Top Royalty Free Image Websites
Nowadays we are incredibly visually led, our eyes are naturally drawn to bright colours, funky graphics and clever design. When updating your website or creating your social content you are going to want some great imagery that represents your brand and draws in your potential customers. Not all businesses have access to photography equipment, great photographers, or graphic designers, so where can you find great imagery for social media, or graphics for your website?
The first thing we need to talk about is copywrite/royalties. Many people still think it’s okay to simply go to a Google image search, find the image they want, and use it how they please – well, I hate to burst your bubble, but you can’t!
Even though images have been published online for all to see, it does not give you the right to republish them and use them as you please. The majority of images you see online will require licenses and payment to reuse - but there are a select few that you will be able to use ‘Royalty Free.’
Something to bear in mind though is the difference between ‘free’ and ‘royalty free.’ ‘Royalty free’ images aren’t always actually free. You may in fact have to pay a one-time fee to obtain the rights to use the image which you can then use as many times as you like. The “free” in “royalty-free” only means that you do not have to pay royalties to the owner of the image every time you use it.
It can seem like a bit of a minefield, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There are a selection of free/royalty free image websites where the arduous work of discovering if you can or cannot use the image is done for you. These websites also explain the rules/requirements for providing accreditation to the creator (acknowledging the creator). This could be through including their name, in some cases a link to the source image, or nothing at all. Even when there is no requirement to do so, it is polite to provide accreditation where you can.
So here are some of our top Free Image websites.
Pixabay
Royalty free images, videos, music, illustrations, and vector graphics. No credit required but welcomed. Can adapt images where needed if it does not make the image deceptive.
Pexels
Images and videos available, free to use. No attribution is required but it is welcomed. Modification to imagery accepted.
Unsplash
Over 3 million free high-resolution images, no attribution is needed but is appreciated.
You can access further ‘member’ only imagery for £6 a month.
Free Images
A variety of images, graphics and icons
Freepik
Great for vectors and graphics
If you are looking for something a little more specialist, there are a few websites where you can purchase imagery, that gains you a licence to use it as many times as you like. These websites often have a little more choice, and variation which can be useful if you need a standout graphic/image.
Adobe Stock
Offers images, videos, and graphics. Priced into credit packs starting at £30, up to £600, or monthly plans for reoccurring image requirements.
Shutterstock
Offers images, videos, and graphics. Priced into credit packs starting at £19, up to £139, or monthly plans for reoccurring image requirements.
IStock Photo
Offers images, videos, and graphics. Priced into credit packs starting at £7, up to £1450, or monthly plans for reoccurring image requirements from £19 a month.
It is also worth bearing in mind that certain software comes with access to free images. Canva for example provides a whole host of images, videos, vectors, and icons that can be used in its designs.