If you run a blog or website, it is beneficial to include a cover image for each post. This enhances its visual appeal. Articles that incorporate demonstration images tend to attract more visitors. Almost all blogs on the internet use a cover or featured image. Additionally, bloggers often include various photos and illustrations to clarify the concepts. These visuals make the content more engaging for readers.
To create an image for your article, you need to take photos of the subjects discussed within it. Alternatively, you can design images on your own to illustrate the concepts or use free images available online.
Many websites offer royalty-free stock photos, clip art, and illustrations at no cost. You can use these resources to effortlessly create a blog poster image. In this article, we will explore various websites that provide free royalty-free images.
Considerations Before Using Free Royalty-Free Images
Many resource websites are available on the internet for obtaining free images. Before using an image downloaded from these sites, consider the following aspects:
Licensing
It is crucial not to use images that are copyrighted by others. Instead, opt for images from free royalty-free image websites. Even these free images come with restrictions regarding their usage, so understanding the licence associated with the image is essential. Always check the licence before use, and if you have any doubts, refer to the FAQ section or contact the website administrator.
Attribution
Some websites may allow you to use their images as long as you provide attribution to them or the creator of the image. This means you must link to their website on the page where the image is used. Failing to do so may result in violations of copyright laws, leading to severe penalties.
Quality
Be aware that some sites offer low-quality images for free, while high-quality images will only be available to paid members. Always consider the quality of the image you intend to use.
Usage Limits
Certain websites may restrict the use of their images for commercial purposes. The distinction between commercial and non-commercial use can be unclear. To avoid issues, always select images that are not restricted for commercial use, ensuring you do not redistribute or sell any free images unless permitted.
Modification Rights
Check if you are allowed to edit or modify the image to suit your needs. Do not add a watermark to free images that must be used without modification. Some users edit images that are downloaded from online sources and add their brand name as a watermark, which is not acceptable. Review the licence terms carefully before downloading a free image, as some websites may not permit any alterations.
Source Reliability
Always use reputable websites to find images to avoid potential legal complications.
Keep these points in mind and explore the following resources to find suitable images.
Websites Offering Royalty-Free Photos and Clip Art Images for Free
I have compiled a list of websites that provide free images and are organized by licence type. Please note that I cannot guarantee that all the licence information included in this article is completely accurate. This article aims to help you find websites where you can obtain free images, but the licence terms are based on my understanding. To ensure compliance, please verify the licence before downloading any images.
Category 1: Completely Free to Use Royalty-free Images for Any Purpose with No Attribution Required
You can use images from the following websites for any purpose, including commercial use. You are allowed to edit the images as you wish and use them on your site. The only restriction is that you cannot claim ownership of the images in their original form. Be sure to verify the licence for each image you download.
Pixaby
This is a well-known royalty-free image website offering high-quality public domain collections without usage restrictions. It provides free photos, vector graphics, and clip art images.
Unsplash
This site offers images for both personal and commercial use without requiring attribution. However, you cannot sell the images without modifying them.
Pexels
This site is similar to Pixabay and Unsplash, and its image licences are comparable. I use it to find the images I need.
Open Clip Art
This website provides complete freedom for using images. All images are entirely free for both commercial and non-commercial use, and you do not need to provide credit links.
It is an online community for free clip art images where you can also participate and contribute. You can modify existing images or create your own and upload them to the server, allowing others to access new images as well.
Hassle-free Clip Art
I couldn’t find any restrictions on using images from the site. They state that you can utilize the clip art images for both personal and commercial purposes. However, you should not claim copyright, assert authorship, or use these images in your branding.
Free Range Stock
Photos are accessible only to registered users, and registration is free. This site is one of the largest stock photo websites available. All photos can be used without restrictions; however, you cannot sell, redistribute, or license the images. Additionally, you cannot sell products that primarily gain their value from the images.
Photos Public Domain
Find royalty-free stock photos here. All images can be used for personal and commercial purposes unless stated otherwise.
Public Domain Files
Here you can find the largest collection of public domain pictures. The images can be used without any restrictions.
Public Domain Pictures
Discover high-quality images here. You can download images, but some quality restrictions apply. To access the highest quality images, you need to tip the creator.
RGB Stock
Images are available for registered users only. Please contact the image owner to understand the terms of use before using any image.
Image Base
There are thousands of free, high-quality images available across many categories for personal, commercial, or educational purposes.
Morgue File
Over 400,000 free stock photos are available for commercial use, with no restrictions on image usage. This website provides mostly reference material images, making it a valuable resource for teachers, illustrators, and creative individuals.
Stock Vault
To download images, registration is required. New photos, textures, and illustrations are added daily. The images are available under three different licences: non-commercial, commercial, and public domain. Be sure to check the licence and use the image according to your needs.
UnProfound
This organization is a non-profit dedicated to providing free images.
Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons has a vast collection of images. Searching for images is also straightforward. We can search images based on topics, locations, and more.
EDigg Clip Art
Free clip art and graphics are available here.
Karen’s Whimsy Public Domain Images
The images on the site are public domain. If you require a higher-resolution image, you can purchase a digital download for $1.99 each.
WP Clip Art
Here you can find images related to school research and reports. These images may be useful for websites focusing on children-related topics.
Category 2: Royalty-free Images Free for Any Purpose Requiring Attribution
The following websites require a link back to them when you use their images on your site. Please include a credit below each image. For example, you can write “Thanks to www.example.com” or “Photo courtesy of www.example.com,” ensuring that www.example.com is linked to the site.
Antique Clip Art
Here, you can get smaller-sized clip art for free. To obtain a larger size of an image, you must purchase it.
Free Digital Photos
Download small-sized images for free here. Some photos may be watermarked. To obtain photos without a watermark, you must purchase them.
Open Photo
Here you can find large collections of images categorized under various topics. However, you must provide attribution if you use their work.
Free Images
You can find photos, vectors, clip art images, icons, PSD files, and more available for free. Most of these images can be used without restrictions. However, some images may have limitations, requiring you to credit the author or obtain permission to use them.
Flickr Creative Commons
Flickr is one of the largest photo-sharing websites and features a vast collection of Creative Commons images. You can use these images as long as you give credit to the authors. Be sure to check the licence terms for each photo, as they are organized based on their respective licences.
World Atlas Clip art
Atlas, world maps, flags, and globe clip art images are available here.
Internet Clip art
There are over 2000 images available. Please read the guidelines before using them on your site.
Web Weaver
Find free clip art images, vectors, and animations here. Users can download images from this website and upload their own as well.
Category 3: Free Royalty-free Images for Non-Commercial Use Only and Attribution Required
The images available from the following sites are free for non-commercial use. However, they cannot be used for commercial purposes, such as on a commercial website. If you use these images for personal projects, you must provide a link back to the website where you obtained them.
Animation Central
Here you can find high-quality images for non-commercial use. Most are animated GIFs.
Artvex
There are over 10,000 original images available. However, you can use a maximum of 15 images from each category, provided you include a link back.
ProDraw
Here you can find pixel-style animated images. Please note that these images should only be used for personal purposes.
More Clip Art Images and Stock Photo Resources
You can explore additional clip art and stock photo resources on the following sites:
- http://www.123rf.com/freeimages.php — This site offers 2 million free stock photos. However, please verify the licensing details before using the images.
- http://www.freepik.com/ — This website provides AI image tools as well. If you sign up, you can receive 10 free downloads every day.
- https://clipart.com/ — Offers royalty-free clip art, vectors, and illustrations.
- https://pngtree.com/ — Contains millions of free clip art images and illustrations in PNG format.
- https://creazilla.com/ — This site features 10 million free graphics.
- https://www.vecteezy.com/ — Offers free vectors, stock photos, stock videos, and useful templates for designing your images.
Conclusion
I have compiled a list of useful websites where you can find free stock photos, clip art images, illustrations, and vector graphics. These images are great for designing banners for blog articles. Additionally, they can be used in documents, brochures, and various marketing materials. However, it’s important to check the licence of each image and use them accordingly.
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