when reusing an image. Google has no way of knowing whether the license is legitimate, so we aren't making any representation that the content is actually or lawfully licensed."

Google is giving no guarantee that their filtered image search is accurate and you are on your own if an image is, in fact, not free to use. The advanced image search filters are only a starting point in identifying images which are potentially free to use. You need to follow up with the copyright owners and ask them, not Google, if the images can be used with no restrictions.

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phpbits

9 years ago

Try this one : Unsplash

Cheers!

Thanks

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cheehien

9 years ago

you can try these:
The Leading Source Of Free Stock Photos - freeimages
Depositphotos: Royalty-Free Stock Photos, Illustrations & Vector Art
Stock photos, royalty-free images, video & music clips - iStock

Thanks

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bodyrock

9 years ago

I am using Public Domain images. These images are free even for commercial usage and you don't have to give any credits. Their authors have given up all rights.

These are the recources I use:

Public Domain Pictures - Free Stock Photos
Public Domain Files | Free Pictures, Clip Art, Fonts, Videos & More! | PublicDomainFiles.com
Free, public domain downloads | freetems

Public Domain Pictures:

Imagebase: Free Stock Photography
Free Images - Pixabay
Public Domain Images
Open Galleries
Image * After - currently 28262 free textures and images available

Public Domain Cliparts:

The online royalty free public domain clip art - vector clip art online, royalty free & public domain
Clipart - High Quality, Easy to Use, Free Support
WPClipart Home Page
PDClipart.org - Public Domain Clip Art

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w13

9 years ago

Huge thanks for bodyrock to give use complete resources for free royalty images

. You're such a good guys. Keep up your good work

.

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Alicia Thibadeau

9 years ago

I use morguefile.com/archive

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1 reply

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wordwizard 9 years ago

Mostly, I just use Fotolia. It's so easy to find usable images, and almost all of them can be had for 1 credit (for the smallest size, which is sufficient for blog posts), which comes to not much more than a dollar or so per image, depending on how many credits you buy at a time.

They also have some of the more liberal usage policies, from what I've seen. The only thing to watch out for (I just discovered) is that after you buy your photo, you want to make sure to download both the regular download and the social media download (which has a copyright watermark or something on it), and which they require to be used on social media sites.

I have tons of their images, but none of the social media versions, and now I will have to repurchase any that I want to use that way. At least, now that I know, I'll be sure to download both versions right away.
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Alice12345

9 years ago

It's simple, go to google , click the advanced setting tab, choose commercial. All the images you can go check whether it is cc. If it is cc, u just need to place the credit to the author. That's it!

Thanks

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LukeYosh

9 years ago

I literally just finished my Ultimate Public Domain Image Guide!
It includes screenshots of each site that explicitly say that you can use the images commercially and without attribution.

If you don't want to worry about giving credit for each picture and whether or not you can use it commercially, look for images that are CC0 aka Public Domain.

There are several Creative Commons licenses, so just because it says "cc," it doesn't automatically give you the right to use it commercially, edit it, or use it without giving credit (aka attribution).

If you don't want to look at the full list, here are my top 5 Public Domain Image sites:
PDPics.com
PublicDomainArchive.com
Photos-Public-Domain.com
1millionfreepictures.com/
Pixabay.com

I'm going to sleep now, but I'll try to answer any other questions you may have later!

Good luck,
-Luke

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edragonbiz

9 years ago

Originally Posted by MichaelNz

Hi,
I was looking for pictures to add to my new site posts and all the royalty free ones cost a lot of money. Since i have an iphone 5 (which takes pretty good photos) I thought i would take my own pictures for my website but i know im going to run out of ideas really fast. How do you guys get pictures for every post on your site(s)?
Thanks

Hey MichaelNz,

I came across a blog post sometime ago talking about Best Places to Find Free Images Online from Dustin Stout. It's a great resource. I really wish you to find something you like.

Thanks

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MaxGalitsyn

9 years ago

Here is the resource which can help searching for images with creative commons license: search.creativecommons.org/

Thanks

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barbling

9 years ago

Visit Google Images advanced search at

Google Advanced Image Search

Scroll to the bottom to the "Usage Rights" thingee.

Select

free to use, share or modify, even commercially

You can also meander thru:

Wikipedia

ublic domain image resources - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

which includes

1 General Collections
2 US Government resources
3 Subject-based Collections
3.1 Art
3.2 Automotive
3.3 Clip Art
3.4 Computer-generated
3.5 History
3.5.1 Specific periods
3.6 Literature
3.7 Logos and flags
3.8 Mexico
3.9 Music
3.10 New Zealand
3.11 Postage stamps
3.12 Religion
3.13 United States
3.13.1 Florida
4 Search Engines

Hope that helps!

Thanks
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Dennis Millbrath

9 years ago

Originally Posted by barbling

Visit Google Images advanced search at

Google Advanced Image Search

Scroll to the bottom to the "Usage Rights" thingee.

Select

free to use, share or modify, even commercially

You can also meander thru:

Wikipedia

ublic domain image resources - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

which includes

1 General Collections
2 US Government resources
3 Subject-based Collections
3.1 Art
3.2 Automotive
3.3 Clip Art
3.4 Computer-generated
3.5 History
3.5.1 Specific periods
3.6 Literature
3.7 Logos and flags
3.8 Mexico
3.9 Music
3.10 New Zealand
3.11 Postage stamps
3.12 Religion
3.13 United States
3.13.1 Florida
4 Search Engines

Hope that helps!

Great list, thank you!

Thanks

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MaxGalitsyn

9 years ago

You may also try using gettyimages.com embedded images.

Gettyimages is a huge collection of images. Most of them are paid. But they have an option of embedding an iframe with a given image to your webpage which is free (unless you use it commercially).

Go to gettyimages choose an image and find </> symbol beneath your image. Click it and get "ready to go" code snippet. They also have API.

Thanks

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Jeff Lenney

9 years ago

I think it was mentioned above, but Unsplash is an AMAZING one.

I use it for many of my squeeze pages, and they add a new HD HQ photo every day - 100% royalty free

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J. Barry Mandel

9 years ago

My very first go to site I check is MediaWiki when I need an photo or image. You just need to make sure that you give credit to the image rights owner IF it requires it. Most of the time you can use the image anywhere you want without attribution.

If I want a simple image with a retro look I go to NounProject and pay them their $2 to use an image.

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Finding royalty free photos

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