Modern practical skills such as photo editing are starting to become more common over the years. The increased accessibility of editing software may be the most common cause of this resurgence, along with the popularity of the graphic designing industry. In this case, stock images became a prime commodity since they are ideal for producing professional digital work and for practicing editing skills. With that in mind, this article will provide a complete list of websites where you can download free high-resolution images for stock photo needs or as an editing asset. Moreover, we will also provide a quick guide on how to make images better looking and the legal considerations when using stock photos.
Before we move forward to the websites where stock high-resolution images can be downloaded for free, let us first discuss what exactly makes high-resolution images as such. This is important to consider since defining these aspects makes assessing easier if a photo has HD quality and is not only good for the naked eye.
In the simplest definition, high-resolution images are photos that have at least 300 dots per inch (DPI) or pixels per inch (PPI). This means that every digital inch in an image has at least 300 pixels, making their details smoother and cleaner. This is the standard for all kinds of images, regardless of their resolution sizes.
In terms of image format, HD images are advisable to be saved in PNG format due to their lossless compression. This means that images will be saved in their base form and retain all image data. The same cannot be said for the JPG format, which is compressed to have a smaller size.
Due to their quality, high-resolution images are ideal for professional uses such as web designing, printing use, producing marketing materials, and other forms of graphic design-related work.
When looking for a reliable stock image source, Pexels has a strong case to be considered as one of the best. This is because the website offers a completely free service with no premium subscription options. This is true for their users and for creators who want to share their media files. Moreover, Pexels guarantees that creator attribution and crediting are not required on their website, which makes all the assets available on it completely free to use. Despite these clauses, users who download images from Pexels are still encouraged to give credits to creators out of courtesy alone.
Freepik will be the next royalty free high-resolution image source that we will feature in this guide. Unlike Pexels, this website offers more digital files that are available on their website. Aside from high-definition images and videos, Freepik also offers vectors, icons, PSDs, design templates, and mockups. This makes the site highly versatile and open for more use.
Unfortunately, its free version has daily download limitations, which are set at only ten downloads per day. Moreover, creator attribution is required when using the tool if the user is not subscribed to their Premium and Premium Plus plans.
Rawpixel could be described as a digital asset server. This is because the software was designed to be used in a public domain where different media assets can be shared by its users both for business and personal use. Unlike other stock photo websites, Rawpixel’s offering is slightly different since the images that are available on it are already designed and often do not look like regular stock photos. Despite that, users of Rawpixel can still use and download photos that are uploaded to them for personal use.
After two websites that offer more, it is time to go back to traditional stock image sites. Unsplash will be the fourth website in our recommendation. This website was designed to offer images that are free to use and attribution free. Moreover, photos that are available in it can be used for commercial uses and creator attribution is not required on the site. However, a premium version of Unsplash is available, which unlocks premium-looking digital assets.
When it comes to stock images, Shutterstock is one of the most well-known names because of the watermarks that are often found on premium stock images. Despite these pesky watermarks, the quality of photos that are available on Shutterstock could be considered worth it. Unfortunately, users who are interested in trying Shutterstock can only available their service through payment.
Adobe’s dominance in the media editing market was further supported by its stock image website in Adobe Stock. Among the sites featured in this article, this option is the most organized and easy to navigate. This makes using the website more efficient and finding the image that you are looking for very easy to do. Unfortunately, Adobe Stock requires users to subscribe before using their services, and they only offer a free trial.
Similar to the previous websites on this list, Pixabay offers multiple media files that are available to download. This includes photos, videos, music, GIFs, and audio. However, the biggest advantage of this site is that these assets are all free to download. Moreover, images that are available in it could be directly edited in Canva’s online editor.
Pxhere may be considered unpopular when compared with other options in this list. Despite that, its reliability is still on top since the website was designed to be as straightforward as possible and the assets available in it are all royalty-free and can be used however the user wants. Pxhere is the stock image source for users who want to download and collect digital assets as quickly as possible,
Vecteezy should be your number-one option if you are looking for a site that offers high-quality vector images. In addition to that, generic formats are also available in the software, including JPG, PNG, and design templates. Due to this development background, Vecteezy is an ideal website for logo designers.
Although Stockvault offers limited photos when searching for images on it, photos that are available on the software are often reliable and look good enough. Moreover, paying users can preview photos that are available on other websites when using Stockvault. With that in mind, users who are not satisfied with Stockvault can easily check out other stock image websites. Unfortunately, Stockvault can be described as dated.
Although the websites that we have provided above offer high-quality images, quality reduction is inevitable, especially since they are downloaded online. Fortunately, quality reduction can be easily solved by using an image upscaling online tool such as AnyMP4 Image Upscaler Online.
Designed to enhance images up to 8X their original quality, this online tool is capable of ensuring that stock images that are meant to be used for professional designing will have their quality retained or even improved. This was made possible by the AI-powered photo enhancement system in the website which can improve the texture, colors, edges, and overall quality of a picture processed in it.
For users who are looking for a reliable option to improve the resolution and quality of their images, make sure to check out AnyMP4 Image Upscaler Online and start improving images as simply as possible.
When using stock images, make sure to read the website’s copyright policy and usage rights. Information that can be found in these guides will be able to help you avoid conflict when using such images. Moreover, make sure to add attribution to a digital asset that you used since it is a common courtesy to do so. It also helps that it is free and simple to do. Finally, make sure to only use stock images for personal or commercial design use. Strictly avoid using such images for direct monetary purposes, such as selling them in bulk.
Now that we have provided you with a detailed guide regarding multiple stock image websites, we hope that this article has helped you decide which among them will be ideal for your digital media needs.
To help other digital image editors, make sure to share this article online.
Posted by Angelica Liwanag to Edit PhotoMore readings
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