Unsplash
What makes unsplash (originally reviewed June 21, 2017) different from other image sites is that it does not actually own the images, but it does host the images for download. Unsplash is a community with photographers submitting images, all of which must meet the Unsplash criteria (quality, licensing, file size, free). It was founded in 2013 and is based in Montreal, Canada.
On the quality side, one of the requirements is that photos are at least 3MB and 2048 by 1536 pixels in size – which is great for presentation use! The licensing is near perfect. This is just the first paragraph of the Unsplash License: “All photos published on Unsplash can be used for free. You can use them for commercial and noncommercial purposes. You do not need to ask permission from or provide credit to the photographer or Unsplash, although it is appreciated when possible.”
I will not be giving up our subscription to Adobe Stock or Getty, but we have added Unsplash to our list of resources. Tip: After selecting a collection or doing a search, click the small grid layout icon to see images in a more friendly grid layout.
To download:
- Search for an image
- Click on the image
- Use the save options in the upper right (or save to collection if you have signed up with a free membership) or the download icon if viewing as a thumbnail grid
- Use image in project!
Here is a sample of some of the images available:
Troy @ TLC
Pixabay
Pixabay offers a curated collection of copyright free images and videos, which are safe to use for personal and commercial purposes with no attribution required. There are a variety of search filters, including file type (photos, vector graphics, illustrations, or videos), orientation, category, size and color.
To download an image, first click the image from the search results to go to that images download page. Click Free Download, select your preferred file specifications and click Download.
Verify you are not a robot and click Download again. If prompted, select the desired file location and click Save.
Here is a sample of some of the images downloaded, added to a PowerPoint slide and stylized:
Pickit
Pickit (originally reviewed March 26, 2018) is another image resource site, but it is uniquely focused on providing images for PowerPoint presentations. The home page boldly says “Legally Cleared images for people at work. Make your work stand out with unlimited access to royalty free photos and clipart in PowerPoint.”
To go with the PowerPoint (and Word) focus, Pickit has a Microsoft Store add-in that provides quick and convenient access to a large library of royalty-free and legally cleared™ images without leaving PowerPoint.
To install, from PowerPoint, go to INSERT > STORE > search for PICKIT > ADD.
Access the image library any time by clicking the PICKIT IMAGES button on PowerPoint HOME tab.
Open the Images action pane, search for any image, click INSERT, and the image is added to the current slide.
There is a free version that accesses the image library only from PowerPoint (no website access) and no HD resolution images. The process of searching and adding an image is very intuitive and easy. The selection of images is very good. There is also the option to subscribe (~$1.99/month), with removes all ads and also includes unlimited app and web access, along with high resolution images.
Troy @ TLC
The Presentation Podcast Episode #58 Released Today!
A new episode of The Presentation Podcast is available today! #58 – Women Owned Presentation Businesses.
After talking about studio projects and presentation industry news, Troy and Nolan head out the door while Sandra Johnson, Nancy Duarte, and Lori Chollar have an amazing time talking about being Women Owned Businesses in the design industry – a conversation not to miss!
Burst
Burst is another great resource when looking for high-resolution photos to download – for free. Burst is a Shopify offering and their description is “Browse thousands of beautiful copyright-free images. All our pictures are free to download for personal and commercial use, no attribution required.”
The site features several options when searching for images, the most common option being the search bar. You can also browse through collections or new pictures.
If you click on “View all collections” this page will appear with the groups clearly listed.
To download, hover over and image you want. Two download options will appear, select either High or Low-res. Low-res images are approximately 1,000 pixel .jpgs and the download is automatic. High-res images are up to 5,000 pixel .jpgs and do require an email address/log-in.
The site’s images are directly from its own image library. All photos are free to use for commercial use, attribution is not mandated (but asked for), and are under the Creative Commons CCO license. I also recommend reading the site FAQ (at the bottom of the site home page) as it offers a lot of information on how royalty free image use works, while explaining the Burst image use options.
Here is a sample of some of the images downloaded, added to a PowerPoint slide and stylized:
Troy @ TLC (thanks to Christie on the TLC Creative design team for researching and doing the initial write-up)
Canva Images
Canva is best known as an online graphic design tool for creating social media-print-presentation graphics through its thousands of preset layouts. All of those creative layouts use lots of images, and Canva is also a resource where you can download high-quality stock photos – for free.
- To download image, you must sign up and create a profile.
- Go FEATURES > PHOTOS (which will include both free and paid photos in searches), or go to this webpage which is a search for only the free images Canva offers.
- Use the search bar to look for specific images by category.
Or, simply scroll to the bottom and click the next page/arrow.
- Click on the desired image> Download this Photo> The download will start automatically (or if not logged in, it will redirect to the log in page).
- Images are part of a curated collection, so while the images I found are very high quality, they are limited.
Here is a sample of some of the images downloaded, added to a PowerPoint slide and stylized:
Troy @ TLC
Free Picture Finder
Free Picture Finder is a PowerPoint, and Word, add-in that searches for royalty free pictures on Flickr. To install, open PowerPoint, go to INSERT > STORE > search for “Free Picture Finder” > click ADD.
It’s simple to use. After installed, go to INSERT > MY ADD-INS > click the drop down menu and click on FREE PICTURE FINDER. The app action pane will open on the right. Just type a keyword in the search bar and images will populate. Click any thumbnail image and it is automatically placed on the current slide.
The images are all royalty free and can be used however you’d like, but the only caveat is that the image size is capped at 250px in height or width. Here is a sample layout of images added and then PowerPoint styling applied:
