Gerry BlackAnyone who publishes creative content on the web knows that imagery is everything. From blog posts to videos to advertising, you need compelling and beautiful images to grab and keep your audience’s attention.
Royalty free stock images are your best choice for this kind of work. Royalty free means you don’t have to pay the creator of the image every time you use it. You can use it as many times as you like after downloading and never have to pay a cent.
For video makers, who want to spend time on editing and story and not on hunting for pictures, this can be an essential part of the process. Between shots, you may want some stills that help capture the mood of the video as a whole. Perhaps you’re making a slideshow for training. No matter what the video, royalty free stock images can always come in handy. Let’s look at some of the best sites for downloading royalty free stock images.
Best Royalty Free Stock Image Sites
Makerstock is probably the biggest collection online of stock photos that are best for startups. They are hand-picked and contain some of the best and most high quality photos on the web, all in one easy-to-find place. Some of their most popular images contain computers, smartphones, tablets, people, and technology.
Pixabay has thousands of high quality photos, illustrations, and vector graphics just waiting for you to download and use them. They are specifically free for commercial use and require no attribution. This is perfect for video marketers and social media marketers.
Pexels is great for anyone looking for grand, cinematic photos. Some of their most popular photos contain food, nature, clothing, and people. They are free to be used commercial and require no attribution.
Unsplash is one of the more well known names on this list. They photos are completely 100% free for you to use for whatever you like. They are always high resolution, always high quality and you can download 10 new photos every 10 days. Some of their most popular images contain food, the outdoors, tools, and offices.
Why Choose Royalty Free Stock Photography?
When looking for royalty free images for video, royalty free is the way to go. Even if you have the budget to purchase stock photography license, it’s often best to explore royalty free options first.
There are some hidden gems on these sites. Why pay money for something when you can get something just as good for free? Many younger or more exploratory photographers give their work to free sites instead of paid ones. This means you’ll be getting creative and innovative photography that won’t be seen everywhere else. Royalty free photos tend to be more artistic, relaxed and sometimes more realistic. Licensed stock photography can be stiff, posed, and dull.
Sometimes you don’t know how something is going to look until it’s all put together. Wouldn’t you hate to license a photo and put it in your video, just to find that it doesn’t go at all? When you use royalty free stock photography, you can swap out as many photos as you like until you find the perfect one.