Step 0 Setting Up

Organizing your free images collection right from the beginning has some huge advantages and costs only a few extra minutes. Perhaps you think now "Oh, I only need a couple of images for my blog now and that's it!" Believe me, collecting free images is addictive and soon you will have hundreds of them. And how will you then remember which image you can use for what? And whom to credit? And how do you find them quickly? OK, you can skip this step, but don't tell me I haven't warned you!

So here the basic set up:

Create a main folder on your hard disc, name it something like "Free Images", create inside this some sub folders and leave them unnamed for the moment. When you have registered with one site and are about to download the first image, name one of the sub folders after this site, for example "123rf", copy in this same folder the relevant image license. This way you have always a reference to how you can use the images in this folder. Additionally you can start a text file where you note the image name and the name of the artist that created this image and the projects you have used this image for. I also add some more information in the sub folder name itself, so my folder reads for example "123rf low 10 000 nc" That means the images in this folder are from 123rf, low resolution (only web use and small prints possible), the max number of copies (prints) I am allowed to produce with each image is 10 000 and I don't have to credit the artist. So when I open my free image folder to look for an image I know exactly which folder contains images I can use for each specific task. If I have more images in one folder then I can see without scrolling I organize them in themed folders "Food" "People" etc. With this system I can find the right image for a new projects in seconds.

To choose the right sources you have to know what you will use the images, mainly for. If you go to the Summary you will find sections entitled "Web only", "Web and Print", Free Vectors","Resale possible". What does apply to you? In each section you find the relevant sources for this kind of images, you only have to click the link, it opens automatically in a new window, and to register with each site. Beside each link you'll find some basic information about where to find the free images. This registration is absolutely free, exactly like the images.