Numerous situations may arise when you need to download high-resolution photos. Maybe you’re a blogger, and the specs for your current post require at least one image or maybe you need some high resolution images to add to your landing page.
Alternatively, perhaps you’re improving your business website and want to make it more exciting and eye-catching with some pictures.
Fortunately, you can download high-resolution images for free. That way, you can get the necessary photos without cutting into your budget. Here are 11 options to consider:
In this article
1. Moose
Moose is a high-resolution photo library that makes it easy for brands, startups, and agencies to be intentional in their content. With Moose, you can create content that features diversity and inclusion.
Moose offers free and premium photos. Free ones always appear first in search results and are marked as «free». They can be used in both personal and commercial projects for a link back to Moose. So, everyone has access to stunning, professionally-made photos.
Moose has an easy-to-use search and photos organized by categories, like people, nature, sport, and animals. You can quickly find what you need there. Additionally, there are categories with the top-trending topics that most people are looking for on the web. Moreover, the website is constantly updated with new photos, so you create up-to-date content. There are photos created by the Icons8 team and contributors from around the world.
2. StockSnap.io
This site claims to add hundreds of new pictures weekly, so it’s a great option if you want to frequent a web destination where the collection becomes a bit more extensive when you visit regularly. The Categories section at the top of the page is helpful if you need photos that include certain things, like flowers or food. There are even categories broken down by emotions, such as sadness.
There’s also a Trending section that shows you an assortment of the most popular stuff on the site. It’s not categorized but is worth a look if you need a picture to fit a fairly broad topic and want to get some new ideas for what kinds of images could suit the content or your needs.
One thing to be aware of is that you should avoid the pictures with stars in the corner within the gallery view. Those are sponsored images from other sites that require payment to use. They generally appear at the top of a selection of pictures once you choose a category.
3. Burst
This is a website for free high-resolution images powered by Shopify. Photographers from around the world contribute to this growing collection, and it’s more diverse than you might imagine. For example, there are groups of pictures related to sign language, as well as some captured by female photographers.
Although you’ll find a search bar on Burst’s homepage, consider checking out the categories first to get some inspiration. There is also a section of the top free pictures of the week. You’ll notice that all photos have a high- and low-resolution option. Just click on the one you want to download. By using the All Photos menu at the top of the screen, you can also find staff favorites, photos uploaded most recently and top downloads.
Since Shopify runs this site, there’s a section to help people get their creative juices flowing while using images for an e-commerce site. The Business Ideas area has pictures grouped for websites that sell certain things, from socks to Bluetooth speakers. Those images are still free, and they are presented that way to appeal to new business owners or people who may start companies soon.
4. Gratisography
Gratisography is not like many of the image sites you’ve likely come across before. The neon color scheme and offbeat pictures show that the creators of this website wanted to fill a niche. Gratisography claims to have “the world’s quirkiest collection” of free high-resolution photos. Maybe you’ve checked out some other sites already and determined that they don’t quite hit the mark for your project. The options here might prove a better fit.
The team behind the site insists they’re selective about including images to feature. They want pictures that offer something unique while following photography’s best practices. For example, in the Food section, you’ll find a bowl of cereal topped with gummy bears. Then, the Whimsical category lives up to its name by offering stuff like a picture of a cat wearing a suit to people eating muffins stuck onto each of their fingertips.
This site hosts some advertising for paid photo sites. An easy way to ensure you only get the stuff available for no charge is to click on the Download Free button at the top of each image that interests you after finding the desired picture through a gallery view.
6. Life of Pix
Life of Pix takes a slightly different approach to show you high-resolution images for free than some other websites. The site has a community aspect and encourages photographers and enthusiasts to come together for appreciation. The site also selects a photographer of the week and features that person’s work on the website and its social media channels.
There’s also a search box where you can look for pictures beyond what the person chosen for the respective week shot. After entering a search term, you can filter the results by category, color and orientation. One of the nice things about this site’s setup is that you can hover your mouse over a photo in the gallery view and see the photographer’s name, plus share the picture or indicate that you like it.
If your site also needs some free videos, there’s a sister site called Life of Vids that could become a useful resource. You can access it from the Life of Pix site by clicking on the Free Videos option within the top menu. The Photographers section on Life of Pix is also worth a look. It allows contributors to give their social media links and hosts all their photos found on the site, helping people get more acquainted after introductions to their work.
6. Picjumbo
This site was launched in 2013 by Viktor Hanacek. Since then, people have downloaded more than 2.5 million photos from it. There are various ways to find content that suits your requirements on this long-running website.
One option is to scroll down to near the end of the homepage and find the photos grouped by the most popular tags. You can also use the search box on the top left of the website or try the Categories drop-down menu. Some of the pictures have a label that says More Images Like This. Be careful, though, because those are part of a premium collection that picjumbo sells.
Similarly, there is a Download All Free Photos button with each pack. Clicking it takes you to a site where you can buy a bundle of photos delivered as ZIP files. Use the Download Free Photo button for the complimentary option. Although this site has more ad-supported content than others discussed here, it’s still worth checking out, especially if you take care to follow the steps to get the truly no-cost material.
7. BARNIMAGES
Despite what you may believe based on this site’s name, it does not primarily feature pictures of barns. Igor Trepeshchenok and Roman Drits — two photographers from Latvia — built it with the goal of offering images you won’t find on other stock image sites. The creators call their published assortment “non-stock” because it only includes images they take themselves or ones from their respected colleagues.
This site does not categorize the images as precisely as others, so using the search bar is your best bet. The latest images section also shows you the most recent snapshots. You’ll see that images continue loading as you scroll through the page. BARNIMAGES does not have the largest collection you’ll find on the internet, but it’s evident that these are pictures chosen carefully due to high quality.
The website’s blog — accessible via the top menu — has plenty of useful content, and not all related to photography. A sizeable chunk of the posts are, but there’s content about topics like email marketing and web design, too. Browse through the posts after checking out the photos to see if you learn some tips that could enhance your future efforts.
8. Negative Space
One of the handy things about this site is that you can tell how many free high-resolution images each category contains before clicking into it. A number in the bottom right of each category image shows it, giving you an idea of what to expect. The site also allows you to access a themed group of photos through a menu on the top right of the screen, and there’s a search box to use as well.
This site is like many of the others here in that it has a lot of sponsored images hosted elsewhere that come at a cost. The easiest way to steer clear of those is click on the image you want, then use the Download Free Stock Photo button.
Another option is that you can scroll down to the footer section of the homepage or any image’s page to find two other search methods. One lets you see pictures based on popular tags, and the other allows looking for photos based on the main colors found in them. One thing to keep in mind about looking for stuff by color is that the hue you select will not be the only one in the image, but it should be the primary shade.
9. Stockvault
Stockvault boasts more than 138,000 free images in its collection, with more added each week. Given that number of options, you’re sure to find at least a few that catch your interest and make your project more appealing. Something to be aware of as you look through the choices is that there are three kinds of licenses for the photos here — non-commercial, commercial and public domain. You may also know the ones in the last category as CC0.
Start by using the search box on the site or using the subject tags directly below it to narrow the results. You can also use the Collections and Category headers to further specify what comes up for you. The collections are user-created groups presented as albums. After clicking on a category, you can filter the options based on the desired license.
Notice, too, that there are subcategories under many of the main groups. You can click on those, but if one doesn’t align closely enough with what you need to find, click one of the main headers to see all the pictures associated with it. This site started as a place for people to find free high-resolution images for personal, non-commercial projects but has evolved into something much bigger.
10. Unsplash
The most straightforward way to find high-resolution photos for free at Unsplash is to use the search function at the top of the screen. You’ll also see a horizontally orientated list of categories directly underneath it. Use your keyboard’s arrow keys to scroll through and see each of the options. Each group has user-submitted images to explore.
Notice how there are also three horizontal dots within the menu seen in the Unsplash header. Click that to access supplementary content, such as a chatroom for photography lovers. The section of extra content also includes wallpapers, so you’re in luck if you want a change of scenery while working on your computer.
The gallery view for Unsplash has tags under each image. Those could expand your search with a couple of clicks by encouraging you to check out different groups of photographs. After clicking on the green button to download a picture, you’ll see that many options give several size possibilities. That could help if you don’t want to take the time to resize the content after transferring it to your hard drive.
11. Nappy
If you want your website to reflect the real world’s diversity, look no further than nappy. It’s a fantastic resource when you want high-resolution images for free that feature Black and Brown people.
There’s a short category-based menu on the left side of the screen. However, you can also use the search box underneath it or select All in the category menu and scroll down to check out all the possibilities.
If you click on a picture, there’s a download link, plus a My Photos option. The handy thing about My Photos is that it takes you to other snapshots from the photographer responsible for the original image. You’ll appreciate the wide assortment of environments captured in the pictures, too. Whether you need a photo of someone during their downtime or a person working at an office, nappy has those options and many more.
12. Pikwizard
This site’s layout looks and functions similarly to most of the others here in that it has category tags in the header and below the main search bar. You can also use the filters to see the most content available. Something that sets this site apart is that it offers videos in a separate section of Pikwizard rather than a wholly different place online.
As you click the Download button for a picture, you’ll see an advertisement for image-editing software. The image will still go onto your drive even if you close the ad, however.
Some pictures have small white Premium tags with black text. Clicking one of those redirects you to a different site that sells images. You’ll also see a warning from Pikwizard that some parts of the site may not appear correctly if you access them while using an ad-blocker plug-in. However, keeping it running should not prevent you from obtaining the content.
It’s Easy to Get High-Resolution Images for Free
These sites show that you can quickly and easily download free high-resolution images to get people interested in your landing page or another project. As you see what’s available, bear in mind that some of the places on this list have specific attribution requests. Most provide attribution-free content, but you’ll also find that some creators prefer you mention them by name.
Beautiful imagery can increase the time people spend on your site and help them have more favorable impressions overall. Let these platforms spark your inspiration and make your website look more inviting and professional — without spending a penny.
