The brain processes images more efficiently than text. Therefore, visuals are important for engaging content. Maglr is an editor that allows you to publish your online publication to your readers in an attractive visual way and for various devices. The key to a successful publication lies in the quality of photography. The images you use reflect your corporate identity. For example, do you use images with lots of colours or just black and white? Will you display people or opt for a more abstract style? These are all factors to consider.
The best stock photo websites
To get original visual material for your publications, you could hire a photographer to take photos that fit your story perfectly. Realistically, this is expensive and not a viable option for everyone. Luckily, there are many royalty-free and low-priced stock images available on the internet. Here are some of the best free and paid stock photo websites as of 2024:
- iStock
- Shutterstock
- Fotolia
- Getty Images (also free images available)
- Stock Adobe
Free images and illustrations
It is more common to find free-to-use visual material online. Getting an image off Google does not mean that it is free to use. Make sure your images are 'royalty-free', meaning you can use them safely within your projects. Do keep in mind that some photographers and artists would like to be credited.
Here's a list of websites that offer free images (most have a CC0 licence):
- unsplash.com
- pexels.com
- stockvault.net
- stocksnap.io
- pixabay.com
- burst.shopify.com
- foodiesfeed.com
- negativespace.co
- picography.co
- mmtstock.com
- skitterphoto.com
- lifeofpix.com
- picjumbo.com
- stock.adobe.com
- shutterstock.com
The difference between ‘free' and 'royalty-free'
Free is not the same as royalty-free. It is safe to assume that the rights always remain with the creator of the image. It is important that you credit the artist if it is not a CC0 image. In many cases, free stock content has a Creative Commons license. Version 0, also known as CC0, can be used without payment. You also do not have to name a source or place a link to the original content producer. Asking for permission is also not necessary. The only thing that needs to be considered, is that people who are clearly on the picture should not be put in a negative context.
Stock photo websites by category
Travel photography
Nature/city photography
Vintage photography
Food photography
- https://www.foodiesfeed.com/
- https://pixabay.com/en/photos/?cat=food
- https://www.pexels.com/search/food/
- https://burst.shopify.com/food
- https://www.stockvault.net/c/food-and-drink
- https://isorepublic.com/category/food/
Are you also interested in stock videos?
Many companies use video headers on their website. Hiring a filmmaker is like hiring a photographer and can also be very expensive. In our busy lives, we have little patience when it comes to consuming content from the online world. A research survey from the Kaltura ‘State of Video in the Enterprise’ states that, we simply do not have the time or desire to read through all the information we find. We only look at the header and the design. Furthermore, a good video has much more impact than a flat image. But where do you find a video that fits your website?
The best popular stock video websites
You can often visit stock photo websites for searching and downloading royalty-free stock photos. But there are also websites that only focus on offering videos. We provide a number of websites that offer stock videos on payment and are popular at the moment.
- www.dreamstime.com/stock-video-footage
- istockphoto.com/footage
- shutterstock.com/video
- www.gettyimages.nl/footage
- videohive.net
- www.pond5.com
- www.123rf.com/stock-footage
Free stock videos
Besides stock video websites where you have to pay for content, there are also good sites with free stock video.
- https://mmtstock.com/
- https://videos.pexels.com/
- https://www.videvo.net/
- http://www.coverr.co/
- https://www.pond5.com/stock-video-footage/
- http://www.lifeofvids.com/
- http://www.mazwai.com
‘Free’ is not the same as ‘royalty-free’
As with photos, you also have to consider the rights of free stock videos. Also here we need to look at the Creative Commons licenses. The video maker determines under which conditions the audience can make use of the video. This often means that you can use a video for free, if you mention the name of the creator. However, a con can be that might not look very professional in regards to the design and professionalism of your website.
In some cases, videos cannot be used for commercial purposes. This means that you cannot use a video if it supports a product or service that you want to make a profit from. This licensing rule is often ignored, but watch out, it right inflict damage on the reputation of your company.
