Are you new to the blogging world?or Are you thinking of starting a blog? Regardless, you’ll want to read this review, you may learn a thing or two.
When first starting, you may think that you can use any image on the internet, which is not true. But, don’t worry! You’re not alone because many people believe the same thing. They think that every image on the internet is an open resource to use but, it’s not.
Plus, seeing others just freely using images off of Google on their social media and or websites, makes it no better.
If you’re new to blogging, you don’t want to miss out on this. It’ll help you avoid major heartaches in the future. And if you haven’t started a blog but, you’re thinking about it, you’ll still want to read this entire review so that you’re prepared on what not to do. So, keep reading…
By the way, you may also want to check out my review on how you can get started with your blog and receive personal support from me and an entire community.
What Does Google Have To Say About Free Images?
Nonetheless, I strongly advise you not to tempt yourself in using images that you have no permission in using, especially, when you are using them for business usage.
I know it’s one of the easiest ways, to do a Google search, grab a picture, crop the image and use it but, it’s not worth the pain and money that it could cause in the future.
So, never, ever us just any image from Google. It can get you into some hot water. If you were to use Google images, they have to permit you.
To find out if you have permission to use the image from Google, you’ll need to do an advanced search and filter by selecting the “usage rights” option.
You’ll see options like the ones listed below.
- Commercial – this means that you can use the image for commercial usage.
- Free to use modify or share – this means that you can copy, share, alter or redistribute according to the image license.
- Free to share or use – this means as it says, you share, copy, or redistribute but, you can not make any changes to the image.
Now that you know what to expect from Google, you may soon realize how this can still be a risky situation. It seems to be a thin line for some of these rules. By the way, if you share images on social media, and you’re not sure if it’s legal to use that image, you may want to check out this blog resource from Hootsuite.
I Skip The Headache
I hate having headaches, plus I like to avoid any drama. It’s just bad for my health. So, I avoid it all. No, need to stress me out over all of this.
Regardless, I, myself, never realized how serious it was when it came to copyright infringement until I came across two stories that I found on the internet.
They were indeed interesting to read but, scary at the same time. You can check them out here and here. After reading the articles, it made me realize how serious this copyright stuff can get. It’s no joke and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. So, I went back and did a website cleanup.
As I was doing this website cleanup, I collected an entire list of websites that you can use or your photos. Plus you don’t have to worry about copyright infringement. Hopefully, this list can help you now and in the future.
18 Free Image And Stock Photo Sites
1. PhotoPin –
Is a website created to help bloggers find the perfect photos for their websites. On PhotoPin, make sure that you filter the license if it is not automatically done for you. You’ll notice that the first two rolls will be sponsored photos, which aren’t free. To learn about the 6 types of licenses that PhotoPin offers read over their FAQ’s section.
2. Pikwizard-
Pikwizard is a site that I recently discovered. Indeed, it is impressive! This site has over 100,000 images that are completely free, with over 20,000 of those photos being exclusive to Pikwizard.
There are two things impressive about “Pikwizard.”
Number is one is, they’re library is updated daily. I’m sure with a photo library that is constantly being updated, there is no excuse why you can’t find photos on this site.
And Number two, their photos include rare and free photos of people. How cool is that? Do you know how hard it is to find photos of people without having to pay a huge membership fee?
As you can see in the two images below, that the photos are high-quality.
So, what are you waiting for start using Pikwizard today? Besides, you have nothing to lose. There is no membership fees, and all photos are free to use without attribution.
3. Publicdomainpictures.net –
On this site you are able to receive free downloads, however, they are just a little harder to find the free images on this site. When you find the image that you like, to see if it is actually free, you’ll have to scroll down the page and look for a greyed out box that is labeled “free download”
4. Pickupimage.com
If you’re looking for high-resolution images, this may be the site for you. The images are free. You do have the capability of modifying, copying, distributing, even if its for commercial purposes. Check it out and see if you like the images.
5. SplitShire.com -
On SplitShire there are over 1000+ free beautiful photos that you can use for commercial use or personal use. This site was created by a photographer 10 years ago, who has given all creators the rights to use the phots as long as it is not inappropriate. Check out what you can’t do with SplitShire photos.
6. Libreshot.com –
Martin Vorel the photographer who created this site as a project, and loves taking photos since he was a child doesn’t like his pictures to sit there to take up space. So, you can visit this site, view or download the images, that Mr. Vorel has taken.
7. SkitterPhoto –
Skitterphoto allows you to browse and download free photos. All the images are of high quality and were created by amateur photographers who have day jobs, who decided to let the world use and publish their pictures online for free.
8. Stocksnap.io –
On a weekly basis image are added to this site. They are free from copyright restrictions, plus high quality. The best part is all the images on this site are totally free and they can be used for any purpose.
9. Commons.m.wikimedia.org –
here is a collection of over 52 million free and usable media.
10. Pdpics.com –
Another website that provides free images, just make sure that the images state that if it’s for personal or commercial use.
11. Wikimedia.org
There are more than images on this site, you can freely share the knowledge from this site.
12. Kaboompics.com –
There are thousands of photos on this site to even include color palettes. All images can be used for non-commercial and commercial use. Credit to the artist is not required but of course, it can always be appreciated.
13. Magdeleine.co –
The photos on this site state that they are free but, I have also noticed that each picture has different requirements. For example, some images of attribution is required.
14. Picjumbo.com –
Viktor Hanacek started this site in 2013 due to all the other stock photo sites rejecting his images due to low-quality photos. Now Mr. Viktor is producing high-quality images, with over 2.5 million copies being downloaded just two years later. Today, this site is considered to be one of the best places with free photos.
Picjumbo, images are also huge so, you may need to compress and resize them. To resize the image you can use free software like microsoft paint. And to compress the images, I use free software like Kraken.io or tinypng.com.
15. Fancycrave.com –
This site does have free images, and if you would like a full resolution, the photos are an affordable cost of $0.99 per copy. Anyhow, Igor Ovsyannykov created this site back in 2015, and he does allow commercial use. Or you can get premium access to the giant library of 1000+ photos for your Travel blog.
16. Lifeofpix.com –
This site offers free pics and videos. However, I never found the license to use the free images, so, if you decide to use images from this site, make sure you read over what you can and can’t do with the pictures.
Pin Me Please! 😀
17. Lifeofpix.com –
This site offers free pics and videos. However, I never found the license to use the free images, so, if you decide to use images from this site, make sure you read over what you can and can’t do with the pictures.
18. Gratisography.com –
All the images on this site are said to be completely free of copyright infringements. Although, you can do almost anything you can think of with these photos, here is what you can’t do.
19. Isorepublic.com –
This site can be used for commercial or personal use. All photos do come with CCO license.
My 6 Favorite FREE Photo Sites To Use
Although there are many different free photo sites that you can use, I only use a few of them for my blog. My favorite sites to use are:
Ivorymix.com – this website has both free and premium membership. However, you’re able to receive 550 stock photos and updates monthly, all I had to do to get access to the free images were subscribe to Kayla email list. The images that she provides are more on the feminine side. You can alter them, design them, and make them truly yours. Plus they aren’t found anywhere else on the internet.
Canva.com – Canva also provides free images. It’s is absolutely free to use Canva. Plus Canva has many more wonderful features that you can use to stand out on the web.
Rawpixel.com– is a website that has both free and premium images. I use the free account and I am very pleased with them. To start using their free images, you’ll have to register for an account, to get access to the free photos. They offer free images, vectors, mock-ups, and much more.
Pixabay – all the images on this site, are free and released under the Pixabay licensing. Meaning you are able to use these images, without having to ask permission from the artist. Pixabay, images can also be used on social media.
Unsplash – photos on this site can be used for commercial and non-commercial usage. You are not required to credit the artist but, when I use these types of images, I always do. It’s something I’m sure everyone appreciates.
Site Content Images – this site is not an image site alone. Instead, it’s a community, that has endless education about affiliate marketing, website development, and so on. Within this platform as a member, we get access to over 1 million optimized photos. Besides, they’re high resolution, completely free and they come with the CCO license.
My Conclusion Of Free Images And Stock Photos
By now, you should have a good idea on how you can beautify your website or blog for free. Moreover, using images that you have no permission to use is risky. I wouldn’t suggest that you risk your online business for an image. So, to be on the safe side, I would avoid using any images from Google, period.
Besides, there are spiders that the search engines send out and it can detect images, which can also identify pictures that you had no permission to use. Regardless, I hope this article has helped you in finding high resolutions images for your business or personal use.