If your plan is to develop an advanced project and you need to grab several free photos from the web, you must watch their licenses closely. The fact that an image is free does not always make it suitable for commercial use, and if we have learned anything from legal conflicts involving images, it is that they can lead to absurd extremes.
To avoid problems, the safest route is to look for material in the public domain, under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license or a direct equivalent. Fortunately, there are portals that do an extraordinary job collecting photos that meet those conditions.
The Best Image Banks
Now, which are the best image banks? It all depends on the kind of content your project needs. Some sites prioritize expanding their database, others precise classification of each photo, and then there are those that deliver results as quickly as possible, even if there are one or two errors along the way. Today we will visit eight of them:
Unsplash
Despite having some past friction with several photographers and bloggers, users have judged Unsplash as one of the best portals for free and open images on the web. Its license is almost identical to CC0, with the slight difference that it does not allow using its photos to create a service similar to Unsplash. Attribution is optional, though recommended to help the photographers.
Public Domain Archive
Besides dividing its content into 30 categories, Public Domain Archive receives new images every week, and its premium membership enables advanced features (unlimited access and global download of all photos it holds). As its name indicates, the images are in the public domain.
Foodiesfeed
Need images of foods? Drinks? Desserts? Juicy cuts of meat, half-cooked fish, or a simple cup of coffee? Foodiesfeed's photo database may not be as large compared to other sites, but it has a very robust collection that will surely get you out of a few jams. The license is CC0.
Pexels
A personal favorite, and one of the first stops for anyone needing free photos. Over 140 categories, an average of 40,000 photographs, impressive speed in delivering results, its links to other image databases, and the general use of the CC0 license place Pexels in a privileged position.
Kaboompics
Daily updates, complete photography sessions, food, computers, travel... a younger profile, almost instagrammer, if you will. Kaboompics' license is internal, virtually compatible with CC0 except for the distribution aspect (you must ask permission first), and with some emphasis on attribution (though not mandatory).
Gratisography
Animals, strange angles, experimental shots, and plenty of contrast play shape Gratisography. The site also includes a series of special packs, but they require a $5 donation. Like Kaboompics, Gratisography's license is very close to CC0. Its biggest restrictions involve distribution, and other similar sites cannot use its content.
Pixabay
Almost a million and a half entries. Images, videos, illustrations, and vectors. A base of 20 categories (which are actually more), search filters by size and orientation, over seven years online... Pixabay is at the top of the mountain, and that's no exaggeration. All its content is under CC0 license.
Reshot
People, exotic places, technology, more people, outdoor sports, music, and even more people. You can save time on Reshot by downloading packs; however, access to them is unlocked by writing a tweet. Its license is at first sight a clone of Unsplash: CC0 at its core, but it blocks distribution for developing competing sites.
Here you have it. Millions of free and open photos at your fingertips. Do you think that's enough? Good luck!
