5 Image Providing Websites

Images are super important when it comes to online marketing, for your posts, for your ads, etc. That’s why there are so many image websites where you can post and download a variety of photographs and other images. Whether you have a blog, website,Facebook page or other social media page, you can make it far more compelling to visitors by using interesting images. Where, however, do you get these images?

Unless you take all of your own photos, you will probably want to find the best image websites. When you use these sites, however, there are a few rules to keep in mind.

For one thing, make sure you don’t download images that you don’t have the right to use. Many image websites have some images that are royalty free and others that the owners won’t let you use without permission. On some sites, you can obtain free royalty free images; on others, you have to pay for them.

Many image websites have a large selection of images with different conditions attached to them. That’s why it’s important to read and follow the rules. Otherwise, you could face problems or even legal battles if someone sees an image on your site that you didn’t have permission to publish.

Keeping these factors in mind, let’s look at 5 of the best sites where you can find great images.

1. Photos.com

Is a large site that has millions of stock photos to choose from. On this site, you can purchase either single images, image packs or purchase subscriptions to save money.

If you are looking for a versatile source of high quality photos of every description, photos.com is a very useful site. With more than 5.5 million photos and illustrations from which to choose, there’s a good chance that they will have something that’s just right for you.

There are several pricing options, to accommodate people who only need a few photos every now and then as well as those who need large numbers of images. Aside from being able to buy single images, you can get image packs. For example, you can get 5 images for $14.99 or
10 for $34.99.

Subscriptions are for those who need a steady supply of images. You can get 100 images per week for $999/year. This may sound expensive, but for large and profitable websites it’s actually a reasonable way to have easy access to all the images they need.

Photos.com is a site worth considering if you want to be able to choose among millions of different photos of all kinds.

2. 123RF

This is another site that has lots of royalty free stock photos, as well as video footage and audio tracks. There is even a selection of logos to choose from. This site has one of the largest selections of images on the web, almost 20 million at last count!

The search box is on the site’s home page, and from there you can find exactly the right image for your needs. When you sign up with 123RF, you have access to free images as well as ones you have to pay for. They have several pricing plans, including pay-as-you-go and subscriptions.

A basic subscription, which allows you to download up to 5 images per day, costs $89 per month, though you can save money by signing up for longer periods. A premium subscription, which gives you as many as 26 images per day, is $230 per month.

You can also purchase credits, which is suitable if you don’t need multiple images every day. You can get 20 credits for $20, and the price goes down as you purchase larger blocks of credits.

3. iStockphoto

This site has a wide selection of not only photos, but also illustrations, videos and even music.

iStockphoto has some great images to choose from. If you only need one at at time, you can purchase images this way. If you plan to use iStockphoto with any frequency, the best way to use it is to buy credits. Each image costs a certain number of credits, and you have a choice of size. For example, a very small image might cost 1 credit, while a larger version will cost 3, 5 or 10 credits (there are 6 sizes, so you have lots of choices).

If you want to buy credits, there are several options. The more credits you buy, the less each one will cost you. 8 credits currently cost $13.99. 14 credits cost $23.99. They have packages all the way up to 1,000 credits for $1465.

iStockphoto is a great source of high quality photos and other images if you can afford them. If you need lots of images, it’s nice to buy some credits so you can download an image when you need one.

4. Flickr

This is probably the most popular of all image websites. It’s actually one of the largest websites, period. While Flickr can be a good place to get free images, you have to be careful how you use it.

Unlike iStockphoto or StockXCHNG, Flickr was not created to be a site for people to buy images or find stock free images. It was designed as a social site where people could upload and share photos. Still, it has become a source of free images for those searching for them.

For the most part, the photos on Flickr belong to the creators. This means you can’t use them without permission. There are two ways around this. The first is to simply ask permission if you find an image you like. The problem with this is that not everyone will give you permission or even answer your messages.

The most efficient way to use Flickr for getting images is to search for creative commons images. These are images that are free for anyone to use. http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/. There is a whole section of Flickr devoted to creative commons.

Even here, however, you have to read the small print. Different photos have different conditions attached to them. Some, for example, require attribution, meaning you must credit the photographer. Others place restrictions on using the photos for commercial purposes.

Flickr has the advantage of being the largest image website, but the number of photos you can simply use the way you want is limited.

5. Dreamstime

Has more than 17 million images, which includes free as well as images that you must purchase. The categories include business, people, technology, animals, architecture and travel.

There’s nothing to lose by signing up with Dreamstime. You immediately get access to 850,000 free images. The rest of the images are priced on a credit system. The number of credits a photo costs depends on quality, size and popularity.

You can buy as few as 11 credits for $14.99. There are many other options, going all the way up to 2,000 credits for $1,760. Corporate accounts, for businesses that require larger numbers of images, are also available. Dreamstime also encourages photographers to sign up and sell their photos.

Dreamstime is another valuable resource for finding royalty free images on the internet.

Exploring Image Websites

There are lots of image websites to choose from. The above are only a few of the larger and better known sites. The best site for images really depends on your needs and budget.

While there are places to get free images online, you generally have to pay for better quality photos. When you get free images, there is also more of a risk that you will get into trouble for using something without permission. At least when you purchase an image, you know you have the right to use it.

As the web becomes more and more image-oriented, it’s likely that image websites will become increasingly popular.

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