Get Professional Images Without the Cost: Free Commercial Use

Did you know that some of the world’s most iconic advertisements use stock images for commercial use? For example, AlamapBBDO, a Brazilian ad agency, used stock photos from Getty Images to create their Endless Possibilities campaign in 2016. The advertising campaign combined photos of random people’s faces to recreate portraits of famous people such as the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis.

Most creative agencies prefer altering stock images in most of their work. This is because it allows them to create campaigns for different companies much faster at affordable costs. Keep reading to find out how to get free images for commercial use in your next project.

Part 1: Download images in loyalty-free sites

Several sites offer free images for commercial use as part of their services. In addition, you do not need to register an account to download the images. The sites typically rely on user contributions and content teams to ensure their databases are fresh and maintain consistent quality. Furthermore, all creative assets they offer fall under the creative commons zero license or a variation of it. Here are some of the sites that offer you images for commercial use for free.

1. Pexels

Pexels.com is a free-to-use provider of high-resolution photos and videos for aspiring creators. The German-based website was started in 2014 by two brothers and has been under the Canva umbrella since 2018.

Currently, the website hosts over 3.2 million images and videos from over 250,000 active contributors. In addition, all the material you find in its library is under the Pexels license, which slightly varies from the creative commons zero license model. Some of the restrictions it enforces include:

You can only use pexels images for commercial use after making alterations to the original image. For example, you can use part of an image to create a collage for your commercial branding.
Furthermore, you cannot use any of the website’s content to promote political ideologies and explicit content, especially if the images contain identifiable subjects.

Pexels is available through the following channels:

Your web browser by typing the URL pexels.com.
The Android and iOS app.
A plugin for other content creation software such as Google Slides and MS Office.
An extension on your Chrome browser.
You can also access the database using the official Canva app.

2. Unsplash

Another website that offers free images for commercial use is Unsplash, a subsidiary of Getty Images since 2021. The website is a favorite among creators boasting over 16 billion photo impressions monthly. In addition, the database consists of over 3.48 million photos from more than 265,000 unique contributors, all under the Unsplash license.

The Unsplash license restricts the sale of its creative assets without incorporating new creative elements, including using them in print media and physical goods such as mugs and caps.

You can access Unsplash from your web browser or request API integration for your application from the site’s owners. In addition, the site also hosts photo walks across different cities, where Unsplash guides show you the best photo locations around the city and the best camera techniques for your work. Some cities to host the event include Boston, Montreal, Tokyo, and Toronto.

3. Freerange

Freerange Stock is an online resource for photos, illustrations, and textures you can download and use for commercial and non-commercial purposes. Since 2007, the site has continued to provide high-quality images to its community of over 800,000 registered users.

Unlike the previous examples, all content on Freerange falls under the website’s Equalicense. It grants you broad commercial rights of its stock images while allowing the contributors to retain control of their copyright, image resale, and distribution. As such, you cannot use the images for bulk distribution or print-on-demand works.

Freerange Stock maintains its steady supply of images for commercial use via the following methods:

It has an in-house team of professional photographers who upload images across the different categories on the website.
Freerange Stock also purchases image rights or directly commissions photos from independent creators.
You can also contribute to the website’s library by voluntarily submitting your work to the platform. Kindly note that you will need a verified account to enable this function.
The website also works directly with photographers through a licensing and distribution model, providing them extra exposure on the site.
Finally, Freerange stock aggregates public domain images from other sources, including similar sites and government institutions. It does so by acknowledging the image owner and sometimes lists the image source when the owner is unknown.

Freerange Stock is accessible through your web browser or as an API integration on your app.

4. Vecteezy

Vecteezy is an extensive online library of free stock images for commercial use. Some of the site’s highlight features include the following:

A best-in-class search engine that incorporates multiple filters to ensure your results are extremely accurate. For example, you can sort images by color, style, number of people, and age of the subjects, something other free stock websites do not provide.
All images, videos, and vector illustrations are free for personal and commercial uses. It does so through a property sign and release model with its extensive network of contributors, which protects users from any legal liabilities.
Finally, it employs a content team that manually reviews each photo submission to ensure consistent quality standards for its offerings.

In addition, you can also purchase design resource bundles by subscribing to its Vecteezy pro for as little as $9 monthly. Some of the resources available include the Ultimate Text Effects Layer Styles Bundle for Photoshop, which costs $39 stand-alone or $4.50 when you subscribe to pro.

Part 2: Buy from stock providers

Another way to get images for commercial use is by buying them from stock providers. Some of the benefits of buying images from stock providers include:

You get a wide selection of unique photos from top-tier photographers. Stock providers always seek collaborations with the industry’s finest to edge out the competition.
You receive exemplary customer service with your purchase. Selecting the right image can be confusing for amateur creators. As such, stock image providers have customer support channels to help you throughout your creative process.
Stock images reduce your delivery times significantly. Buying images from a stock provider eliminates the need to invest in photography equipment and the time you need for post-production. As such, you can deliver projects in a fast and cost-effective way.

Despite the above positive, here are some challenges that buying stock images may present:

Not all stock image providers will have the creative assets you need.
Image overuse is likely since every creator will rush for the most popular contributor.

Below are some of the stock image providers you should consider.

1. iStock

iStockphoto.com is an online database of creative resources, including royalty-free photos, videos, audio, illustrations, and clip art you can use in your creations. The website is a Getty Images subsidiary based in Calgary, Canada. In addition, contributors earn royalties depending on how often users download their content.

2. Alamy.com

Alamy.com is a British-owned stock image provider with contributions from photographers and agencies in 173 countries. It compensates its contributors by offering higher than average payouts every time users download their creations. Some popular brands to use Alamy’s services include M&C Saatchi, Microsoft, and The Economist.

Part 3: Shot a Photo by yourself or create one with editing tools

Alternatively, you can get images for commercial use by shooting them yourself or creating them with editing tools such as Figma and Wondershare’s Filmstock. Here are some benefits of using this method:

You get exactly what you want, provided you have the required skills and equipment. Sometimes, getting the right image for your commercial purpose can be challenging. As such, shooting an original photo may be the only option.
You have full ownership of the image.

Unlike obtaining images from stock photography websites, you are free to use the image in whatever capacity you please without any restrictions. For example, sites such as Unsplash do not allow you to use their images in political statements, a restriction you can bypass when using your own creations.

However, you should also consider the following factors when using this method.

It requires a substantial investment

Getting high-quality images for commercial purposes requires specialist equipment. For example, the Panasonic LUMIX GH6 camera, which has 4K resolution capability, costs $2,197 on Amazon. This makes it extremely expensive for amateur creators.

There is a steep learning curve

Becoming a professional photographer takes time and effort. Unless you are creating as a hobby, it will be a while before you can start generating income from your creations.

Part 4: FAQs

1. Do you need a contributor account to get images for commercial use?

Not necessarily. Stock image sites like pexels.com allow you to download images from their website without creating an account. You will only need one if you want to showcase your work on the platform.

2. Can you use your smartphone to get images for commercial use?

Yes. Most stock image providers have device-specific apps that allow you to access their databases from your mobile device. For example, UnsplashPhotoPicker allows you access to the Unsplash library from your Android device.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Invitation Video Creation Made Easy: 10 Free Online Tools

Searching for the best free online video invitation maker can be challenging because there are numerous options to pick from. And each online video invitation maker has a different purpose from the next one. Some online video invitation makers are excellent choices for weddings while others are best fitted for naming ceremonies, birthdays, graduations, etc.

If you want to make an invitation video online for any of your events that your recipients will find impressive, then you should know the right one to use. In this article, you are going to learn about the best free online video invitation makers to use for any of your events.

Best Invitation Video Makers Online Free

Here are the ten best free online video invitation makers to use in 2024, you will find the best one fits your needs perfectly.

1. Animaker

Animaker is one of the best free video invitation makers online. You can use it to create, share and edit content. It is perfect for making wedding, baby shower, and birthday video invitations. Animaker runs on a powerful HTML5 engine that ensures a seamless user experience. It has over 100 million-plus stock assets. It also has an extensive template library that you can use to make your invitations. Using these awesome video templates, you can personalize them and add your photos and event info.

Animaker allows you to edit videos and export in 4k quality. You can also subtitle to your videos , add an overlay to videos with a single click, watermark your video content and so much more. It also has numerous royalty-free music tracks and sound effects that you can add to your videos without the fear of copyright.

2. FlexClip

This is another invitation video maker online for free that you can use to make good invitation videos. You should go for FlexClip if you are a beginner because it has an easy-to-use user interface. If you want to do a wedding, online webinar, or graduation invitation video, FlexClip is your best bet. It has a free extensive video template that you can add to your storyboard to make excellent video invitations for your events.

One of its distinctive features is that you can export your video invitation without a watermark online . FlexClip has amazing images and footage that allows you to decorate your invitation nicely. You can resize, trim and add voice-over to your invitation.

Promo is one of the best free online invitation video makers. If you want to do an office event, baby shower, wedding party, or retirement celebration and you need a good online invitation video maker, Promo is a perfect choice. Promo allows you to either upload your video or choose out of its numerous rich invitation templates. It’s also user-friendly and very easy to use.

Promo has over 110 million photo and video libraries. You can customize the template you choose with your texts, brand, and images with a few clicks. It also has a vast collection of royalty-free music you can add to your content. Another great feature is the ability to filter these pieces of music by mood, genre, and tempo to find the perfect one for your invitation. Promo will create your video invitations in minutes.

4. Biteable

Biteable is another great online video invitation maker that will help you to create the perfect invitation video for your events. It is the perfect invitation maker for birthdays, work functions, and weddings. With Biteable, you will turn ordinary videos into sensational video invitations. You can get inspiration from the tons of video templates in Biteable. It has a library of over 80,000 animated graphics and Shutterstock clips and over 1.8 million video clips and images to pick from.

Biteable allows you to add logos and your brand colors to your content. You can customize your invite with photos, texts, animations, etc. You can also export your video invites to your emails.

5. InVideo

Like its name, InVideo is an online video invitation maker that allows you to create and edit video invites with awesome templates. Whether it is a birthday party, wedding celebration, work party, or a sales event, you can use InVideo to make stunning, attention-grabbing invites that will wow your guests. InVideo allows you to pick a theme and then pick a template that matches your theme.

You can also add fonts to your content. In addition, it has an automated voice-over and power transitions. You can also add smart frames to beautify your invite. With Invideo, you can confidently say goodbye to boring video invites.

6. Veed.io

If you want to create dynamic videos that work perfectly as digital invites, Veed is what you are looking for. Veed is a perfect choice if you want video invites for your baby shower, company event, birthday, and wedding. It has powerful yet simple tools that give optimal results in a few minutes. Veed also has an extensive library of rich customizable templates you can pick from.

You can also drag and drop your video into the video editor. In addition, you can add power transitions and camera effects that allow you to make insanely clear video invites. Veed also enables you to split your videos into various clips and add different filters to each clip. Other features include background music, stickers, personalized texts, etc.

7. Renderforest

This is another great free online video invitation maker you can use to create eye-catching invites within a few minutes. You can also use Renderforest to create stunning invites for weddings, graduation ceremonies, birthday parties, etc. It has numerous professionally designed and outstanding templates you can edit to fit your needs. It has drag-and-drop where you can upload video and images directly to your storyboard.

It has numerous video editing features that include, adjusting colors, muting of projects, uploading of voiceovers, changing the duration, choosing the best background music that fits your theme, etc. If you want an easy-to-use video invitation maker with a track record of stunning video invites and satisfied customers, Renderforest is a perfect fit.

8. Typito

Typito is one of the best online video invitation makers. Typito is best used for weddings, webinars, conferences, birthdays, and engagements. It has numerous templates you can choose from and edit to fit your needs. You can also create your invitation from scratch by uploading your videos and images using drag-and-drop, text templates, and motion graphics.

Typito allows you to personalize each video invitation to fit your chosen theme. It has numerous background music that has been made to fit every theme you choose. In addition, you can change colors, filters, animations, photos, and texts. If you want user-friendly software to make video invitations with a few clicks, go for Typito.

9. VideoCreek

VideoCreek is very easy to use. If you want a DIY online video invitation maker that will give you the needed tools to create awesome custom invitations that will delight your guest, VideoCreek fits perfectly. VideoCreek is a great choice for farewells, anniversaries, bachelor parties, and birthdays. It has a vast library that contains thousands of free invitation templates that you edit to your preference.

You can add graphics, music, texts, and images to your content. You can also customize your invitation by adding animations, favorite stickers, effects, emoji, etc. Making stunning video invitations without stress is possible with VideoCreek.

10. Design Wizard

Design Wizard is another free online video invitation maker that makes creating video invitations fun. It is perfect for birthdays, housewarmings, bridal showers, and retirement parties. It has more than enough customizable templates with over twenty categories that you can choose from and edit to fit your video invite idea. It also has an entire library of TV and quality videos. Design Wizard’s drag and drop templates make online video editing easy for beginners and novices. You can also add texts to your video invitation.

Other notable features include an online video trimmer , adding a logo to the video, adding images to videos, etc. Design Wizard can get you hooked with its friendly user interface, and you will love the experience.

Bonus: Best Video Invitation Makers for Windows and Mac – Wondershare Filmora

Filmora is one of the best video invitation makers because of its music library, title templates, and plentiful effects.

For users who are running Wondershare Filmora V10.5 and later version, you can search birthday, wedding, baby shower in the effects search bar to navigate to the related effects easily.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Final Thoughts

When selecting the software to use for editing video invitations, you must know the one that will fit your events. With this article, Choosing the best online video invitation maker to use has been made easy for you. You now know the right free online video invitation maker to use for any of your events. Now, you can create stunning, eye-catching video invitations that will wow your guests and make them look forward to your event.