FREE online image libraries you can use
Images should be thought about carefully and can make or break your design for your website or blog posts. As well as using Shutterstock at Top Left Design and other paid for libraries, we also use these other great image libraries which are FREE – and we aim to never choose images which are poor quality or cheesy.
Some tips:
- Adding text to images makes the image more meaningful and relevant.
- You should always choose relevant images which are related to what you are talking about – this can be both literally or metaphorically (not necessarily both).
- Make sure your image is interesting and eye catching. Look our for different compositions, colours and use of focus. It’s a skill you can build on and develop! Or just ask us for help if you like!
Morguefile
Morguefile is a “public image archive for creatives by creatives”. The search function actually works across a few other paid for photo libraries, so if you want just the free ones, don’t click on the tabs for Dreamstime, Shutterstock or Fotolia.
The Stocks
Here you can find the “best royalty free images all in one place” – and it’s pretty amazing. There is a selection, but be sure to read the terms carefully in each section. Note: The links in the left hand side menu can sometimes have an issue, so we have included in this article the correct URLs. A possible workaround would be to right click a link and open it in new tab. Please try this on https://thestocks.im
Flickr – Creative Commons
The images here aren’t all FREE but you can use the ones which are under the creative commons licence. For the “Attribution” licence images, this means you can use the images but you need to give credit to the photographer. You can freely search around Flickr and browse through photos, but should consult licensing info before downloading and using the images. While https://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/ isn’t the most inviting page, but it is the starting point for the Creative Commons licenced images – so we advise to sign in/up to Flickr first and assess your SafeSearch filters.
Stock Photo Secrets
This is one of the top stock photo sites with very high authority and they saw this post and asked me to add them in. While it promotes some free libraries, it also offers comparisons and vouchers for you to use if you want to get really into it!
Here are the working links from The Stocks:
- Pixabay https://pixabay.com
- Stocksy https://www.stocksy.com
- Little Visual https://littlevisuals.co
- New Old Stock https://nos.twnsnd.co
- Visual Hunt https://visualhunt.com
- Super Famous https://superfamous.com/images
- Startup Stock Photos https://startupstockphotos.com
- Gratisography https://www.gratisography.com
- Getrefe https://www.getrefe.com
- Pexels https://www.pexels.com
- Jay Mantri https://jaymantri.com
- Magdeleine https://magdeleine.co/browse/
- Travel Coffee Book https://travelcoffeebook.com
- Moveast https://moveast.me
- Barn Images https://barnimages.com