Where To Find Free & Legal Stock Photos Online

Thomas Umstattd — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:26:46 +0000

Stop using google image search. Using those images is often illegal and they are not the best images anyway.

Here are a dozen sites that are better and legal.

1. Stock Exchange

Of all of the stock photo sites on the web sxc.hu is the best. It has high quality free stock photos. But be careful. The first row of photos cost money. Clicking on them will take you to a different site where you have to pay. Most of the photos we use here at AuthorTechTips.com come from sxc.hu.

2. Flickr Creative Commons

Flickr has a huge selection of photos mane of which are protected under the Creative Commons which means you can use them legally as long as you attribute the photographer.

3. EveryStockPhoto.com

Every Stock Photo searches several other stock image sites for you. It does not filter offensive images, so use with caution.

4. MorgueFile.com

Morgue File has many photos that you are free to use commercially without attributing the photographer. The photos are mostly snapshots and not true stock photos.

5. FreeStockPhotos.com

Not only does Free Stock Photos have some great nature photos it also has a list of over a dozen other free stock photo sources.

6. IconsPedia.com

Icons Predia has the best selection of free icons. If you want to add a cool Twitter Bird to your website this is the first place to look.

7. BiblePlaces.com

If you need biblical photos BiblePlaces.com is a great place to start.

8. NASA

I’m not sure how this happened but if the U.S. government takes a photo they often release it into the public domain. If you want high quality technology or space photos you can’t do much better than NASA.

9. StockVault.net

StockVault has 13,000+ high quality stock photos. The photos are high quality but low selection. The site does not offer safe search so use at your own risk.

10. FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Freedigitalphotos.net has high quality photos but the selection is not great and the terms of use require a link back to use the photo for free.

11. FreePhotosBank.com

FreePhotosbank has a lame selection of mediocre photos.

12. HistoricalStockPhotos.com

If you want vintage photos Historical Stock Photos is the site for you. Don’t expect much color here.

Related posts:

How to Get Your Avatar to Show Up Everywhere

Thomas Umstattd — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:29:49 +0000

Have you ever noticed how some people’s photo’s appear next to their comments and others do not?

In this post you will learn how to get your avatar to show up automatically when you leave a blog comment or forum post.

What is an Avatar?

Avatars are the small photos that represent you online. Most authors use their author photo as their avatar.

Why Bother?

Having an avatar next to your name helps you look more professional and can boost traffic to your website.

How to Setup Your Universal Avatar

These steps take about 5 minutes and will save you tons of time in the long tun.

Step #1 Go to Gravitar.com
Step #2 Click sign up now!
Step #3 Type in your email address and click sign up. Gravatar uses your email address to link your avatar with your comment.
Step #4 Check your email and click the activation link.
Step #5 Pick a nickname and password. Only lowercase letters and numbers allowed for the username.
Step #6 Add an image by clicking “Add one by clicking here.” Gravitar can grab images from your computer, your webcam, and the internet.
Step #7 Click “My Computer’s hard drive” to select a photo from your computer.
Step #8 Choose file and find the photo you want to use on your computer.
Step #9 Crop the photo. This is fun and fairly self explanatory. Then click “G” for your rating.
Your done! Now your comments on blogs and forums around the world will have your avatar.

Did it work?

Feel free to test your avatar by leaving a comment below.