Ever wondered , while browsing people's blogs, where they are getting their images from? Look no further for we've amassed a giant list of these kinds of sites. Browsing people's blogs this morning got me to the realization that most are using google images. For those of you who are just taking images from the net you must know about copyright laws. But that's another post. For now i'd rather you use the following sites to get images which are truly free* without concern. stay tuned for another day! Here now are those sites in no particular order.
The following stock sites are not 100% free, they require signing up and paying a small fee for low res pictures. There are exceptions, and those fall in an inbetween category but are not guaranteed to be totally free without copyright infringement issues. It's very important to read the fine text in the sites below. If using a stock photography site, we recommend using flickr. Conversely if looking for a larger option to share photos with others then Flickr + a creative commons license is the next best step.
Some may still find disclaimers pertaining to non-commercial only use notices. (very few) You can still use any of these pictures for blogging purposes on Active Rain.
Note: We decided to make this a top 75 list and move the clipart sites to a seperate post. So as we explained to linda below, this list which was originally comprised of many different types of free graphic sites( 100 of them, before an AR error erased my entire list and we forgot to save it) will now instead focus primarily on free photo download sites, otherwise known as a non-photographer's mecca.
We thought we should mention the differences in these sites as compared to sites such as istockphoto.com. You rarely have to pay truly free sites and when you do it's merely for high resolution images. These sites often ask for donations instead and rely on advertisements to stay afloat. Pictures are oftentimes at original resolutions (5-8megapixel camera or better) so you already get your money's worth.
Note to self: rank these in order of best to worst (this will take a year folks, don't hold your breath, it comes when we went through them all)
Final Update: Thanks to all those who have taken the time to reference to this, we did it for you so take advantage of it.
actually this list will focus on photography. I will be making another post later in the week that delves specifically with clipart,animations(gif images), etc.
Thanks for sharing. The only pics/graphics I had used were my own... as I am aware of copyright laws. I am bookmarking your post for future refrence. Thanks.
Thanks for the list free list. Good to see people actually helping others. Anyone looking for a free list of REO/BPO companies, let me know. Enjoy your day everyone...
Thanks for taking the time to put this list together and to share it. Yotophoto has been down for some time. I am not sure what happened to that one. They had some great photos.
Starting to add more links again to turn it into a master list for 2 reasons. 1) it's now featured and 2)i'm not getting timeout errors again. Keep checking back through the night.
Nice list, but "Some may still find disclaimers pertaining to non-commercial use notices" really bothers me. Doyou consider blogging a non-commercial use? I feel that my blog is definitely an advertisement for my services, which makes it a commercial in my opinion although I guess we will have to wait for a few more cease and desist orders and law suits to be sure.
There's only a few. i looked to the best of my ability but some are hidden deep within. i can guarantee however that with certainly all these sites will allow you to use their images without any legal reprocussion. When speaking of commercial, most often this is pertained to using images for branding and or resale. If just using one of their images for an educational blog about mortages 101 then you don't have to worry.
We will be supplying our own pictures in the next calendar year which we will share exclusively with Active Rain members, specifically associates of ours. In the meantime yes, these sites should help. I'll be looking daily for new sites so check back regularly.
Thanks, we just were informed by an attorney in our city of Norman, Oklahoma, that we really do need to watch which pictures we put on our sites. I put the list on my desktop for future referrence. Thanks for the information
Thanks, bookmarked for future use. I've also tried to be careful of what I've been using. Lately they've been pretty much my own, yet every now and then you need something else. Thanks for sharing.
Bookmarked! And thank YOU for such a great list to use as a resource. I appreciate knowing about all of these. Some I've used in the past, and it's nice to have multiple sites to choose from.
I would suggest that everyone read the terms of service for each of the sites before freely using the photos on your blogs. Blogs can be considered commercial use and if these sites say NON-COMMERCIAL use you could be in violation of the terms of service. Tread cautiously!
It is of course recommended that people use their own photography whenever possible but at times you may be forced to use stock photography unless you feel like cave dwelling when talking about fossil remains in some god forsaken place 30 miles under the ground (just an example albeit a drastic one)
These sites were listed for just this purpose but as mentioned there were still a few who stipulated non-commercial only. The vast majority of all those sites only have problems when you try to resell their stock photography especially in bundle packages. And as long as those images aren't used for branding purposes. Blogs can be deemed professional but can also be educational in nature. Regardless of a blog's true depiction, treading safely using the sites above constitutes far greater freedom of artistic expression than any google image ever could.
Always read the terms of service of any site you go on if considering using it for commercial or professional services. Good suggestions Cindy
Thanks for the post. I am scared to use google images, although I have used the Fannie Mae office image and a couple images from the local Chamber of Commerce.
Otherwise I use my purchased clipart and my own photos (bad though they are).
Thanks for the free photo sites. A friend had showed me Photobucket last week. The others are mostly new to me.
Looks like #5 and #43 are the same ... you owe us one more site. :) Thanks for compiling this wide range of sources. Which 3-5 of these sites would you consider best for real estate blogging?
we went through each site and did not detect any spam. And to tell you honestly if a site had 1 trillion free pics but similar levels of spam then we wouldn't have put it on the list.
John Novak,
k done, thanks for noticing. Now to find some more...
How did you know I've been searching for this?! At last! Thank you because as a realtor, you gotta know that every penny counts!! I love FREE!! Did I say thank you?!!?
Castellum Realty - This post is a wonderful resource that will allow us to dress up our blogs without violating any copywrite laws along the way. Bookmarked, I'm sure I'll be utilizing some of these down the road. Thank you.
I love AR for this reason, one of us has always knows the answer and if they are kind enough to post their knowledge we all save ourselves hours of research on google. Thank you for a great post and list
Thanks I'll come back to browse this list. Although, I love to take pictures and believe that a great image or some good "eye candy" can really make a post great. I use iphoto and get their $1 small images or use my own. I'm not a fan of clip art.
Great info. Thanks for sharing. Most of the time, I used my own photos. If I don't have one, I used the clip art but there are times when nothing is appropriate and it is frustrating.
Thanks to everyone for responding. It wasn't easy getting this info but it was definetely worth it. As mentioned we're always looking. We will at some point start making these posts for associates only so don't lose out on info and Associate with us today. We would love to be part of your team!
Thank you for your generosity in sharing and for answering a question I've had for a long time and didn't know to ask. Of course, I have bookmarked it. I don't expect to ever find myself again in circimstances when in a pinch, I can't find an relevant image.
We'll keep looking and please by all means if anyone has any we missed and would like to see added to our list then just respond via reply with the url and site name. Thanks!
Istock can be a great place for those looking to buy quality photos for less than a dollar. Keep in mind that High resolution pictures will cost much more. Generally the price i quoted refers to photos of a pixel resolution of around 250-500 x 300. Good for the web, not for print. All depends on what your needs and wants are. Thanks for sharing.
For those who saw This post i don't suggest using google, flickr, fotki, picasa or picap, etc for images. They all have understood said copyright licenses.
The above list is very safe for commercial purposes.
I also highly recommend Istockphoto as Greg Fox mentioned above. it should be mentioned, however, that you still have to get the commercial license attached with the picture. (you'll have the option after purchasing the picture).
Thanks so much for this list. Wow, what a great service to all of us.
I am in need of a photo of the governor of FL for a post I want to write and wasn't sure where to turn. Maybe one of these sites will have political photos - or do you know any that have political and other famous people photos?
6. It's also important to note that your blog acts as a source for news and thus when posting newsworthy events which have taken place(important) then you must use caution in knowing that identifyable photographs of people should only be posted for 2 weeks time.(1) The right of publicity applies equally to blogs, websites, and social networking sites and thus archiving images on AR or other social networking sites such as Flickr, Facebook and MySpace to name a few, should be avoided.(despite creative commons law, see above) The news events you write about should be about a past happening. You can still write about upcoming events but it should not be the major scope of the article in question.
Note: The right of Publicity, an extension of the right of privacy, enacted in 1903 is still valid today
"The Right of Publicity provides to each and every person the right to use his or her persona for his or her benefit and provides a cause of action to stop the unauthorized use of that persona for commercial purposes. The "persona" includes the person's name, image, or voice or any recognizable attribute."
Source.(1) W. Mack Webner and Leigh Ann Lindquist, "Transformation: The Bright Line Between Commercial Publicity Rights and the First Amendment," 37 Akron Law Review 171 (2004).
____________
Basically as long as you are writing a news story and you remove the pictures within a couple weeks time then you are following the rule behind the right of publicity. I'll try to find more in depth information on this but as of now this is what you should adhere to. Make sure to reference to our copyright/fair use post for more info on this and other issues related to copyright.
Thank you so much!!!! I have been concerned about this from the get go and found a few of these sites...but it is nice to have such a great list.....now I about to add as an associate...and to find that clip art one too!
UPDATE: a very large update was done. About 60 sites were added. All were put in a new category for Stock Photography. I will in the next days, sift through them and let you know if i find any that don't belong anymore. Enjoy.
Hi Ray, just came back to see what you had updated. I have been on these sites and a lot of them go back to the same site once you click - dreamstime.com - and when you click on one of their "free" photos, they want money. The free part is that it's royalty free. I was trying to find a photo of a women pulling on her hair (for a short sale post, go figure) and on different sites it kept coming back to this one that wants $$. Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Sharon
Hi Sharon, ya the new list i added i still need to go through, but i'ts there for people to check out in the meantime. If they are not truly free then i will mark them as such accordingly. The first list is still 100% truly free. When i update it again in a couple days, you will know. (might be a week O.o)
Ray, so what do you do all day? 130 sites plus clip art? Oh well, Brad helped with that one LOL! This is an incredible resource. Now all I have to do is find the time to look at each one...but THANKS a BUNCH for this! Sharon
Ray, so what do you do all day? 130 sites plus clip art? Oh well, Brad helped with that one LOL! This is an incredible resource. Now all I have to do is find the time to look at each one...but THANKS a BUNCH for this! Sharon
Well this list was already existing, i just added more. It was initially produced back in September. As mentioned, i will let you know when the list has been sifted through. You're welcome btw.
UPDATE: moved the graphic down so it can be refeatured as to provide new members with the same information older members were privvy too since this post is now buried deep in the active rain confines.
This is quite an accumulation of sites. I'm amazed at how many "free" sites there actually are. I'm usually using my own photos or none just to avoid the copyright problem. Thanks for sharing.
What do with your free time? On my WordPress blog I use www.picapp.com. It is especially designed for blogs and it is free. What I like best is the plugin. PicApp is put at the bottom of my dashboard, so as soon as I finish writing, I have the pictures below. It also ask me if I want editorial type or creative type. Great list and thank you.
I love it when you round up a big collection to save us the hunt and peck and go seek. Thanks loads..now if you can locate a park your unbranded videos for use in mls without commercial intro or lack of commercial use option...we'd be cooking with gas.
Good grief, nice amount of work you did putting this together. Many thanks for all. I will have put a couple on my favorites and will sign up in a month or so. I have signed up for way too many things this past month and am getting spammed to death, so I need to let all of that calm down a bit.
AWESOME POST! With all the "copyright" blogs these days this is a great post for all of us. Even those that already have a free source for pictures. Thanks for sharing.
What a great list! I love IClipart myself. Fully usable for business purposes according to their terms of use. With over 7 million photos and clipart- they always have what I am looking for. That way I can find something fast because my time is very valuable:) ( You realize that when you hit the big 50) Katerina
Ray, thanks for re-posting this. It was in my Favorites then I upgraded my Mac and lost all my Favorites! *#$@#%! Thanks to you I have them again. I didn't see iBigPhoto.com which is a great site I found from Elizabeth Weintraub's blogs. Welcome back!!!
Thanks for this great list! I usually use stock.xchng, they have many free photos that can be used for just about any purpose. (Just read the rules.) But sometimes their selections are a bit too "European" (especially when it's a picture of money or houses!) So its great to have a wider selection when its needed.
If I'm not using a photo I took myself, I usually use photos I purchase for $1-$3 from iStockPhoto.com. It makes me feel good that the photographer is being compensated for the use of their work, however small the amount. If I can't find the right photo to purchase, I do an advanced search on Flickr.com for photos with a Creative Commons license, and per the CC license I always give the proper attribution (credit specified by the photographer with a link).
Thanks for sharing this great list. I will check them all out.
Were you a research librarian in your last life or your next life? So nice to see you posting again. Have missed your totally amazingly-detailed research posts and artistic, dynamic, photos.
Ray thank you also for the list. Your featured blog is just above mine where I was asking the questions about where to go. Little did I know you were coming up behind me with ALL the answers. Thanks again.
Ahhhh welcome back! You've been missed!!! And what a comeback you guys make... this list is amazing and so helpful. I've bookmarked and will be back often! You've made my day!
I am new to blogging and appreciate all the free advice..there is so much to learn! I have been studying other's posts and have quickly seen how a simple, appropriate picture speaks volumes. Thanks you so much for this list...I'll put it to good use!
This will be without a doubt my top bookmarked post that I will come back to many times in the future! Thank you so much for sharing this valuable list with us and for all the efforts and energy you put into it. Much appreciated!
Just came across this and THANKS! I was using a microsoft site, which was lacking relevant pics, so this list is GREAT! Thanks for taking the time to compile it.
Waaay late to the party on this blog and wonderful contribution. Tonight I'm plowing into some of those sites for my next blog. Castellum Realty: Thank you all, thank you all!
Lancaster PA Luxury Real Estate information for homeowners in Lancaster County Pennsylvania and for those wishing to relocate to Lancaster PA. We offer downsizing services specifically for 55+ seniors looking to move into an Active Adult community in Lancaster PA or Hershey PA. This blog covers, green building practices, historic homes, market conditions and statistics, and general news and information about the real estate market in Lancaster, Lititz, Hershey and all neighboring communities. If you are looking to buy or sell a home in Lancaster PA, then Castellum Realty is your preferred Real Estate Agency of Choice. Castellum Realty strives to treat it's customers like Royalty.
________________________
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
Posted by 
;)
;)
Thanks! I'm really tired of the same old clipart from Microsoft that's in wmf. formulas that AR won't take.