The brain processes images faster and better than text and therefore images are important for an online publication. Maglr is an editor that makes it possible to publish your online publication to your readers in an attractive visual way and to different types of devices. When making an online publication, it is important that the images are correct. In many cases, the style of an image is a huge part of a corporate identity. For example, do you use images with lots of colours or just black and white? Are there people on the images or not, do they have to have a Dutch or European appearance? These are all factors to think about when selecting images.
For some subjects, it can be difficult to find an image. In such cases try to think about how an abstract image can add something to your page.
An overview of the most popular stock photo websites
To get images, you can hire a photographer to get photos that fit perfectly with your story. But if this is financially not possible, you will have to search for images on the internet. There are different websites where you can buy stock photos at a low price.
Sites where you can find paid images:
- iStock
- Shutterstock
- Fotolia
- Getty Images (also free images available)
- Stock Adobe
Free imagery
It is more common to find free-to-use visual material online. With free images we do not mean 'the pictures that you can 'pick' from Google', but royalty-free images that you can really use freely.
Some sites where you can find 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
‘Free' is not the same as '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 images. It is important that you always give the content producer the credits 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.
Are you looking for photos in a specific 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?
An overview of the most 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. There are also websites with free stock video, which also will be discussed.
- 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.
