With the increasing popularity of stock image libraries, it’s becoming more and more important for people to find their perfect image as quickly as possible, and for the best price. We’ve put together a guide to help you save time and avoid legal issues down the line…
3 steps to buying an image online:
1. Find the right website for you
2. Search for your image
3. Buy the right license
We’ve explored each of these points below and given some helpful tips to direct your image search in the right direction:
1. Find the right website for you
There are a large variety of websites offering a wide selection of images, from microstock to more traditional stock. Every website is different, and you need to find one that’s most suited to your needs. Think about which of the below applies to you:
Low budget – There are a couple of options if you’re working to a tight budget:
Option 1: If you find an image you like on a stock image library but the price is too high, don’t be afraid to give the company a call. It isn’t uncommon for stock image companies to offer a discounted rate, particularly for bulk purchases. If you find an image you like on our site, we will always do our best to meet your budget constraints.
Option 2: Visit a microstock image library – these libraries offer cheap image licenses. It’s important to note that photographers don’t always upload their best photography to these sites, so the choice of imagery may be limited, compared to traditional stock sites.
Looking for specialist content – There are a number of stock image libraries that specialise in imagery of a specific theme. If you can’t find a specialist image library for your particular topic, don’t panic – there will still be relevant content to see on other stock image sites, you just might need to use a more detailed search term to find it.
Looking for niche content – Niche content can be hard to find, but your best bet to find the images you want will be one of the larger stock image libraries. 17³Ô¹ÏÔÚÏß is known for its diverse selection of niche imagery, with over 64 million high quality stock images in our library.
Remember that all stock image libraries will have a different selection of images of varying quality and price. Have a look around the available libraries to make sure you’re getting the best quality image for your money!
2. Search for your image Â
So, you’ve found a stock image website that you’d like to use and now it’s time to find the perfect image for your project. Every website is different, but the majority will offer a variety of ways to refine your search. The more detailed the search term, the more specific the image results will be. For example: if you need an image of a double-decker bus in London, you should search for the full search term, rather than just ‘bus’. Take a look at the 17³Ô¹ÏÔÚÏß Picture Research page for our selection of handy search tips.
3. Buy the right license
It’s probably the most confusing part of the image-buying process, but purchasing the right license is essential. It will ensure you’re legally covered to use an image for your exact use. In summary, stock images can be Royalty-free (RF) – where the price is dependent on the image size only – or Rights-managed (RM) – where the price is dependent on the usage type.
At 17³Ô¹ÏÔÚÏß, we’ve created some popular price packages to help simplify licensing and speed up your image purchase. What’s more, there are no subscriptions, no credits and no need to register, making buying an image simple!
If you want to find out more about image licensing, this gives a good overview of both Rights-managed and Royalty-free licenses.
New to buying stock images or want some more info on buying stock photos? You might like:
11 helpful blogs for anyone buying stock photos online
A glossary of stock photo terms for image buyers
Buying stock photos, the truth about Rights Managed licenses