Pixel Perfect Design

Custom Website Design and Illustration by your Freelance Web Designer in Pittsburgh

Find Free or Low-Cost Photos and Media

Illustration is a critical part of your website and photos should be selected with the utmost care. Pixel Perfect Design has assembled this list of web sources for low or no-cost images and media for your web pages.

Low-Cost Images and Media:

BigStockPhoto

BigStockPhoto has a large database of professional stock photos and artwork. Cost depends on the amount of credits you purchase. If you need just a single image, you could buy just 1 credit for $2.50. But if you buy 10 credits the price drops fifty cents per credit and allows you to change your mind or have alternate photos to keep your web pages vibrant:

iStockPhoto:

iStockPhoto has an enormous database of top-quality photos, vector illustrations, video footage, audio tracks and Flash files, but does not allow individual credit purchase - you must buy at least their smallest package of credits (currently $18 for 12 credits):

For web pages, the small or x-small size is usually adequate (you would need a larger / higher resolution image for a printed publication). Pixel Perfect clients need not join or buy credits from these stock photo suppliers if they prefer to buy photos individually. This chart gives a general idea of what you will pay for iStockPhotos and media:

Free Creative Commons (CC) Photos:

Use Restrictions: Only public domain photos and media can be used without restrictions. Creative commons photos require attribution and often more depending on the copyright owner's stipulations.

Search Terms: If willing to do some searching, you can often find great photos without spending a dime. Try to think like a photographer and search with words or phrases they might use to describe the image or subject (perhaps not the same as your purpose / topic). On Flickr (see below) you can find search term tips from the "Tags" in the lower right section of individual photo pages (also where copyright info is located) - these same terms can also be used on stock photo searches.

Creative Commons Search

Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making it easier for people to share and build upon the work of others. This is a great resource with tabs to search Google, Yahoo!, Flickr, and other places for Creative Commons material (images, text content, maps, video, and more). You can narrow your search by checking boxes next to the search box for "search for works I can use for commercial purposes" and "search for works I can modify, adapt, or build upon" (make derivative works from).

Flickr Creative Commons

Flickr is a gold mine of "amateur" and professional photos. The dog photo below was found in Flickr's Creative Commons on a search under the attribution-only license category. Notice the Tags this photo was given by the photographer - there are hints for alternate search terms (the original term used was simply "dog") that would produce similar photos: "cute dog" - "adorable dog" - "pet portrait" - "dog nose" - "dog eyes" (different search terms will produce different results).

Photo by Randy Son Of Robert on Flickr
Copyright: The Flickr photo above has some rights reserved (it requires attribution - a BY line). Attribution is given here in the photo's caption, but the bottom of the web page is also an acceptable location for credits. On Flickr, find copyright information below Tags under Additional Information on any individual photo page. Flickr's Creative Commons has six different copyright categories - click on "(See more)" beneath each category to search a particular license group - the largest group of photos is: By / Noncommercial / No derivative works:

Flickr Creative Commons Licenses:

		Attribution
		Attribution / Share Alike
		Attribution / No derivative works
		Attribution / Non-commercial
		Attribution / Non-commercial / Share Alike
		Attribution / Non-commercial / No derivative works

Derivative Works: The dog photo above would be considered a derivative work (which is allowed with an attribution-only license) because part of the original image was cropped. "No derivative works" means it is not permitted to modify, adapt, or build upon the original photo or work of art, though the owner may agree to cropping or other changes if you ask.

Share Alike requires you to state that the photo is "share-alike" in the credits.

Link: A link to the photographer's original photo or home page is not always required, but it is polite and in the spirit of attribution and "share-alike."

Public Domain Images - Free Media: "Public domain" (term explained)

Wikipedia (the free online encyclopedia) has many public domain images (and a section devoted to Creative Commons works: Wikimedia Commons).

Free Public Domain Database:
small but growing - some great specific location scenic shots.

USFWS Digital Library:
some good public domain wildlife / nature photos.

National Park Service Digital Image Archives: - public domain photos

USDA Agricultural Research Service:
some great fruit and veggie pics in the public domain.