Any search on the internet will list numerous software platforms to find images and other visuals. Explore the 5 top selected platforms by EdITCon that will help you to find the right image, video, template, music, photo, and any other stock media. It will save you time and hassle to create the next social media post, landing page, or freshen up your website.
A website or social media with great looking content creates a lasting impression, captures the attention, and entices the visitor to click a call-to-action. Make your brand look fresh with creative content where visitors want to explore more of what you can offer.
The internet has a vast number of images. Google reported in November 2020 that more than 4 trillion photos are stored in Google Photos, and every week 28 billion new photos and videos are uploaded.
Before we dive in to finding the right image, bear in mind that copyright applies to images and any other visuals. To be safe, if you created the image yourselves, you are the owner and you can reproduce and display what you have created. You need permission to use any other image or visual, especially if it is for marketing i.e. commercial purposes. Always double check where the image has been originated and check the specific permissions and licences associated. Creative Commons have developed different licences to clarify the use of images. The safest option is attribution-only and CC0 1.0 public domain licenses. This where the owner waived all rights, or the copyright has expired and the image then enters the public domain.
Search Engine for Images – Google Images
Google Images is a powerful and easy to use tool to search for any image on the internet. You simply enter the keyword into the search bar to see matching images related to the keyword. The search engine also uses text associated with the image like the filename to match the keyword. Search results include images related to the keyword and the websites where these images appear.
You can also upload an image and see visual matches. What is useful is that you can also search for the image source. On the Search Engine Results pages, you’ll see the list of pages that include matching images. This is useful to see if there is copyright on the image.
Before using any of these images, you need to check the usage rights. If commercial and other licences are indicated, it is safe to use. Click on Tools in Advanced Google Search like in the image below to see or filter per usage right.
Free and Paid Stock Photo Search Engines
Shutterstock offers one of the largest and best-known libraries of royalty free photos, videos and music and more. Images and media offered with free trial, means that you can keep those images that you have downloaded, even if you cancel within the free trial period. Note the limit of only 1 free trial per person. Different pricing options for subscription are available.
Pixabay offers 2.7 million + high quality images, videos and music shared by their community. All contents are released under the Pixabay License, which makes them safe to use without asking for permission or giving credit to the artist – even for commercial purposes.
Vista Create
VistaCreate is an user-friendly graphic design platform where you can create visual content using 50 000+ professionally designed templates and the library of 50 million + royalty free media including images, videos and vectors. You can upload your own photos, videos or use free stock images, background and clipart. The free VistaCreate plan offers users access to 14 tools including over 1 million royalty free photos, videos and vectors. The Pro plan offers full access to all libraries and the other features including the background removing feature which is one of the most prominent features.
Creative Market
Creative Market offers a great platform with a global variety of digital assets including various types of graphics, fonts, templates, photos, web themes and 3D products. Quality designs are available for Instagram templates. Designers from over the world can sell their graphic designs here. Users can find everything they need and download quality designs at a reasonable price. The free option offers every month a hand-picked collection of trending design goods sourced from their market place. 3 Pricing plans offer monthly credits from 200, 300 and 500 to download any digital assets.
Envato Elements
Envato claims that you can get any creative project done with Envato, no matter your skill level. With an affordable monthly subscription Envato Elements offers you unlimited downloads of 11 million + creative assets including graphic, web and video templates, audio, photos and more. The WordPress category offers 5200+ items including themes, plugins, and template kits. The platform is very user friendly and you can easily filter and refine your searches to your requirements. The free plan allows you to get 12 free hand-selected files, including fonts, presentations, videos and more.
Conclusion
With any or all of these 5 trusted software platforms you will enjoy endless options for any creative content you need to design in no time.
For unique photo needs, EdITCon Digital proudly offers professional photographer services to create a photo pack. Please feel free to contact us for assistance of your corporate identity design and brand kits.