Stock Photo Sites: How To Choose The Best One

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Online learning is a visual medium and one of the biggest challenges is producing or finding the visuals you need. Stock photos can fill in the gap between your own photo shoots and custom designed graphics and illustrations.

Sure, we all cringe at those cheesy photos of workers smiling at the camera, but you can often find a compelling visual if you search a little harder or think a little more broadly. And don’t get stuck on photos alone. Many of these sites now offer illustrations too.

What To Look For

Before you go and sign up for a stock photo service, there are quite a few things you’ll want to check to get the best deal for your money. Explore potential sites thoroughly and consider the criteria below.

PRICE. Make sure you’re comparing similar offers. For example, how do subscription plans compare with sites that sell credits? And how does this compare with cash purchases? See below for more on subscription versus credits. If you buy individual images to display online only, be sure to check the pricing of the low to medium resolution graphics, often known as microstock. These are less expensive.

WIDE AND VARIED SELECTION. A very basic requirement is a large selection of varied images. You’ll probably need images showing people of all ages from a wide range of ethnic, racial and cultural groups in workplace and recreational environments. You’ll need varied occupations, families, animals, scenery, objects, and ideally, a collection of backgrounds. You may want to check for “conceptual” graphics, which are themes or metaphors that visualize concepts, like “running out of time” or “achievement” or “failure.”

QUALITY OF PHOTOS. The quality of photography can vary from site to site. Some sites seem to have photos from the eighty’s and others are marketplaces where amateur photographers can upload their poorly lit work. So select a service where the majority of the work looks professional.

EASE OF USE. You’ll want to have a pleasant user experience at the site. Most commercial sites seem easy to use, particularly when compared to the cluttered look of many free sites. But, you’ll have to be the judge.

SEARCH-ABILITY. Notice if your search results are fairly accurate. Does the search functionality allow you to do a more advanced or specific search? Does it provide related keywords and phrases to help you get better results?

SEARCH FILTERS. Pay attention to the type of search filters that are available. It’s quite helpful when you can search by image orientation (horizontal or vertical), asset type (photo, illustration or video), color or black and white, and so on. Most sites don’t provide all these filters, but some provide more than others.

DIGITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT. Most stock photo sites provide some form of asset management, ususally in the form of a lightbox. This lets you store a set of photos you choose for possible purchase at a later date. It’s great when you can create multiple lightboxes to sort your assets by category.

IMMEDIATE DOWNLOADS. Look for a service that allows you to download the image as soon as you purchase it. You shouldn’t have to wait for an email. Most sites have this ability.

SITE SPEED. Make sure the site has a quick response time. You might do ten searches just to find one image. You don’t have time to wait for slow search results to display or for slow download times.

OTHER GOODIES: Most stock photos sites now offer other media assets, like illustrations, vector art, video, Flash animations, and audio files. If you have a need for these, then look for a site that offers more than just photos.

DESIGN INSPIRATION. Some sites have special areas filled with design ideas, tips, portfolios and interviews with artists. It’s always nice to get a side dish of inspiration.

ROYALTY FREE. Make sure the photos and illustrations are royalty-free. This means you’re buying a license for unlimited use of the image, with some limitations, such as you cannot resell it or license it to another party.

UNRESTRICTED USE. Check whether the photos have any use restrictions if you’ll need to use them in commercial products, advertisements for a course, reprinting in a manual, and so on.

MODEL RELEASE. See if the stock photo service guarantees that the model has signed a release. All reputable ones will guarantee this.

Should You Pay For Photos?

If you or your team members spend a lot of time sifting through the free stock photo sites to find just the right picture, consider the number of hours spent searching over a year versus the cost of a subscription or buying credits. You may find that purchasing images provides a more efficient use of time. See 10 Reasons Why You Should Pay For Stock Photos for more on this. You can always use the free sites for those odd photos that no commercial site will have.

Subscription versus Credits

SUBSCRIPTION PLANS. The advantage to a subscription service is that you can download lots of photos each day (though there is a daily limit) and you don’t have to think about where to find your images. Also, subscriptions can be cost-effective if you buy large volumes of photos. The down side is the initial large expense may be too high for some budgets and you may feel locked into one site. Before subscribing, check the fine print for the terms below.

• MONTHLY VERSUS YEARLY: Many sites offer a reduced rate if you subscribe to a yearly rather than a monthly plan.
• LEVEL OF SERVICE: Some sites offer a few subscriber levels at different prices. The higher level will typically have the best photo selection or allow for more daily downloads.
• DAILY DOWNLOAD LIMIT: When you use a subscription service you can download images up to the daily maximum. Read the small print to find out what it is so you can make comparisons between sites.
• GRAPHIC SIZE/RESOLUTION: Make sure that your subscription level of service offers graphics in the size and resolution you’ll need. Low-res graphics displayed on the web are always included in these plans, but there might be additional cost for very large super high-res graphics used in print.
• MULTIPLE LICENSES OR SEATS: If you’re working with a team, you may need to buy a multi-user subscription so several people can sign in at the same time. Subscriptions may provide a license to one individual.

CREDITS. Some stock photo sites use credits for currency. Credits are good for smaller budgets and for those who don’t want to commit to one service. The disadvantage is the inconvenience of having to keep purchasing new credits. Also, if you buy large numbers of photos, a subscription plan could be less expensive. Do the math. Before purchase, check the fine print for the terms below.

• CREDIT VALUE. Don’t assume the value of one credit is $1.00. This can vary from site to site.
• EXPIRATION. At some sites, credits can expire in a year. Check the terms. Who knew?
• CREDIT DISCOUNTS. Credits typically come bundled in various amounts. Usually, the more you buy, the cheaper they are.

Do you have any other tips for choosing a stock photo site? Please share in the Comments below.

Related Articles and Resources:

Stock Photo and Illustration Sites
10 Reasons Why You Should Pay For Stock Photos
Realistic Graphics and Learning: What’s most effective?