e-Why, What & How · 2015-04-12

5 Online sources to get free images for your blog or project

This article has been re-published with permission of MakeUseOf

By: Mark ONeill

If you are a blogger, a journalist, or a Web designer, you will appreciate the challenge of finding good quality free images that you can use for your project. Every photo has a copyright attached to it, and it is up to the copyright holder whether or not to waive that copyright, and let others use the image for free.

The most well-known sources for free images is Creative Commons, and its motherlode in Wikimedia Commons among other Public Domain sources. But there are countless other sites focused on this subject. And we have covered a vast number of them. Why, it was only last year that Saikat wrote about some good images to get with your email. And here we now have 5 more.

Can We Imagine

Can We Image is a minimalist looking website that sources their images from Wikimedia Commons. The owner of the photo decides what license they are going to give it. It could range from a Public Domain license to one where they ask for attribution. If the terms are acceptable to you, you can download the photo of Wussy Pussy Cat.

Free Media Goo

Not the most visually appealing website, and its choices are quite limited, but what they do have is quite interesting and worth a look. With this site, it’s a simple click on the picture and download. No license, no attribution required.

One slightly annoying thing is the positioning of the adverts. They can’t help but start to get on your nerves a bit.

New Old Stock

New Old Stock is a fascinating repository of old vintage photos from the past. The vast majority are in black-and-white, although a few colour ones also appear here and there.

Everything on the site is public domain, so just click on the photo, then right-click to save it on your computer.

For really old images, the Public Domain Review is also an invaluable resource.

Big Foto

I was starting to think that Free Media Goo would win the MUO award for “most badly designed website”. That was until Big Foto came along. Their pictures are very good, but the user interface badly needs a tweak and a polish.

A lot of the photos on offer are separated up into their geographical locations. You can also browse various other themes, and miscellaneous pictures. To get to the photos, which are much further down the screen, you have to wade past adverts, large blocks of text, and a Paypal donate button.

Again, there’s no license or attribution. Just save the image to your computer and you’re good to go.

IM Creator

IM Creator has been featured before, as its main function is as a simple website creator. However, they also have a section where you can download free images, templates, icons, and buttons. They can also be used for commercial purposes.

This links to Creative Commons, so some form of attribution will normally be required for each photo. But hey the photos are free, so what’s a small link between friends?

There are so many that we have covered in the past, such as MorgueFile, Compfight, and RGBStock. But which ones do you swear by? Any new gem that you have discovered recently?

 

 

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