Searching for great resources for free images? Need some new ideas?
Marketers, have I got a list for you…
If it seems like it’s getting harder to grab the perfect image for free anymore, you are in good company. Many of those great shots have gone behind pay walls.
But don’t despair, there are still a lot of wonderful places to get just what you are looking for that are still free. I’ll share my favorites with you, plus show you several places you might not have considered.
“One picture is worth 1,000 words.” Click To TweetIt’s true. Images both grab the attention of our visitors and also convey emotions faster that words.
Marketers today are challenged to use increasing numbers of images in our content creation engines. The budget-strapped appreciate go-to resources. Check out my list of 50 free sources below. Here’s what I like about a dozen of them (with examples):
- Canva (affiliate link) is a common favorite for photos and graphics that you can grab and/or tweak. While many photos have gone into the premium level where you’ll find their acquisitions of Pixabay and Pexels, you can still go directly to those two sites to get images for free. Canva is a shoo-in for me when I’m looking for a quick pre-made quote to use as is or modify. Like the one shown here.
- Unsplash is another favorite for photos, now available as a WordPress plug-in and inside Medium.
- For business and marketing planning, Xmind and ConceptBoard are two super spots to create a visual to go with a blog post. Here is an Xmind example about writing. Check out ConceptBoard’s templates, like this one for a marketing funnel to fine-tune for your needs.
4. StockSnap is another source for free images. Stokpic and DepositPhotos offer a limited selection for free and they’ll want you to sign up for their emailings.
5. Snappa and Stencil are alternative design platforms to Canva where you’ll capabilities, images and quote posts for free.
6. The Library of Congress is an amazing place for free historical photos. Say, for Women’s History Month, find this shot of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.
7. Flaticon is a neat source for vector icons.
8. If you are looking for some interesting backgrounds, create an image from the topics of your Twitter followers with Portwiture. Images are pulled in from Flickr. Do you think maybe mine were thinking about sailing when I pulled this one?
9. Or grab shots of all your employees, or recipes together in one image or video when you use Picture Mosaics. Here I grabbed pictures of people sharing hugs. PictureMosaics.com is a neat source for compilations of photos on a subject. Click the link to see the video it creates.
10. If you want to truly transform a photo to create interest, upload an image to GoArt on Fotor. I chose one of a small plant and chose Magic Cube (one of 39 artistic choices) to create a piece of art. From Van Gogh to Pop Art, you’ll be sure to have fun.
11. Have a statement to make? Maybe you’d like to create your own meme. Try Imgflip. I chose anime to make a statement about engagement vs. likes.
12. Giphy is a fun resource when a little humor is appropriate for your blog post. Here’s one from Schitt’s Creek that helps me make my point about Likes.
13. Search Creative Commons’ 500 millions images. Looking for something to use commercially and/or to modify or adapt? This is the place. Attribution is an important part of the permission process. The right way to attribute an asset is to include:
1. Title with hyperlink
2. Author with link to their profile page
3. Source with link to original photo
4. License with link to the license deed
14. Create a Word Search Puzzle with the terms for your business or hobby. It’s a fun way to get interaction. Find a generator for your puzzle at Education.com. Enter your terms, then download your Worksheet and Answer Key. Here’s a shot of one I made.
It’s often frustrating to find the perfect image for your content. It’s also getting tougher as more and more of the best images are getting put behind pay walls.
I’ve compiled a list of fifty sources for curating and creating images. Many of them are my favorites.
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| Adobe | Free stock assets |
| Burst | Free stock photos |
| Canva (aff. link) | Graphics design platform with photos, illustrations, templates |
| Clip Art | Free clipart files in AI, SVG, PSD, EPS |
| Creative Commons | 500 million free images |
| Creative Fabrica | Fonts, graphics, crafts freebies |
| Creative Market | Free goods: Fonts, graphics, themes, photos, templates |
| DepositPhotos | Free image files |
| Flaticon | Free vector icons and stickers |
| Flickr | No known copyright restrictions (license dropdown) |
| Fotor | Online photo editor and design creator |
| Free Images | 300K free images |
| Free Pik | Free vectors, stock photos & PSD downloads |
| Freestocks | Free stock photos |
| Giphy | GIFs and animated stickers |
| GoArt Fotor | Fotor's photo to art effects |
| Google Images | Advanced search; license |
| Google Free Fonts | Free fonts |
| Gratisography | Quirky collection of free stock photos & images |
| Imgflip | Memes, gifts, funny images & meme generator |
| Kaboompics | Free images for lifestyle & interior design |
| Library of Congress | Free to Use digital collections |
| Life of Pix | Free photos |
| Lumen5 | Online video creator |
| Microsoft Clip Art | Free clip art |
| Mind Meister | Free online mind mapping |
| Morgue File | Free photos |
| Negative Space | Free stock photos |
| Pexels | Free stock photos and videos |
| Picjumbo | Free stock photos by weekly email |
| Picspree | Free stock images, illustrations, vectors & icons |
| Picture Mosaics | Free photo mosaic tool |
| Pixabay | Free images and stock photos |
| Pixlr | Free image editing |
| Pond5 | Free stock videos, photos, music |
| Portwiture | Your Twitter status in Flickr photos |
| Qr Code Monkey | Create free QR codes w/logo |
| Raw Pixel | Free stock images, vectors & PSD mockups |
| Reshot | Free icons, illustrations & photos |
| Skitterphoto | Public domain photos |
| Snappa | Graphic design tool with templates |
| Stencil | Online graphic design tool |
| Stocksnap | Free stock images |
| Stockvault | Free stock photos and images |
| Stokpic | Free stock photos |
| The Hungry Jpeg | Free graphic design resource & downloads |
| Unsplash | free images and photos |
| Word Cloud | Free onlne word cloud generator |
| Word Puzzle Generator | Create a free word search puzzle |
| XMind | Free mind-mapping & brainstorming tool |
For more free tips, check out Dmcenter.com/category/freebies