In 2024, Where to Find High-Quality Free Images for Commercial Projects

Morgan Lv12

2024-05-19 16:01:09 2024-05-19 16:01:09 Created 2024-05-20 16:01:09 2024-05-20 16:01:09 Updated

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Where to Find High-Quality Free Images for Commercial Projects

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

Easy Video Editing Software for Newbies

New to video editing and don’t know how and where to edit videos, don’t have a media production, or can’t find a qualified video editor to film and produce your highlights? It’s all fine! The purpose of today’s article is to demonstrate that, with the correct video editor, you also can create slick, sophisticated video content—regardless of perception—and maintain your content marketing strategy ahead of the game.

In the coming year, over half of marketers will add YouTube and Facebook platforms for streaming video; one-third of all internet usage is spent viewing video; video will make for more than 80% of all internet traffic by 2019. 80% of the time! Let’s get started! From the most affordable (i.e., free!) for the beginners. Here is the best basic video editor that includes the features you’ll find handy in a video editor.

Part 1: Best Basic Video Editors for Windows and Mac [Free and Paid]

What should you do when you do not have access to a video studio or a team of video experts on staff to film and edit your videos? Do not be concerned!

Without the need for an in-house team or outsourcing your video brand awareness, it’s quicker than ever to make high-quality films on your own. Here are some of the top picks.

1. Windows Photos App

Microsoft Photos, a free digital viewer and video editor included with Windows 10 and Windows 11, provides capable visual effects and video enhancements, as well as techniques for organizing and editing videos, everything in a touch-friendly functionality. Windows 10/11 comes with the Photos app pre-integrated. You don’t have to do anything to obtain the app when you have Windows 10/11.

The free Microsoft photo and video editing app is a great choice for viewing, editing, and sharing digital photos and videos. As the name suggests, it’s for Windows users – a delight to use a picture and video-editing tool that’s simple to use, clean, and has all the functions you need for basic viewing and repairs. Obviously, a full-featured program like the Windows Photos App is required for advanced photo organizing, optimization, and effects.

Clips may be trimmed or divided, text can be added , motion or 3D effects can be applied, filters can be used, and the speed can be changed . It’s a huge array that allows you to create an interesting result. There are over 20 options for adding soundtracks at the backend at the top.

The Photos app features the Automatic Video tool which can create video automatically with the images or videos uploaded .

2. iMovie

Okay, so this one won’t actually apply to those of you who deal with computers, but we’d be negligent if we left it off the roster. Thanks to its high-class interface, it doesn’t get much nicer than Apple iMovie regarding elegance and beauty. It is only supported by macOS and iOS.

The ten high-fidelity filters in iMovie are among the best in the video editing game, and you can utilize AirDrop to instantly and smoothly transmit your video to your Mac when you’re filming on your iPhone or working on your iPad.

Green-screen , or “chroma-key,” is among iMovie’s most prized tools since it enables you to relocate your characters to exotic locations—say, Hawaii—at any time. Do you want to add “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” to the image? Because iMovie is integrated with iTunes and GarageBand, you may quickly add unique music and sounds to your movie. Once your video is finished, send it out into the world via iMessage, Facebook, YouTube, or any of iMovie’s numerous easily accessible venues.

Here are some tips and tricks in editing videos with iMovie, hope that will help you edit faster.

3. Apple Photos App

Apple Photos, a free app included with macOS and iOS, is our pick for the best basic video editing software for Mac and iOS users because it embodies the company’s concept of fun, easy-to-use software. The interface of Apple Photos is clean, straightforward, and direct, allowing you to express yourself using basic, uncomplicated shortcuts rather than the complex layers of capabilities seen in more feature-rich products. It is only supported by Apple devices only.

Years, collections, and Moments are used to arrange the videos. Only current devices with 64-bit CPUs, such as the iPhone 5s or above, is compliant with the new release of Apple Photos. The Apple Photos mobile application includes thumbnail sliders to switch numerous characteristics of a photo quickly, in addition to options for auto-enhance, red-eye removal, and crop/rotate.

In Adjust, for example, you may move an indicator over a thumbnail variant to change the video’s luminance or color intensity. The one-click filters are basic, but they can provide some interesting results. You can also use your fingers or type text on display to mark up a video, trim a video and save it as a short teaser, change the slow-motion segment of a film, and trim a video and save it as a new video.

Here are some of the best Apple video editing software , make sure to check it if you’re using a Mac.

4. Wondershare Filmora

In terms of video editors, Wondershare Filmora has long been a current favorite of several, particularly regular customers, due to its ease of use. You will be met with the interface where you will do all of your film editing production. You’ll note how clean, tidy, and uncomplicated it looks and seems at first sight.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Library, Timeline, and Preview are the three options available in the interface. By heading to a specific section of the video on your timeline, double-clicking the area, waiting for it to pop into the preview segment, and then adding effects, transitions, audio, or stabilizing and correcting the video using any of the editing options that are available to you, you can perform simple video editing features.

Additional but equally impressive functions include Lens Correction, Compositing, which applies blend modes to transitions and overlays; Drop Shadow, which applies shadows to images and words. And Auto Enhance, which significantly improves the quality of a substandard video.

5. Adobe Premiere Elements

Adobe Premiere Elements allows even beginner editors to create polished projects from their video sources. It’s an all-in-one video editing and video production software for those who love graphic user interfaces and straightforward layouts. You may sketch around an item or region within a video after adding an effect to it.

As the videos go on, Elements keeps track of this item and conceals the effect on it. You can brighten the sky, change the color of a driving car, and blur a person’s face. Guided Edits, which walk the user step-by-step through multiple things, is a fundamental component of Elements. It is supported by Windows

They help learn the ropes and gain confidence thanks to the user-friendly design. The current version of Premiere Elements has received some under-the-hood improvements, depending less on the CPU and more on the graphics card to improve results.

Part 2: Best Free Basic Video Editors Online

With the advent of social video sharing platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, and TikTok, video editing and production are no longer limited to experts. In this section of the article, we’ll go through the top 5 most highly suggested free online video editing tools that you may use.

The majority of the free basic video editor are beginner-friendly, so even if you’re new to video production, you can rapidly create a movie with these resources.

1. Clipchamp

Clipchamp is an excellent free online video editing program that includes a video compressor, converter, and webcam recorder in addition to video editing features. You can cut, crop, rotate and flip films with ease using drag-and-drop tools.

It allows you to upload media files from a local computer or online cloud storage sites like Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. You can also record the screen, camera or use the text to speech feature to generate audio sound.

Besides the basic video editing feature, this online video editor also provides some templates, stock video and music & sound effect libraries, which makes creating a video much easier. Furthermore, brightness, saturation, and contrast may all be easily adjusted. Transitions, text, overlays, and backdrops may all be added.

You may choose from a variety of aspect ratios, including 1:1, 9:16, 4:3, and 16:9, and it also comes with a built-in instruction to help you build a movie quickly. Plus, the software provides the editor with a large number of templates to pick from.

2. Magisto

Magisto is a fantastic online video creator who automatically transforms ordinary movies into gorgeous, dynamic videos and amazing social videos. It’s easy to use and speedy, with all the features you’d expect from software you paid your kidney for.

You may contribute photographs and videos to Magisto after signing up with your Facebook or Google+ account. Magisto also offers a variety of video themes for a variety of sectors, including birthday wishes, weddings, promotions, announcements, and inspiration. Select from trendy, family, business, social, seasonal, fun, and clean editing themes.

3. Kizoa

Kizoa is well-known for its extensive transition effects, which may help you create professional-looking films quickly. Kizoa also offers 4K UHD videos in various aspect ratios, including 16:9, 4:3, 3:2, 1:1, and 9:16, 3:4, and 2:3 portraits. That’s not even taking into account the software’s numerous templates.

Kizoa’s library has a large number of animations and effects which can be used to adapt films to meet the demands of certain editing tasks. Many aspects of video clips will be considerably easier to customize, such as position, size, length, and timing. Because there is no need to log in to obtain all of these amazing features, most pros and novices prefer to utilize Kizoa for their daily requirements.

4. Canva

Another one on our list is the Canva , which is as easy and simpler to use as the rest of these. The interface on a computer’s web browser is quite straightforward, with a sidebar on the left-side guiding you through all of the stages required to complete your work. You may choose from a variety of templates. They’re divided into categories like Education, Reviews, Explainer, Sale, Fashion, Slideshow, YouTube into, and Outro, and so on.

There are dozens of templates to pick from, with some appearing in many categories. Canva makes use of layers to allow things to be put in front of and behind each other. You may view and adjust that function by clicking the ‘Position’ option. Transparency, filters, color tweaks, cut, and flip are some of the other options available.

5. Adobe Spark

Adobe Spark , like Canva, is a video design platform. It enables you to generate a variety of images and social media material for professional or personal usage. Adobe Spark’s layout and usability will appeal to you. The primary interface, which appears before you use the editor, is straightforward.

Adobe Spark includes a vast library of templates when you’re looking for ideas or motivation for your creations. For organizations who wish to maintain a strong brand image in their material, the Brand area is a must-have element. You may develop new brands with the corporate logo, color palette, and typefaces as the starting point. Adobe Spark features a separate project tab that stores all of your work in one place.

Conclusion

Well, there you have it – the best basic video editors for beginners. Video editing has grown by ten folds from where it was five or six years ago. Almost anyone can edit a video to an extent. But what takes them to the next level is the use of efficient, effective, and productive software in place to do almost any kind of video editing. If you don’t want to install any software on your computer, you can try these online video editors or the preset video makers; if you want to improve the video quality, desktop software is recommended.

02 Best Free Basic Video Editors Online

Part 1: Best Basic Video Editors for Windows and Mac [Free and Paid]

What should you do when you do not have access to a video studio or a team of video experts on staff to film and edit your videos? Do not be concerned!

Without the need for an in-house team or outsourcing your video brand awareness, it’s quicker than ever to make high-quality films on your own. Here are some of the top picks.