Updated 2024 Approved Say Goodbye to Stock Photo Fees Free Alternatives

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2024-04-28 15:03:53 2024-04-28 15:03:53 Created 2024-04-29 15:03:53 2024-04-29 15:03:53 Updated

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Say Goodbye to Stock Photo Fees: Free Alternatives

Did you know that some of the world’s most iconic advertisements use stock images for commercial use? For example, AlamapBBDO, a Brazilian ad agency, used stock photos from Getty Images to create their Endless Possibilities campaign in 2016. The advertising campaign combined photos of random people’s faces to recreate portraits of famous people such as the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis.

Most creative agencies prefer altering stock images in most of their work. This is because it allows them to create campaigns for different companies much faster at affordable costs. Keep reading to find out how to get free images for commercial use in your next project.

Part 1: Download images in loyalty-free sites

Several sites offer free images for commercial use as part of their services. In addition, you do not need to register an account to download the images. The sites typically rely on user contributions and content teams to ensure their databases are fresh and maintain consistent quality. Furthermore, all creative assets they offer fall under the creative commons zero license or a variation of it. Here are some of the sites that offer you images for commercial use for free.

1. Pexels

Pexels.com is a free-to-use provider of high-resolution photos and videos for aspiring creators. The German-based website was started in 2014 by two brothers and has been under the Canva umbrella since 2018.

Currently, the website hosts over 3.2 million images and videos from over 250,000 active contributors. In addition, all the material you find in its library is under the Pexels license, which slightly varies from the creative commons zero license model. Some of the restrictions it enforces include:

You can only use pexels images for commercial use after making alterations to the original image. For example, you can use part of an image to create a collage for your commercial branding.
Furthermore, you cannot use any of the website’s content to promote political ideologies and explicit content, especially if the images contain identifiable subjects.

Pexels is available through the following channels:

Your web browser by typing the URL pexels.com.
The Android and iOS app.
A plugin for other content creation software such as Google Slides and MS Office.
An extension on your Chrome browser.
You can also access the database using the official Canva app.

2. Unsplash

Another website that offers free images for commercial use is Unsplash, a subsidiary of Getty Images since 2021. The website is a favorite among creators boasting over 16 billion photo impressions monthly. In addition, the database consists of over 3.48 million photos from more than 265,000 unique contributors, all under the Unsplash license.

The Unsplash license restricts the sale of its creative assets without incorporating new creative elements, including using them in print media and physical goods such as mugs and caps.

You can access Unsplash from your web browser or request API integration for your application from the site’s owners. In addition, the site also hosts photo walks across different cities, where Unsplash guides show you the best photo locations around the city and the best camera techniques for your work. Some cities to host the event include Boston, Montreal, Tokyo, and Toronto.

3. Freerange

Freerange Stock is an online resource for photos, illustrations, and textures you can download and use for commercial and non-commercial purposes. Since 2007, the site has continued to provide high-quality images to its community of over 800,000 registered users.

Unlike the previous examples, all content on Freerange falls under the website’s Equalicense. It grants you broad commercial rights of its stock images while allowing the contributors to retain control of their copyright, image resale, and distribution. As such, you cannot use the images for bulk distribution or print-on-demand works.

Freerange Stock maintains its steady supply of images for commercial use via the following methods:

It has an in-house team of professional photographers who upload images across the different categories on the website.
Freerange Stock also purchases image rights or directly commissions photos from independent creators.
You can also contribute to the website’s library by voluntarily submitting your work to the platform. Kindly note that you will need a verified account to enable this function.
The website also works directly with photographers through a licensing and distribution model, providing them extra exposure on the site.
Finally, Freerange stock aggregates public domain images from other sources, including similar sites and government institutions. It does so by acknowledging the image owner and sometimes lists the image source when the owner is unknown.

Freerange Stock is accessible through your web browser or as an API integration on your app.

4. Vecteezy

Vecteezy is an extensive online library of free stock images for commercial use. Some of the site’s highlight features include the following:

A best-in-class search engine that incorporates multiple filters to ensure your results are extremely accurate. For example, you can sort images by color, style, number of people, and age of the subjects, something other free stock websites do not provide.
All images, videos, and vector illustrations are free for personal and commercial uses. It does so through a property sign and release model with its extensive network of contributors, which protects users from any legal liabilities.
Finally, it employs a content team that manually reviews each photo submission to ensure consistent quality standards for its offerings.

In addition, you can also purchase design resource bundles by subscribing to its Vecteezy pro for as little as $9 monthly. Some of the resources available include the Ultimate Text Effects Layer Styles Bundle for Photoshop, which costs $39 stand-alone or $4.50 when you subscribe to pro.

Part 2: Buy from stock providers

Another way to get images for commercial use is by buying them from stock providers. Some of the benefits of buying images from stock providers include:

You get a wide selection of unique photos from top-tier photographers. Stock providers always seek collaborations with the industry’s finest to edge out the competition.
You receive exemplary customer service with your purchase. Selecting the right image can be confusing for amateur creators. As such, stock image providers have customer support channels to help you throughout your creative process.
Stock images reduce your delivery times significantly. Buying images from a stock provider eliminates the need to invest in photography equipment and the time you need for post-production. As such, you can deliver projects in a fast and cost-effective way.

Despite the above positive, here are some challenges that buying stock images may present:

Not all stock image providers will have the creative assets you need.
Image overuse is likely since every creator will rush for the most popular contributor.

Below are some of the stock image providers you should consider.

1. iStock

iStockphoto.com is an online database of creative resources, including royalty-free photos, videos, audio, illustrations, and clip art you can use in your creations. The website is a Getty Images subsidiary based in Calgary, Canada. In addition, contributors earn royalties depending on how often users download their content.

2. Alamy.com

Alamy.com is a British-owned stock image provider with contributions from photographers and agencies in 173 countries. It compensates its contributors by offering higher than average payouts every time users download their creations. Some popular brands to use Alamy’s services include M&C Saatchi, Microsoft, and The Economist.

Part 3: Shot a Photo by yourself or create one with editing tools

Alternatively, you can get images for commercial use by shooting them yourself or creating them with editing tools such as Figma and Wondershare’s Filmstock. Here are some benefits of using this method:

You get exactly what you want, provided you have the required skills and equipment. Sometimes, getting the right image for your commercial purpose can be challenging. As such, shooting an original photo may be the only option.
You have full ownership of the image.

Unlike obtaining images from stock photography websites, you are free to use the image in whatever capacity you please without any restrictions. For example, sites such as Unsplash do not allow you to use their images in political statements, a restriction you can bypass when using your own creations.

However, you should also consider the following factors when using this method.

It requires a substantial investment

Getting high-quality images for commercial purposes requires specialist equipment. For example, the Panasonic LUMIX GH6 camera, which has 4K resolution capability, costs $2,197 on Amazon. This makes it extremely expensive for amateur creators.

There is a steep learning curve

Becoming a professional photographer takes time and effort. Unless you are creating as a hobby, it will be a while before you can start generating income from your creations.

Part 4: FAQs

1. Do you need a contributor account to get images for commercial use?

Not necessarily. Stock image sites like pexels.com allow you to download images from their website without creating an account. You will only need one if you want to showcase your work on the platform.

2. Can you use your smartphone to get images for commercial use?

Yes. Most stock image providers have device-specific apps that allow you to access their databases from your mobile device. For example, UnsplashPhotoPicker allows you access to the Unsplash library from your Android device.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

An easy yet powerful editor

Numerous effects to choose from

Detailed tutorials provided by the official channel

Try It Free Try It Free

These days, people are relying on social media to grab the attention of their audience but this is not possible without the correct creation of the videos. That’s how we will start on talking about Social Media Aspect Ratio.

Part 1 Which Platform Do You Want to Optimize Your Video For? Will It Be YouTube, Facebook or Instagram?

Videos have become the great tool nowadays in order to get your brand’s conversion higher. The reason behind this is people feel more connected and engaged in the videos rather than text content. Moreover, it is more important to know that videos get about 135% more reach on Facebook and Instagram. On Twitter these video contents get 6 times more retweeted. However, specs and Social Media Aspect Ratio get a constant change. So, it is important to keep changing the sizes and video aspects as per the demands. No matter the videos are on YouTube, Facebook or Instagram, if they will not stand out on all the guidelines then they will lose the reach.

When you are creating video content to promote your brand, then it becomes necessary that you manage the things to be right. There are so many things that needed to be considered and here are some of them:

● You will need to make sure that the images and the videos you are using do not have pixilation issues. It may cause them look awkwardly stretching.

● If the size of the images and videos will not be correct then it can cut down some or important message that you want to convey.

● Being familiar with the correct size of videos and images makes you capable of uploading them on any social media channel. This can help boost the engagement of the audience.

● Correct sizing can also help you at the long run as this makes you ready for any network on which you will need to post the images and videos.

Part 3 What Aspect Ratio Should Be Selected for Different Application Scenario?

It is vital to select the best aspect ratio for social mediaplatforms to make the videos get a more reach and engagement. Here are the some important factors that are essential to select for different applications:

01Instagram

Instagram videos get a special reach so it is worth to say that these videos are a must invest.

● Recommended size: The most recommended sizes of Instagram videos are 1080 by 1080p and 1080 by 1920 p.

● Minimum width: The minimum width must be around 600 by 600p.

● Supported aspect ratios: You can upload videos of aspect ratios from 16:9 to 9:16.

● Recommended specs: The videos must be in MOV or MP4 format. The maximum and minimum file sizes are 4 GB and 30 MB respectively. Also your video must not exceed 60 seconds in length and the frame rate should be 30fps.

02Facebook

Videos on Facebook appear in several formats. All the formats do have almost similar requirements but at some times it may vary.

● Recommended size: The most recommended size for posting videos on Facebook is 1280 by 720p. You can post feed videos, in-stream ad videos, etc. in the recommended size. Carousel videos are posted in the size of 1080 by 1080p.

● Minimum width: It must be minimum 600p.

● Supported aspect ratios: Here you can post your video of aspect ratio varying from 4:5, 2:3, 9:16 and 1:1.

● Recommended specs: The file size on Facebook should not exceed 4GB. The formats that can be used are MOV and MP4 with the frame rate of 30fps. Also the length of videos should be maximum 240 minutes or less.

03YouTube

YouTube is a larger platform than Facebook and Instagram. This is the reason it allows a number of video sizes to upload in.

● Recommended size: The most recommended size to upload videos on YouTube is 1920 by 1080p but it also allows uploading videos in 2560 by 1440p and 3840 by 2160p.

● Minimum width: YouTube allows a minimum width of 426 by 240p.

● Supported aspect ratios: On YouTube the supported aspect ratios are 16:9 and 4:3.

● Recommended specs: The maximum length of the video must be 12 hours long and the file size must not exceed 128 GB. The formats that can be used are MOV, MP4, AVI, MPEG4, FLV, etc.

04LinkedIn

● Recommended size: The most recommended size for LinkedIn videos is 1920 by 1080p.

● Minimum width: The minimum width accepted for LinkedIn videos is 360p.

● Recommended specs: The maximum length of LinkedIn videos must be less than 10 minutes. The file size should not exceed 5 GB with a maximum frame rate of 60fps.

05Snapchat

● Recommended size: You should upload videos on Snapchat having a size of 1080 by 1920p. This is recommended for all the video types that are being uploaded on Snapchat.

● Supported aspect ratios: Snapchat supports aspect ratios of 9:16 and 16:9.

● Recommended specs: For video ads the maximum file size should be 32 MB and for regular videos, the size could be increased to 1GB. The file formats that are accepted include MOV, MP4 or encoded.

06Twitter

Twitter allows horizontal and vertical videos. Here are the required assets for them:

● Recommended size: recommended size for vertical videos is 1200 by 1900p and for horizontal videos, this becomes 1280 by 1024p.

● Minimum width: It must be 32 by 32 pixels.

● Supported aspect ratios: Twitter supports aspect ratio ranging from 1:2.39 to 2.39:1.

● Recommended specs: Maximum length of the videos should be 140 seconds. The file size should be less than 512 MB with a frame rate of 40fps.

07Pinterest

● Recommended size: The sizes for square videos are recommended to be 600 by 600p and for vertical; it should be 600 by 900p.

● Minimum width: It should be not more than 240p.

● Supported aspect ratios: Pinterest supports aspect ratios of 1:1 in square mode and 9:16 in vertical modes.

● Recommended specs: The file formats to be added are MOV and MP4 with a frame rate of 25fps. The maximum length and file size can be 30 minutes and 2 GB respectively.

08TikTok

TikTok made the creation and editing of videos easy. On this platform you can also easily share your created videos.

● Recommended size: The recommended size of the TikTok videos is 1080 by 1920p.

● Minimum width: It must be 540 by 960 or 960 by 540 pixels approximately.

● Supported aspect ratios: TikTok supports the aspect ratio of 9:16, 16:9 and 1:1.

● Recommended specs: The recommended file formats are MOV and MP4 with a maximum file size of 500 MB. The maximum length of the videos could be 60 seconds but it is recommended to keep it 15 seconds.

Days are gone when vertical video were said to be shameful content. These days vertical videos are widely used and they also have a market on social media. But before you are creating these videos vertically, you need to be very careful about the things. Here are some tips that can make your vertical videos even better:

Aspect ratios: The Aspect ratio for social mediaplays a major role in the success of the videos. This is the reason why aspect ratios are must to understand. As far as vertical videos are concerned it can be said that the aspect ratio can be anything just greater than 1:The most recommended aspect ratio for vertical video is 9:16 as it covers the whole screen and also it is more immersive.

Stay closer to the subjects: When you are shooting your videos in a vertical frame then it can make easier for you to stay closer to your subjects. As people will be scrolling through the application then your video will be at the center. Sometimes, these videos are cut awkwardly. If you shoot the video properly then you can keep yourself away from such issues.

Grab the attention: users on social media spend no time to switch to another content or other version of the particular content. This is why it becomes so important to catch the attention of your viewers immediately. Try to keep the first couple of moments exceptionally engaging. This will boost the attention of the audience and also make them stay on your video.

Rule of third can benefit you: If you are wishing to follow this rule then it is important to know the reason behind this rule. This rule means that you should not keep the subject or object directly in front of the frame. This can look ugly and will not suit every time. Instead of this, you can make the use of imaginary vertical and horizontal lines to create better and interesting composition. This will make you frame divided into thirds. Your subject can be placed on these lines or in between the lines where they are meeting. You can get the feature of using the grid as a guide in most of the cameras and phones.

Using the tools: In order To grab the viewer’s attention it is essential that you are using the right tools. No matter of the kind of the video you are creating you can use the latest tools from wondershare. Wondershare Filmora Video Editor is the two tools that are highly in demand these days due to their exceptional features. Here are some of them:

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

● **Filmora:**This is a fun to use tool that has so many exceptionally amazing features. It simplifies its features so that you can save your effort and time. It is completely efficient so you can create videos effortlessly and with breakthrough. You may also get creative titles, filters, transitions, etc. Color grading and speed control also make the tool worth using. You can enjoy other features like social import, tilt shifting, audio mixer, screen recording, auto crop and much more.

● **Filmora pro:**This one is for the professional personthat is not completely easy to use but you can enjoy the latest and advanced features. Being highly customizable this gives you several features through which you can get a better control on your videos.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

● In the present scenario there is no such person who is unaware of importance of social media. Social media platforms are widely used for various purposes and one of them is marketing the brands and products.

● Apart from the text content, video content is liked by the users and customers more. This is the reason why marketers go for visual content. Also it is essential to have a special focus on all the important aspects of making a video.

● Various things of making a perfect video include of dimensions, sizes, quality of the visualization and aspect ratios. It is important to know that Social media video aspect ratiosmay vary from different platforms. You can use latest tools to make your videos more interesting and engaging.

Try It Free Try It Free

Part 1 Which Platform Do You Want to Optimize Your Video For? Will It Be YouTube, Facebook or Instagram?

● You will need to make sure that the images and the videos you are using do not have pixilation issues. It may cause them look awkwardly stretching.

● If the size of the images and videos will not be correct then it can cut down some or important message that you want to convey.

● Being familiar with the correct size of videos and images makes you capable of uploading them on any social media channel. This can help boost the engagement of the audience.

● Correct sizing can also help you at the long run as this makes you ready for any network on which you will need to post the images and videos.