Powered by Getty Images, iStock has become one of the most successful user-generated sites in the world. It is the original resource of crowd-sourced royalty-free stock images, illustrations, videos and audio tracks. The website is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada but has reached creative professionals all around world. It is the home of both paid and free photos for every creative project and budget.
Every week, the stock photo agency offers free files, including iStock free photos. (Click here.) These photos are included in the website’s Signature Collection, which is a pool of premium hand-picked images from artists all around the world. They also come in various sizes from small to double extra-large – all for free. Moreover, they include a standard license that allows you to use the image for personal and commercial needs.
Uses of the Free Photos
You can use iStock free photos as part of your advertising, marketing, social media, magazines, product packaging, applications, films, websites and many more. You can use them on purposes that are otherwise restricted in the license agreement. Like the paid photos in the website, they also come with a $10,000 legal guarantee, which saves you from any copyright infringement issues. You can also increase your coverage to $250,000 by purchasing an Extended Legal Guarantee.
If you need to use the iStock free photos in more ways, you can also add an extended license. The extended license allows you to run more than 500,000 printed copies of the image for advertising, marketing, newspapers, magazines, product packaging, books and promotional materials. It also allows you to share files to your team. Moreover, it allows you to use the images for resale of physical products and digital templates.
Prohibited Uses
Like other creative files in iStock’s library, there are certain uses that are not allowed with free photos. Not adhering to the restrictions stated in the license agreement of the website will result to legal and financial damages. To save yourself from such trouble, you need to acquaint yourself with the following prohibited uses of iStock free photos.
- You cannot use the free photos in any logo or trademark.
- You cannot use them in libelous, obscene and pornographic works.
- You cannot use them as standalone files.
- You cannot represent as the creator of the images.
iStock has always provided the creative community with a larger selection of high quality images for their creative needs. It even offers them pricing and plans that suit their unique range of budgets. Most of all, it gives them stock files, free of charge, to express its deepest gratitude to the community’s support for the website and the artists that contribute to it.