Are you having trouble finding powerful images to illustrate your point? Do you design your website, your brochures or flyers and are looking for visuals without breaking the bank? There are many sites ofRoyalty-free images where you can find free or low cost photos, vectors, icons or patterns.
Why use royalty-free images?
Imagine a book without a cover. It's exactly the same for a website or promotional material.
Putting royalty-free images on your website has several advantages:
- Illustrate your words depending on what you want to convey on your website
- Making it readable of your site and your articles simpler with separations between each text zone
- Better illustrate your products and services
- Setting the tone to your page according to what you want to convey (technologies, humor, science...)
- Attracting attention of your readers on a specific point
- Harmonize your website and communication
- Save money thanks to the free images or the subscription formulas
- Have a site in good standing with copyright laws
A picture is worth a thousand words
Did you know that? Studies show that approximately 65% of people assimilate and learn much better when a information is visual rather than written. This means that in using images you will reach a larger portion of visitors and you will have the ability to convey your messages through different channels to reach a larger portion of your readers.
Thus, focusing on visual content will have a much better chance of attracting the attention of your users than if you had only text.
Here's the proof in the pudding: this visual to present a FAQ is much more explicit than a title "FAQ":
The idea is to use images, photos, diagrams, vectors, etc., preferably colorful and relevant, to accompany your text content. Once on your website, people will tend to retain 80% of what they see versus only 20% of what they readIt is therefore essential to carry out an effective marketing campaign and to use visuals
The human brain has the ability to process images in only 13 milliseconds. Therefore, it will allow you to express your ideas using a (quasi) universal language. Statistics show that images are the strongest means of communication because they have the ability to break down language barriers, hence the expression "a picture is worth a thousand words".
Using images rather than text will allow you to reach a much larger audience that does not necessarily speak the language(s) in which your website is translated.
The human eye perceives emotions through a visual.
What images can I use on my website?
It is imperative that your images meet certain criteria and that you have the right to use them, otherwise it is a flight image !
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- You must have the right to use your images on commercial media
- In some cases, copyright / author attribution is mandatory
- You can use your own images
- If your images contain third party people whose identities are recognizable, you must have an image distribution agreement in place to comply with RGPD legislation
Please note! The visuals of the Google image tab cannot be used on your sites and communication supports if you do not select the option Filters > License > Free to share and use
So we have put together a selection of 20 websites allowing you to find royalty-free images of all kinds to feed your content legally.
The 20 best sites to find royalty-free images easily
Where to find the best free photos, vectors and images?
1. Freepik
Freepik offers you a large choice of photos (free or premium version), as well as vectors, PSD and icons to feed your website.
You can easily search for what you want by entering a description in the search bar.
Freepik also has premium resources that are only accessible to its members who have subscribed.
2. Unsplash
With Unsplash for WordPress, it becomes easy to search for your visuals in the largest library of freely usable images on the Internet. From the WordPress editor, you can access millions of HD photos for free, with no strings attached.
3. Wallpaper Gallery
Wallpaper gallery will give you access to a collection of beautiful royalty-free images from around the world that have been featured on the Bing homepage. Not only will you see a new image on your desktop every day, but you can also browse the images and learn where they came from.
4. The Pattern Library
Find all the photo templates you want with The Pattern Library and its photo gallery powered by professional designers. You'll also find a lot of tips on photo design!
5. Pexels
The most beautiful royalty-free images and videos shared for free by talented creators.
Find the best free stock images on the description. Download all the photos and use them even for commercial projects.
6. Stockvault
Stockvault gathers hundreds of photography and design articles if you are in need of inspiration! Find a whole gallery of free photos classified in different categories, vectors like with Freepik or PSD. A premium version is also available if you want to have access to an even more diversified content.
7. Stocksnap
Find thousands of photos in a gallery full of content!
Like many websites offering free and legal photo content, it is a community of photographers who share photos for everyone to use.
8. Negative Space
Negative Space gathers a multitude of photo galleries taken by professional photographers. You will be spoilt for choice!
9. Life of Pix
On Life of Pix you will find a large selection of high resolution photos and videos. The choice of content on this site will allow you to find the ideal content for your website or online articles!
10. Cupcake
On Cupcake, discover an entire gallery of free photos and images available at any time. Uploading your content has never been easier!
11. Foodies Feed
On Foodies Feed, you will find a large choice of photos of food and decoration. There's plenty to whet your appetite!
12. Kisspng
Don't bother searching for png's on Google and use Kisspng to feed your website with as many PNG's as possible !
Easy to use thanks to its search engine, all you have to do is choose your hijacked image from a ready-made selection.
13. Pxhere
Pxhere offers a large choice of images as colorful as the others! What to make you travel through many landscapes and settings as wonderful as each other!
14. Pxfuel
On Pxfuel find all the royalty-free photos to download for free and without limit! If you have a preference for very realistic photos and vectors, and all this without ruining you, this site is made for you!
15. Needpix
You want royalty-free images to feed your website and your blog articles? Needpix will meet your expectations whether in terms of photos or videos of all kinds!
16. Cutestockfootage
On Cutestockfootage you will find quality photos and videos at your disposal. In addition, this site offers many Powerpoint templates, fonts, videos, mock-ups and more!
17. Pixabay
Pixabay is a site offering many high quality photos, illustrations, vectors or even videos and royalty-free images that will delight the most fastidious of us!
18. PikWizard
What makes PikWizard different is that you can take each image and edit it on the graphic design software, Design Wizard. And the people images are great too!
The best paying sites for professional royalty-free photos
1. Shutterstock
Upload unlimited photos, vectors, videos, or even music via Shutterstock! You can also find an editorial gallery and a design creation space via predefined templates unless you want to start from scratch!
2. Adobe stock
Adobe stock is one of the software present on Adobe Creative Cloud and allows you to use free photos, videos, vectors, audios for free in unlimited, without forgetting many templates of creation and an editorial space at your disposal as well as 3D images if you wish a quite other perspective to your Web site!
3. Gettyimages
Do you want creative royalty-free images? News photos or videos of any kind, music and something to feed your blog? Then Gettyimages' is for you and its incredible content will not disappoint you!
Our photo tips for finding royalty-free images have no more secrets for you! Don't hesitate to mention your favorite sites!
Our favourites Flowr :
- Freepik - a huge database with both photos, designs, vectors and templates for flyers and brochures. A darling for which we have not hesitated to take out a premium subscription for years.
- Unsplash - Beautiful scenic and natural photos, a must for story telling and more realistic images.
- Shutterstock - Although it's a paid site, Shutterstock offers an incredibly rich library of beautiful videos. Our favorite resource when we can't find what we want on free sites!
You know how to find quality royalty-free images without breaking the bank! Need help to create your brochures, flyers or websites? Don't hesitate to send us an email at hello@flowragency.com !
