Question: What is the Best Place to Find Free Photos & Illustrations?
Readers chose deviantART in the 2011 About.com Readers' Choice Awards.
Answer: When choosing a site to return to again and again for free images we look for a great experience, excellent presentation, top quality, huge selection, or easy searching. The sites, below, chosen by our readers excel at one or more of these things.
About.com Readers' Choice Winners and Finalists
- deviantART (2011 Winner)
- Flickr from Yahoo (2010 Winner)
- morgueFile
- Stock.XCHNG
About.com Desktop Publishing Guide's Choice
I like all these sites for different reasons as I explain here.- deviantART (2011 Winner)
The artists creating the work — which includes not only photos but also traditional art, animations, cartoons, Flash, and vector art — may sell it or give it away or just put it up for you to admire. They'll tell you on each page whether something can be used and under what terms. I tend to use it more for finding Photoshop brushes and textures. You can also find some nice free fonts that aren't offered anywhere else. - Flickr from Yahoo (2010 Winner)
It's a photo-sharing site where many of the photographs are available under a Creative Commons license (terms vary). The sheer quantity and variety of images makes up for the occasional blurry or boring pics. - morgueFile
Not as many photos as you'll find on Flickr and other stock photo sites, but my personal favorite and first stop when looking for free stock photos. The site is easy to use with many search and filter options to help you zero in on what you need. Attribution is not required although some photographers do ask you to drop them a note so they can see how their work is being used. - Stock.XCHNG
Now owned by Getty Images, once you find the photo you want you'll need to log in to download. There are dozens of categories for specific objects, subjects, or locations as well concepts and emotions and holidays.
