When we publish an article, or when we want to illustrate our texts on social networks, we usually go to search engines in search of images. However, many of them are copyrighted, or what is the same, they have copyrights that are being violated by using them without permission. That is why the free image banks.
But what is a free image bank? Why should they be used? What advantages and disadvantages do they have? If you want us to answer all these questions, in addition to giving you a list of free image banks to take photos of all kinds of themes, below you will find everything.
What is an image bank
An image bank is actually a web page. In it you will be able to find thousands of photographs that are classified by categories, tags, etc. and that serve to find images related to the topic that interests you.
In other words, we are talking about a directory of photographs of very diverse categories, both in photo and image, illustrations, vectors, etc.
You can find two types of image banks: the free ones, where you can download the photos without having to pay anything (sometimes the only thing they ask you is to quote the author of the photo); and the paid ones, where you would have to pay for those photos and have a better quality and resolution (sometimes).
How Image Banks Work
On the Internet you can find many different image banks, both free and paid. And within both, there will be some that have their own characteristics: that they ask you to register, that they give you more advantages, that they charge less, that they have a larger catalog…).
En general, all image banks work in almost the same way:
- They have a search engine in which, placing a word, or several, will give you photographs that are close to the topic you have asked for.
- You have to navigate through these results until you find the photo that you like the most and enter it. Next, the image bank will offer you a larger view of the photo, as well as the different sizes in which you can download it (or buy it). But it will also inform you of the author, in case you want to see more of this person, or even if you have to give the author credit or you can use it for personal and commercial without problem.
- Once you download it, in a matter of seconds you will have it, although this is where it may differ the most: there will be websites that ask you to certify that you are not a robot, ask you to register, and even ask you to pay for the picture.
Not all image banks have the same photos, but, although many will be the same, there are also others that may be exclusive. That is why it is not convenient to use just one, but several to have more options. Especially since there are some that are more specific in certain categories.
Free image banks
As we know that the important thing for you is to know free image banks, below we are going to name you several of those that are considered the best, either because of the large number of images they have, because of the resolution and quality or because of the type of images. .
Pixabay, one of the best known free image banks
Pixabay is one of the best-known free image banks in the world, since your website can be put in different languages (and the seeker acts that way). In it you will find photographs, illustrations, vectors ...
When it comes to giving you results, you can put them by the most recent photos, the editor's selection (they are the most downloaded or with the most "I like", popularity, etc). If you register, it does not ask you for robot confirmation every time you download a photo.
Freepik, vector image bank about everything
This website began as 100% free. Now you have paid images with others that are not. So you should watch the type of photo you like (usually if it has a crown, it is for a fee).
It's based more in vectors and illustrations than in photographs, although you can find some of this type. Another of the flaws it has is that, many times, it is somewhat confusing when downloading. And if we add to that that sometimes it opens advertising for you, it makes it annoying. But in terms of quality it is the best.
Pexels
This free image bank is not as well known as the previous ones, but the truth is that it is quite good. It works the way very similar to Pixabay. That is, you put in the search engine what you want and they give you a list of images that meet that requirement.
Then you just have to access the photo page and download it.
Freeimages
You have to be careful with this website, not because it is bad, but because it has two sections: free and paid. It is in Spanish and that helps to distinguish some photos from others, although the fact of giving you payment options (which are sometimes better made and are closer to what you are looking for) makes you frustrated in the search for free photos.
Unsplash
This tool is in English, but it is very easy to use. Now, to search for photos we recommend that use the english words because you will get better results (if not all).
It is characterized by having images from very different categories, and many of them are their own, that is, you will not find them anywhere else.
life of pix
This is one of the free image banks that it focuses mainly on nature and landscape photography. All the images you have have a CCO license, that is, they are for public use, which allows you to use them for personal or commercial work.
Every week they add new photos and they also have an incredible quality. Although it focuses on those categories that we have discussed, in reality you will also find other photos.
FreeoGraphy
In it you will be able to find free photos of very high quality. It is in English and you have several categories, from animals, people, nature, business, etc.
Many of these images are not found in other image banks and the advantage it has is that it is very fast to download always in its maximum resolution.
As you can see, there are many free image banks, and many others that we have not mentioned. The best thing is that you review several to see which of them are closest to the line of sight you want for your projects (and have more options to choose from).