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How to Find Cheap Royalty Free Images
How to Find Cheap Royalty Free Images
If you have spent time online, you have noticed the impact that a good image has to a written piece. There are times that you want to write something, but it needs a bit more attention. However, you may not have the right image on hand. You also may not be a photographer yourself. While you could browse the web until you find an image you like and use that, it’s really not the best idea. What most people don’t realize is that would be potentially illegal. Images have a copyright that gives the owner the right to say how those pictures are used. There is another, better solution. You can find cheap royalty free images that allow you to post without risking legal action. It’s not hard to do if you know where to look.
Finding Sources and Getting Started
The first thing you need to do is become familiar with the sites that offer stock photography. Some popular options are iStockphoto, Shutterstock and BigFoto. There are also many more to choose from. If you don’t find what you need with these options, do a quick Google search to find even more options.
Almost all sites that provide cheap royalty free images will require that you sign up for a membership. It should be free to create an account at most sites, though you may be responsible for modest download fees. You will need to create a user name and password. You will also provide your email address and fill out a form with basic personal information. After this has been completed, you can search the database of each site to find the images that meet your needs.
Is It Free or Cheap?
There are two types of images that you can find on stock photo sites. Some sites with cheap royalty free images have a collection of free pictures that can be used by anyone. You will have to sign in to your account to access these images. These pictures are often submitted by other members, who specify that their image may be used for free. These photos may be taken by professional or amateur photographers, so quality varies a great deal. However, there are plenty of great images to be had.
These same sites may also have a section that is dedicated to images that are for sale. These cheap royalty free images are subject to a one time download fee. They have no other royalty fees attached. Prices range from about one to five dollars, depending on the size and quality of the image. For web content, you don’t need the image to be large or high resolution. However, if you are printing the photo, it pays to purchase higher quality for the best printing results. Some sites only have this paid section and do not offer images that are free. Always browse several sources to find the cheapest and most suitable image for your needs.
How to Download
Each image that you use from a stock photo site will need to be lifted from their system and saved to your own computer. This isn’t difficult to do when you understand the step by step process that is used.
- Log into the stock photo site.
- Browse using a keyword.
- Select a photo that meets your needs.
- If the photo is for sale, pay the one time fee.
- Open the photo. The photo may pop up or you may see a box prompting you to save.
- Hit “save”, if that option is available. Otherwise, right click the image and save.
- Rename the photo with a descriptive or identifying tag.
- Be sure to include the photographer’s information for proper credit.
Organizing the Photos
If you use a lot of stock images, they can clog your hard-drive. Devise a system that you can understand. Some people create a file for each stock photo site they use. Others organize images in a folder that is listed under the photographer’s name. Do what makes sense to you. You do need to make sure that the photographer’s information is somewhere in your files. You may also want to resize the photos when you download them. Keep a master copy of the unedited version. Web based pictures do not need to be large or have high resolution. Most basic photo editing programs will resize for the Web in just a few seconds.
What About Credit and Terms of Use?
This is the most important part of using cheap royalty free images. Just because you obtained the picture for free, or cheap, doesn’t mean that you have no legal obligation. Each site that you use will have its own terms of use. Always read and understand what you are agreeing to. At the least, you will need to give credit somewhere in your content to the photographer.
Some images also require that you contact the owner and let them know where you are using the picture. Terms can vary by individual photographer, so check each image to see what the owner of the image expects. Do not save the image without recording the photographer’s information along with it. This will streamline the credit process when you use the photo. It may be quite awhile before you use a photo that you have downloaded. Don’t expect to remember where you got each image on your hard-drive.
Finding cheap royalty free images isn’t hard at all. In fact, it’s so simple that there is really no reason to resort to illegal or unethical means of getting photos. Become familiar with several stock photo sites, with both free and low cost options. Read the terms of service to be sure that you are doing everything correctly. Then, it’s as simple and finding, saving and uploading the pictures to your computer. From there, you are all set to use the images either on the web or in printed material.
This entry was posted on Saturday, May 15th, 2010 at 11:27 am and is filed under Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.