Here are five ways that you can get free images for your blog. People often pay for their images because it is illegal to infringe the rights of another person’s creative work. This means that if you use an image that belongs to another person then you can be sued. Some people sell their images and that is why some blog owners buy their pictures. Below are five legal ways you can get free images.
No method of getting free images is fool proof, so if someone sends you a message telling you to cease and desist then you should seek advice upon what to do next. This is especially true if you own the image, because it may mean that someone has stolen and sold your image to another person.
1 – Check the Google Licenses
There is a category on Google that allows you to search for images alone. The categories are often listed across the top of the screen. Click on the “Images” category and type in the keywords that you think are relevant to your cause. Once the results appear, you need to click on the “Advanced Settings,” which are usually on the right hand side. The advanced settings are usually in the “Options” drop down list. The option has a symbol representing it that looks a little like a cog.
When you find the advanced options, you will need to look near the bottom of the page. You will see a drop down list under the category “Usage rights.” You may then pick the license that suits your cause. Each license will restrict you to certain terms and conditions as per the laws of your country. The further down the list you get then the harder it is to find images for your chosen keyword. Here is a quick rundown of the license options you can choose from:
- Not filtered by license.
- Free to use or share.
- Free to use or share, even commercially.
- Free to use or share or modify.
- Free to use or share or modify, even commercially.
If you are looking to put an unaltered image on your website then “Free to use or share” is all you need. However, if your website makes money (even with affiliate adverts) then you must pick the “Free to use or share, even commercially” option. The results will show you images under your chosen license, which you may be able to copy. The further down the list you go then the fewer pictures will be shown, so you will need to enter fewer (or one) keywords in order to see more pictures.
2 – Image retailers often give them away
The websites that sell images will often have a large stash of images that are free for their viewers or for people who sign up for their “No obligation” account. It may be a good idea to research into a few of these image retailers to find out what images they are willing to give away free.
3 – Google free images
Google search the words “free images.” Many people look online for images that they can use for their websites. Keywords such as “Free Images” attract quite a bit of web traffic, which is why some websites purposefully optimize their websites to attract people who are looking for free images.
Lots of websites have free images that they are prepared to let you use, for the simple reason that they would like attract some of the web traffic that is searching for free images. You can also try typing in the words “license free images”, but the best results appear if you just use the “free images” key phrase.
4 – Use your own
So many people forget that they own the copyrights (the full rights license) to their own photographs. There may be one or two restriction placed upon your images if they are of certain things or people, but as a rule–your photos are your own.
The next catcall comes from people saying they do not have any photos that they can use, and yet they will probably have a Facebook profile that is crammed full of photos they have taken that they can use. In addition, what is stopping them (or you) from taking your camera and taking your own images? You can set up shots or scenarios, or simply find a shot that it relevant to your blog post.
5 – Draw and create them yourself
Other than taking photos yourself, you should consider creating your own images. You can draw your images or paint them and scan them onto your computer, or you can use a tablet and draw your pictures straight onto a computer. You can use 3D imaging software to create images that are shaded to look three dimensional, and use photo-editing software to change your current images into something completely new and magical.
10 Comments
This is an interesting line of content, very nice article. Thanks for sharing this post, good way of bring this subject to discussion. Keep up the great work!
good i don’t know this things before. i thought all the images are free and any one can use them. I will try to use only Google images from now. Because its my thought that all the images on Google are free and every one can download and use them.
I’d say images are quite important for websites or blogs, so knowing where and how to find them is very helpful. When you use an image properly in an article or whatever it is that you may be doing, it helps draw and keep the attention of the reader. Anyways, thanks for the useful tips.
Just recently I found out that images in any blog post is also influenced to the site ranking by Google. Well, actually I always took a pic in my post from my own gallery, but sometimes it happens of course that I need something professional like a logo or some infographics. Your tips will be very useful for future, i will keep them in mind! Thanks!
Hello Sonia Jackson,
This is a very informative article for me. I was searching for it. Google is very strict now-a-days it is not giving Adsense in an easy manner.
So here I found the ways to eliminate copyright images.
Thanks for sharing Sonia
I think adding photos to your blog posts plays a really big roll in capturing your readers attention. Most readers just skim articles to decide if they want to take the time to read them. The photos you use can help your visitors make that decision. I use a WordPress plugin called PhotoDropper to insert free Creative Commons photos into my blog posts. What I like about PhotoDropper is that it automatically inserts the link to the owner of the photo. I use the free version, and it works great, but they now have a premium version too.
Twitter: larrywjames
Recently google has disapproved my adsence account because of having copied images,and now i have started creating myimages by own
Good images are very important for building audience- usually they suggest people what your post is about and they deserve attention. I admit I do not care too much about copyright when it comes to images but it is true you have to carefully look what you are using.
keywords are really helpful for preventing the traffic in searching images.
Yes, By keywords we can get best images in google search. I will follow this step to find free image for my blog…Thanks