If you’re a frequent blogger or a seasoned content marketer, then you know the painstaking process of finding just the right photos to use in your written and visual content. It can be a drag. While there’s a vast selection of images to choose from on the Web, many of them are not covered by a Creative Commons license and the rest are just plain cheesy.
Fortunately, there are many great sites for photos (and even some videos) that bloggers and marketers can use for any purpose, no attribution required. Even better, there are a few free photo editing tools that come in handy when Photoshop or a similar program simply isn’t in the budget. We’re here to break down our favorites for you in one handy list.
Free Photo Sites to Pretty Up Your Pages
Pexels
Pexels has over 6,000 beautiful photos in its lineup, all of which are covered under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license. That means they’re completely free and you can use them for any purpose. The only restriction they place on their photos is that you can’t show identifiable people in a negative way.
Unsplash
Unsplash has a great assortment of photos that are ready for modification and distribution for any purpose. You can filter the photos by new images and collections for quick views, and even subscribe to receive 10 new photos every day. It features quite a bit of unique images that pair perfectly with a well-crafted blog post.
Pixabay
Yep, you read that right! Pixabay offers over 570,000 free photos, vectors, and art illustrations for you to browse. All of the images and videos uploaded to Pixabay are available to edit and distribute worry-free. It’s easy to filter by media type, category, size, color, and orientation so that you can find exactly what you need.
SplitShire
Created by a photographer named Daniel Nanescu, SplitShire is a great tool for everyone from bloggers to web designers. You can browse a variety of categories and, if you get hooked, pay $20/year for a larger selection of photos. While they’re free to use for any purpose, the only restriction is that you cannot sell the photos or add them to third party stock photo websites.
Death to the Stock Photo
The name is just as ferocious as their collection of images. Death to the Stock Photo differs from other sites on the list because you have to submit your e-mail address in order to receive photos. But don’t worry, it’s well worth your time. You get free images in your inbox every month, and they’ll even send you writing prompts each week to inspire creativity.
Picjumbo
Picjumbo adds new photos to its collection every day, with a variety of unique categories like Animals, Fashion, Wedding, and Sunlight. They have a great selection that’s easy to navigate, and you can even grab a premium membership for a larger assortment of photos. You can edit and use all of the free images commercially for blogging, social media content, templates, and more, as long as you don’t resell them.
Gratisography
Powered by photographer Ryan McGuire, Gratisography is a fantastic source for weekly photos that have eccentric charm. Images on Gratisography are high-res and you can use them for both personal and commercial projects. Don’t expect to find boring stock photos amidst the sea of quirky snapshots, here.
Flickr
Flickr is always a great go-to source for images of all varieties, though not all of the photos are covered under a creative commons license. When you conduct a search, make sure that you choose the right license. For example, “Commercial use & mods allowed” or “No known copyright restrictions.” It’s always a good idea to double-check photo licenses and attribution requirements before you download them as well.
Jay Mantri
Jay Mantri wants you to “make magic” with his free photos. With all his photos covered by the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license, it’s easy to get inspired while using them for anything and everything. His photos feature a solid mixture of nature photography and scenes from everyday life, perfect for adding personality to your website.
Life of Pix
Life of Pix offers free, high-resolution photos that you can edit and share any way you’d like. The site adds photos weekly and includes an array of images from cityscapes to nature scenes. You can also browse their selection of royalty-free videos that you can use without any copyright restrictions.
StockSnap.io
With hundreds of photos added every week, StockSnap.io is 100% free of copyright restrictions and none of the photos require attribution. You can find just about anything on StockSnap.io, from beachscapes to workplace scenes and delicious dishes of food. Add photos to your favorites and come back to download them later, or grab high-res versions right away.
Free Photo Editing Tools to Personalize Your Pictures
Once you’ve collected the perfect selection of photos, it’s time to edit them so they fit just right on your blog or website. If you don’t have Photoshop on hand, these three free alternatives can do the trick.
Gimp
Gimp is a desktop image manipulation program that replicates Photoshop in many ways. You can use it for everything from high-quality image manipulation to artwork and graphic design. It comes in handy for simple cropping and color alterations, too.
Picasa
While Picasa doubles as a handy photo-organizing tool, it has all of the basic features you need to edit your images. It works on both Macs and PCs and allows you to add effects to your images before sharing them online.
Pixlr
With web-based Pixlr in your toolbox, you can change image sizes, crop photos, add filters, and much more. It even has the option to edit on your devices or download a desktop version right to your computer for easier access.