The ancient saying that a picture is
worth 1,000 words comes as no surprise
to content marketers. Images arouse
emotions, set the tone for your writing,
help you tell a better story, and aid
your readers in "seeing" what you're
trying to convey in words.
You can buy images; it's easy. However,
it can get expensive pretty quickly,
especially if you're committed to
delivering high-quality visual content.
If your budget is tight, you'll be thrilled
to learn that there are places to find
images online for free.
Are you wondering where and how to
find free images for your blog? Just use
the websites below to begin discovering
and downloading cost-free content in
seconds.
Let's get started:
1. Google Advanced Search
Even some of the sharpest content
marketers have no idea that Google
Advanced Search exists. You'll be asked
to specify "usage rights." Here's a quick
guide to what you need to know on this
front:
free to use or share
These images are for using and sharing
on non-commercial websites, like
personal blogs.
free to use or share, even
commercially
These images can be used or shared on
all websites—including commercial ones.
free to use, share, or modify
These images can be freely used, shared
or modified for non-commercial
websites, in ways specified in the license.
free to use, share, or modify, even
commercially
These images are free for use, sharing,
or modification—even commercially, in
ways specified in the license.
2. Creative Commons Search
The official Creative Commons website
lets users search websites for free-to-
use images from a variety of sources,
including Google Images, Flickr, and the
Wikimedia Commons. Obviously, it's
become one of the top places to search
for free images.
Aside from just image search, you can
use it to access Creative Commons music,
media, and video files.
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3. Yahoo Image Search
Yahoo Image Search recently introduced
a functionality similar to Google, which
makes it easy to find Creative Commons
content
. To find CC images, just perform a
search on Yahoo Image Search, and then
pull up the menu on the left side of the
screen.
If it's collapsed, just hit the arrow
button to expand the menu. Once you're
there, click Show Filters and select
Labeled for Reuse.
4. Stock.Xchng
Stock.Xchng is powered by some of the
world's most talented photographers.
Its library is over 400,000 images strong
and growing daily. Users upload their
photos and can specify how they intend
to use the content.
As a result, it's crucial to check the
Usage Options carefully, to ensure
you're allowed to put the content on a
commercial website.
5. Wikimedia Commons
Although you can also find Wikimedia
Commons' images through Google or
Creative Commons search, it's an
outstanding resource for a number of
reasons. Because it pulls directly from
images and maps on Wikipedia, it's a
powerful way to find photos when your
specifications are tight.
In addition to images of landmarks and
places, there are plenty of public domain
images, videos, and audio files.
6. CompFight
CompFight is a super-fast, easy-to-use
alternative to Flickr Search. Be sure to
narrow your search results by either
Creative Commons or Commercial-Use
search results, as the default settings
may return options that aren't free for
business use.
7. Flickr
Is it any surprise that Flickr is a top
resource for image-sourcing? It's
beloved as a go-to by many top
bloggers.
Though it's one of the world's largest
image repositories, it's crucial to know
and understand that the site enables
the photographer to specify how they
want the image to be used.
When you search for options, be sure to
specify creative commons before you
download the content.
8. The Open Clip Art Library
The Open Clip Art library is the largest
Webresource for free, small cartoonish
images, religious icons, and calligraphy
letters. It's the perfect place to find
website icons, or small images to add a
minimalistic bent to your blog posts.
Virtually all search results will be
licensed for free use (and if they
aren't, it's going to be clearly
specified). It might not be the best
option if you're in a pinch, because its
built-in search engine doesn't always
return the right results for highly
specific queries.
9. Creativity 103
This isn't the largest library of free
images online, but it's certainly one of
the prettiest. Its collection is focused on
fine art photography, which most often
includes abstract or otherwise artistic
images of nature and buildings.
With around 2,500 options, you might not
find exactly what you're looking for,
but you'll certainly find something to
pique your interest. Because few of the
pictures include humans, it's a perfect
resource if you're planning to modify
the pictures with special effects or a
text overlay.
For resources to enhance your free
digital photos, check out 14 Tools to
Create Images for Your Blog Posts in 10
Minutes or Less.
10. Animal Photos
This website may not offer pictures of
humans, landscapes, or technology, but
it does one thing extraordinarily well-
outstanding pictures of creatures of all
kinds.
In addition to dogs and cats, you'll find
more obscure marine and land animals.
The site's library is broken down into
categories, making your searching much
easier.
11. Morgue File
Most of the options on Morgue File are
free to be "remixed," meaning once you
download it, your implementation
decisions are entirely yours.
You can add text, sparkly effects,
Photoshop in headshots of your team, or
any other idea you might come up with.
Unless you intend to sell the finished
product, the sky is the limit when it
comes to Morgue File's photos.
12. Every Stock Photo
Do you hate searching through awkward
or low-quality stock images before
finding just the right photo to use on
your website? Every Stock Photo is
more than just a search engine for free
photos; it's got a focus on high quality.
Users are able to both rate and tag the
comment, enabling you to retrieve only
the best and most-relevant options
when you search. Because it pulls from
multiple websites, citation requirements
can vary. Be sure to read the
specifications on each photo carefully.
13. FreeDigitalPhotos.net
This is an extensive library of royalty-
free images for commercial or personal
use. Small versions of quality stock
photos are free, with high-resolution
versions available for purchase at
affordable rates.
The library contains thousands of
options, many of which are every bit as
useful as images you'd purchase through
Getty or other paid sources.
14. Photo Pin
Another search engine that integrates
directly with Flickr, Photo Pin is
incredibly fast and easy to use. It can
even handle long or specific queries
extraordinarily well.
Best of all, it provides you with simple
HTML code for image attributions that
can be pasted directly into WordPress or
another CMS.
15. Stock Photos for Free
This is another free stock photo website,
with over 100,000 options. It's amazingly
easy to use, and the photos are
effectively tagged to make your
searching efforts simpler.
Although it's easy to start downloading
high-quality shots for your blog, keep in
mind that you're required to create an
account before saving any of their
content.
Now, here is how to give credit properly:
How to attribute the correct way
When attributing the image, you want
to cite the author with the link going
back to the work. The very basic way is
to just write: "image source" and link it
directly to the image. If you want more
details on best practices for citing
images, here is a good post that gives
examples of the best ways to do it.
Keep in mind; many sources for
royalty-free images have their own
specifications on how to properly cite
images. It's crucial to completely read
and understand a site's policies before
taking their photos for commercial use.
Helen Nesterenko is CEO and founder of
Writtent.com . A version of this article
first appeared on Business2Community .
posted from Bloggeroid
