Images play a vital role in business marketing. They attract the visitor’s attention and help convey brand messages. However, sourcing images for the digital marketing campaign is a challenging task.
Generally, real images are the best choice as they are customized specifically for the unique brand. But they are not everyone’s cup of tea as they require a lot of time, effort, and a hefty budget.
As an alternative, people utilize stock photos as they are readily available. Many websites provide high-quality stock images today. You can edit these images to match your brand’s scheme. Some websites are free, while others require a little investment, depending on your needs.
Let’s dive deep to learn more about these websites:
1. iStock (Paid)
The first website to get stock photographs is istockphoto.com. It has a large number of contributors and customers from across the globe. The collection of videos, vectors, and images is impressive. Not just this, but it lets you enjoy a specific number of free stock images weekly.
Why choose iStock?
The following features make iStock a great stock photo site:
- Downloading pictures directly on your smartphone is possible with iStock’s android and iOS apps.
- Multiple categories are present to choose the photos of your choice.
- Within minutes, you can search for your desired photos through the search bar on the home page.
- iStock editor lets you resize pictures, add filters and text, and much more.
2. Shutterstock (Paid)
Finding pictures on Shutterstock is not difficult, regardless of whether your business is new or well-established. Its vast database comprises 390+million photos, music tracks, and videos. Moreover, the site adds new images daily, making it easier to fulfill your visual needs.
Why choose Shutterstock?
Shutterstock can be your right choice because of the following reasons:
- Besides the traditional keyword search, Shutterstock brings a unique feature called “reverse image searching.” It takes one picture as an input and delivers similar image results.
- An image editing option is also available.
- At a glance, you can see pictures of all the latest events and trends. Shutterstock offers a separate category for it under the section “curated collection.”
- Since the platform enjoys a global clientele, it serves you in more than 21 languages.
3. Stock Photo Secrets (Paid)
Another great hub of images, vectors, and videos is Stock Photo Secrets. The website is intuitive and has a separate page of search tips. No matter what your area of interest is, finding high-quality photos is not a problem here.
Why choose Stock Photo Secrets?
Below are some commendable features of the site:
- The search bar offers a curated image search option. It allows you to drag an image to find similar images.
- Multiple categories are present on the home page.
- The resource page is full of valuable tips and FAQs.
4. Pexels (Free)
If you are looking for a free source of stock images, Pexels is the right choice. Like others, it also has a massive collection of royalty-free photos and videos. The website is user-friendly, and finding the right image takes only a few minutes.
Why choose Pexels?
You should try out Pexels because of the below benefits:
- You can view top photos at a glance.
- Searching images is simple.
- You don’t need to worry about copyright issues; all photos are licensed.
5. Stock Photos (Paid)
Another site on our list is Stock Photos. It presents a great collection of vectors, templates, stock images, and other digital tools. You can quickly get your desired photos even if you are a newbie. Their support system guides every buyer, and the prices are fair enough.
Why choose Stock Photos?
The following features make Stock Photos an outstanding stock agency:
- You can download pictures for the same price in a range of sizes.
- Using the pictures commercially is not a problem.
- Purchasing even a single photo is possible.
6. Alamy (Paid)
Here you can find a massive collection of stock imagery, which is more than 145 million. The site features high-resolution pictures and has many international business clients. It lets you search images easily with lots of discounts and multiple payment plans.
Why choose Alamy?
Subscribers of Alamy prefer it due to the following features:
- It has a considerable number of global contributors, making it possible to get access to diverse photos.
- Every photo on this platform is of premium quality.
- It uploads new photos every day.
7. Unsplash (Free)
Like Pexels, Unsplash is also a free option for you. Its quality is excellent because of its high number of contributors, around 50,000. The website keeps updating its image library and provides an intuitive platform for getting visual assets.
Why choose Unsplash?
Here are a few features that make Unsplash one of the best sites:
- It lets you save photos for future use.
- It has a strict policy for its contributors that helps maintain quality.
- A license backs all the images.
8. Adobe Stock (Paid)
Adobe is a software company with renowned apps like Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign under its umbrella. Adobe Stock is another offering that houses a wide array of vectors, videos, images, and more.
Why choose Adobe Stock?
Adobe Stock has fantastic features, which include:
- You can get access to the photos through the Creative Cloud app.
- Adobe presents photos in two different categories for mobile and desktop users.
- Finding the right image is possible within minutes. You can search images through various filters like mood, style, color, etc.
9. Pixabay (Free)
One more free website for stock pictures is Pixabay. Many people use it to get images for marketing purposes. Pictures on almost every subject are available here. You can find stock photos, vectors, graphics, and illustrations with a click.
Why choose Pixabay?
The following features of Pixabay make it an ideal website:
- Newbies find it easier as the editor’s choice section is available. They can extract fresh ideas for their new projects.
- WordPress users can download images directly from their dashboards.
- It lets you search images through dimensions and colors.
Bottom Line
You can use stock images if real photos are not in your budget. The above websites are the best places to get stock photos. Some are free, while others require some investment. However, spending a few bucks is not bad when you get high-resolution pictures in return.
Let us know what you think in the comments below! And don’t forget to share your favorite resource for stock images!
