One of the ways in which you can improve the standard of your presentation, website or project is by adding high quality photos to them. Remember that nothing makes plain text more attractive than vivid images. But, you must be careful about where you find these photos.
When you search for images on Google, you are likely to be offered copyrighted photographs in the results, Most of these photos will belong to photographers who do not want them to be used without receiving credit or money in return and more often than not, the price is a hefty one. Additionally, you stand the risk of being caught and paying a steep fine if you do use copyrighted photos without the owner’s permission. Moreover it’s not worth spending a cent when you can get images you want or similar images for free.
Thus, it is best to abide by the safer and simpler alternative whereby you pick and choose free photos from a virtual library. Many online libraries offer excellent and unique free stock photos for your personal as well as commercial use so here I am listing the best of the lot for your convenience.
Free Stock Photos
#1 Stock.XCHNG
This website serves as an absolutely fabulous library with as many as 400,000 images. You can search for any picture and you are likely to find it at Stock.XCHNG, though this site has a slightly more complicated image license agreement as compared to rival sites that offer similar services. So read through their terms and conditions carefully before you start using any of their images.
#2 OpenPhoto
Having started in 1998, it comes as no surprise how vast and comprehensive OpenPhoto has made its collection of stock images over the years. The pictures are carefully sorted under different categories and you can navigate through the website easily to find the photos you require.
#3 Stockvault.net
Stockvault.net may have a limited collection of photos but they are of very high quality and can make your presentation, website or project look so much better than they really are. Here, you will find clip arts, logo templates, backgrounds as well as textures apart from the standard stock photos that other websites offer you as well. However, these pictures are only available for personal, non-commercial use.
#4 Unprofound
This website offers some incredible photos and the good thing is that there aren’t too many restrictions on their use. You need not register to download the images you require and this non-profit organization ensures that you are protected from annoying pop-ups and advertisements. Their interface isn’t something to talk about, but that’s not something we should bother about till we’re getting what we want, free stock photos!
#5 Free Media Goo
Free Media Goo has a small library and their images are of low resolution as well. Even though you will come across some very impressive photos on this website without necessarily having to register in order to download them, the lack of options may frustrate you.
#6 MorgueFile
The best feature on this website is its excellent search tool. You can filter what you need by keywords, categories, ratings, sizes and colours even. This website does not require you to register as well and its license is rather generous.
#7 Pixel Perfect Digital
This website has more than 4,000 free stock photos that have been neatly organized into different categories from animals and abstract to transportation and places. Pixel Perfect Digital offers the best collection of illustrations and digital art that is difficult to come across elsewhere.
#8 ShutterStock
Though the conventional stock photos on ShutterStock are nothing to brag about, the abstract pictures are bound to blow your mind away. Everything you find from artistic blurs to electronic components will seem rather compelling, especially for those who are in search of unique background images.
#9 FreeRange
This website has one annoying trait – returning images that have little to do with your keywords. But, if you have the patience, you will find beautiful images of very high resolution from different categories including people, objects, places as well as abstract art.
#10 Free Photos Bank
This website has a typical range of stock photos in the standard categories like animals, people, landscapes among others. However, their collection of abstract photos and digital artwork are worthy of special mention. You need not register on this website to download the images you like.
#11 Flickr
This is the largest photo sharing website on the internet where some of the world’s most renowned photographers share their images. So it’s not really a stock photos site, but rarely do people miss out Flickr while looking for unique, high quality images. However, not all the photos found here are available for commercial use so use the Advanced Search Page if you are looking for only those or you may end up falling in trouble.
#12 RGB Stock
RGB Stock was the brainchild of a group of talented graphic artists and photographers who wanted to build a vast collection of the best stock photos on the internet. They have committed themselves to making available high quality photographs for those who cannot afford to pay for them.
#13 Photl.com
It owns the most extensive collection of exclusive stock photos on the web. You can look up umpteen images and use the ones you like for personal, non-commercial as well as educational purposes without having to pay a dime. It’s one of the best sites to get royalty-free images for your work.
#14 SuniPix
SuniPix serves as a virtual picture library for teachers, students, web designers, architects, advertisers, marketing executives, business executives, civil engineers, government agencies, travel agents as well as media professionals. The pictures on this website are free of royalty and can be used for both personal as well as business purposes.
#15 Download Free Photo
Here, you can find high-resolution images completely free of cost. Search with the help of appropriate keywords or browse through the various categories to download images that you think will make your presentation, website or project more appealing.
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