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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.

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To download:

  • Search for an image
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  • Click on the image
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  • 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
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  • Use image in project!

Here is a sample of some of the images available:

Troy @ TLC