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Digital signage is an emerging technology that involves using high-quality images and videos to strategically broadcast advertising content for maximum impact. When it comes to making your website stand out, one of the things that is going to help your business is having high-quality images. Stock video footage is also incredibly useful to help you communicate specific messages and moods when you are producing a huge range of video content.
When looking for stock footage, you usually have something specific in mind that you are after. It is important to remember that stock websites are not only as good as their licensing options, but also as good as their library or catalog of stock footage. While free sites have a decent library, they are nowhere near paid sites in terms of providing full, easy to read or comprehensive digital content or footage. Free sites also limit you to low-quality file formats.
Remember to look at the licensing agreement when considering what to choose between free and paid digital footage. If you are using another person's footage, you need to understand what your obligations are. In some cases, there might be none and you are free to use the footage wherever you like. However, in other cases, you might need to give attribution or credit to whoever created the footage. In other cases, you might be restricted on where you can use the footage.
Below are eight free download areas to go to when you want to have high-quality stock images and videos for your digital signs:
1. Pixabay.com
This should be one of the first websites you go to when looking to find some decent images because it has got a good search tool and tends to be quite independent of other websites as well. If you search for a specific product, for example, mobile, you will get a good number of quality images to use. Another advantage of pixabay is that you can get a free trial and you also choose additional vector photos or videos which are much more relevant to websites these days.
2. Pexels.com
Pexels begun as a free photo site but currently has a decent size library of free HD stock footage with pretty broad license terms most being loose; meaning you will most likely be able to use the footage acquired in most places. With this site, you can get a photo result but can switch to the video. Additionally, the site allows you to review the video clips in the search results which can be very handy. The biggest advantage of pexels is that all the photos on the site are free to use with no attributions required.
3. Unsplash.com
This download site started quite small just a few images being uploaded but has continued to grow and now has more images on there. Unsplash is a good source for digital signage purposes, because it comprises photographers that are simply uploading the images for free. It is an easy-to-use website and you can get some unusual images; you will always find that there will be something different. However, the searches will not always match what you are after. Therefore, Unsplash can be a bit limited.
4. Gratisography.com
This website is a source of quirky and unusual photos. It is a great source of animated or overly exaggerated pictures. Gratisography offers free download and allows for Adobe trial as well. However, bear in mind that there are a lot of adverts. However, it is a great source of unusual and unique photos that you are not going to see anywhere else.
5. Fotolia.com
This website was initially brought out by Adobe and the two have now kind of become one. It is worth becoming a member of Fotolia especially if you have a Photoshop account because it is a phenomenal source of stock photos providing high-quality images for your project. Some images require you to purchase a subscription, which might not sound good to you if you are operating on a tight budget. However, the website comes with trials; for example, you can be offered ten images to start your trial.
6. Bigstockphoto.com
Bigstock often comes with a free trial as well. It is recommend to first use those images before signing up for an account to be certain of the type of things you can work with from the website. Most images are well done. However, you have to be selective and choose photos and videos depending on your taste and preference. You can get some pretty good design ideas as well. If you are looking to perhaps create a logo or layout ideas, bigstockphoto is worth bookmarking and sourcing images from.
7. Istockphoto.com
This website is a more affordable version of Getty. Normally, you can get some plan here that is relatively cheap. You can choose to buy credits for purchasing images. The image you wish to buy depends on how many credits it costs. Istockphoto is a bit complicated because you have got VAT and Taxes onto the website. However, the quality of images and what you find from your search are excellent. Normally you can find an image that is exactly fits your unique user needs.
8. Google.com/imghp
Again, if you are looking for free images a different way to get such would be to use the good old Google images. The benefit of using Google is that you get to know the source of the images and where you can purchase them from if that is what the client is after. You can also look for reuse signs by filtering your search and asking to see images having the label 'For Reuse.' Common sites include Wikipedia, which often provides free images that you can reuse, which is quite useful for those who do not wish to buy an original image. However, when using this source, you need to be careful of the copyright.
Image is everything and nothing beats digital signage when communicating your brand to potential and existing clients. Amplify your business and brand at a budget by implementing your digital signage solution using royalty-free content.
