Where to Find Images for Free Online
If you are looking to add images to your blog or website, you may notice quickly that stock illustrations and pictures get expensive, especially if you’re using an image for every blog post or multiple images for each blog. This is the reason many people turn to free images. It’s not always easy to find images, but the following sites will allow it. Look for those that state you can use the image on your own blog or website, otherwise you may be violating copyright.
Stock.XCHNG
Stock.XCHNG is one of the most popular sites for getting free, license-applicable images. They have more than 400,000 images to choose from with an easy search feature. Stock includes a combination of illustrations and photography. Read through their license agreement before using the images, as the site has many different stipulations.
Creative Commons
The next on the list is Creative Commons, which is usually on everyone’s top five list. This site makes it extremely easy to search for images from multiple free sites, including Flickr, Pixabay and Fotopedia. This means you’re able to use more than one image-searching site at one time. Aside from images, you can also find audio and video sources here.
OpenPhoto
One of the oldest image sites with free pictures to use at will is OpenPhoto. This site has been around since 1998 and now has thousands upon thousands of images to choose from. You can choose from a dozen different categories or search through thumbnail galleries.
Wikimedia
With over 16 million media files, Wikimedia is among the largest libraries of images, audio and video. It is another one that lets you choose from categories, enter search terms, or even search through various tagged images to get the results you’re looking for. Most of the media on Wikimedia can be used for personal or commercial use, though you should read the license agreement of each image or media file before using it at will. All public domain images will be labeled as “PD.”
Stockvault
Stockvault.net may have fewer images than some of the other sites on this list, but the smaller quantity tends to be of much higher quality. These stock images include templates, textures, illustrations, backgrounds, clip art and even logo templates if you’re looking to use them for that purpose. Keep in mind these can only be used for personal use, and not commercial use.
Flickr
Flickr is the most expansive photo sharing site on the Internet, including images uploaded from amateur and professional photographers, consumers, and graphic designers. However, not all images on Flickr can be used for your own use. You will need to search through “Creative Commons-licensed Content” by clicking this option under the Advanced Search page. This lets you search for images that are considered public domain and that you can use for free. If the image you find is labeled as having some rights reserved, read the details of how it can be used. It may be restricted to personal use only.
Morguefile
Another highly popular free image site is Morguefile, which is often used for various types of web content. On Morguefile, you will get the same types of images and other sites, though they allow you to filter the results by keyword, category, rating, size or color. This lets you find the image you’re looking for faster than many other free stock photo websites.
These aren’t the only free image sites online, but they are the most popular and widely used. That is because they include thousands, or even millions, of images that are easy to search for. Always read the license and usage details of each individual image to avoid repercussions for using the picture. Just because it is on the site, doesn’t automatically make it okay for commercial use.
Sources:
https://www.authormedia.com/11-places-to-get-a-free-and-legal-photo-for-your-blog/
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/find-free-images-online/298887/
https://www.techradar.com/best/free-stock-photos
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