Digital marketing, blogging, and graphic designing all have one thing in common; they need for high definition photos and graphics to succeed. While most people might prefer to take the photos themselves and then edit them, this has always proven wearisome. To some extent, it’s even impossible due to the lack of access to the required tools.
However, thanks to the internet, you can acquire any kind of photo or graphic you need for free or at a very low price. But the question is, why buy a photo or a vector image when you can get it for free?
Today we bring you a list of the top 8 sites where you can download stock images you want for free (with or without attribution).
1. Pixabay
Pixabay is one of the best sites for free stock photos and vectors. It offers a selection of over 780 thousand high definition photos, illustrations, and vectors released under the Creative Commons CCO.
The design of the website makes it easy to search and download any image from the different categories.
Additionally, the main search bar makes it easier for you to narrow your search through filters such as colour, media type, minimum dimensions, and orientation.
However, you will need to create an account with them for you to download the full resolution photos. Furthermore, they tend to promote a percentage of their photos from Shutterstock which you can only access by purchasing them. You can clearly differentiate all Shutterstock photos since they all have the ‘Shutterstock’ watermark, and I would advise you not to bother downloading them unless you really want to spend money on images.
Visit Pixabay
2. Pexels
Pexels offers an array of carefully sourced, high-definition photos to ensure you get the best quality that will match your designing needs. Besides, all its stock photos are licensed under the Creative Commons Zero (CCO) which means you can safely use and edit them for personal and commercial purposes without the need for any attribution.
Searching for photos on Pexels is an easy task since all their photos are perfectly tagged and easy to discover through the ‘discover pages’ features on their site.
Visit Pexels
3. Unsplash
Unsplash is one of the few sites that offer the most unique and top-quality stock photos for any niche you can think of, “not the shabby employees and boss images that you will always find in other sites.”
They have a collection of thousands of carefully taken photos which are all published and licensed under the Creative Commons Zero (CCO) license and the Unsplash license. As a result, you can use these photos for any purpose whether personal or commercial without the need for attribution or seeking permission.
Searching for and coming across a desirable image is also very easy and quick in Unsplash. Their photos are grouped into perfectly tagged categories which makes it easy to search and come across.
Visit Unsplash
4. Gratisography
Created by web designer Ryan Bell, Gratisography sets itself apart from the rest of the stock photo sites by offering unique and humorous stock photos. Its photos were initially licensed under the Creative Commons Zero license; however, they changed this in 2016. The photos are currently licensed under a generous custom license.
Understanding why Ryan decided to integrate humour into his photography might take you a while to understand. However, I guarantee you if you take your time to go through the website, you will be amazed by the quality of these photos and how often they have been used on the web.
Visit Gratisography
5. Stockvault
Stockvault gives access to over 110,000 high definition stock photos. The photos are carefully categorized making it easy to search and find the best that will fit your planned purpose.
Besides, they do not require any attribution. The only limitation of Stockvault is their photos can only be used for personal or “non-commercial needs”.
The reason behind this is most of their photos are premium; hence you need to pay in order to have the right of usage. They have also scaled their premium products to include stock photos, stock footage, stock music, and stock texture. It is an excellent option you should consider when buying the above products.
Visit Stockvault
6. Reshot
Reshot contains one of the unique collections of free stock photos best suited for startups, freelancers and designers who may have failed to get the photos they wanted on the other free photo sites.
Its photos are of supreme definition and free to use and edit both personal and commercially without requiring any attribution or permission. The photos are categorized into different packs which makes it easier to browse and find the perfect photo.
Visit Reshot
7. Rawpixel
Rawpixel offers a selection of both free and premium high-definition images. Its selection ranges from image galleries to vectors, mockups, templates, free icons, illustrations and many more.
Getting the perfect image is an easy task requiring only a few seconds. This is due to the many categories and the quality tagging of images which makes your searches pin-point targeted for the best results.
Visit Rawpixel
8. Picjumbo
Picjumob is the perfect place to search for images for your new blog or website. Picjumbo updates their photo gallery every day and has a collection of thousands of unique high-definition stock photos that fit a variety of numerous topics.
The website also offers a premium package for serious bloggers, agencies, and designers starting at $10 a month.
Visit Picjumbo
9. Visual Hunt
Visual hunt aggregates all the high-quality free photos in one single location. Most of the photos are on CC0 (Creative Commons), which means you can do whatever you like with the pictures.
In addition to the compiled picture they also offer images from free public domains such as Flikr.
Visit Visual Hunt
Final Say
As you can see, you cannot exhaust the number of free stock photos that are available in all these sites for free. Well, sometimes you might need to take your own photos, but there is no need for you to stress yourself.
All you need is to search for the perfect image that will fit your need, and you are good to go.
Alternatively, you can use one of these online design tools to create stunning graphics. Most of these tools come with millions of free pictures for you to create something special.
Cheers!