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You are here: Home / Design / Images / Find free photos and images for PowerPoint

Find free photos and images for PowerPoint

October 3, 2001 by Ellen Finkelstein 38 Comments

READ LATER - DOWNLOAD THIS POST AS PDF >> CLICK HERE <<

Photos are essential for creating powerful, engaging and persuasive slides, but you need to find the right ones. The secret to finding free images and photos is to know how to use Microsoft’s tools effectively and where to look on the Web.

But you can’t legally take any photo you want from a website! Most photos are copyrighted. Therefore, you need to know how to get and use photos legally.

You often see sites offering royalty-free photos, but you have to pay for them. That may be the way to go if you want the largest selection to choose from. At the end of this post, I’ll give you my recommendation for low-cost photos.

Find photos in PowerPoint–this is no longer available 🙁

Many people don’t know how to find photos in PowerPoint.

  1. Choose Insert> Insert Picture > Clip Art or Insert tab>Clip Art/Online Pictures. The Clip Art task pane opens. In PowerPoint 2013, a window opens.
  2. In the Search box, enter a keyword to search for. For example, enter sky.
  3. In PowerPoint 2003 and 2007, click the down arrow of the Search In drop-down list to specify where you want to look. You can leave Everywhere check box checked to look on your , in MS Office collections, and on Microsoft’s Web site.
  4. In 2003, 2007 and 2010, click the down arrow of the Results Should Be drop-down list. Here’s the secret. Uncheck everything except photographs. In PowerPoint 2013, add the word photo after your search term.
  5. Click Go and you’ll get only sky photos.

Find public domain photos on the Web

You can find lots of photos, especially beautiful nature photos, that are in the public domain. This means that you can use them for any purpose, private or commercial. You just can’t copyright them, since they in the public domain.

One site with a great collection — and an excellent explanation of what public domain means and what to watch out for — is PD Photo.org. This site has gorgeous photos that you can use. Here’s a beach picture:

beach photo from PD Photo.org.

from PD Photo.org

The U.S. government has 3 sites with extensive collections of great photos:

  • The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has a great library of water photos. Here’s an example:
water photo from The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

You are supposed to give them credit as in, “Thanks to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce.” Of course, you don’t want to do this on a photo that you use as a background for a slide, but you put it below a photo or even on your last slide in a bibliography.

  • The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pictures/Graphics site has lots of great photos and drawings. Here’s an example:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

They request a credit such as the following: Credit: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service

  • NASA has an extensive photo collection, but it’s not very easy to search and many of the photos are taken for their technical characteristics, rather than their beauty. Nevertheless, you can find some great shots. The main site is at http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/.

Here’sa great photo of noctilucent clouds (they also explain what those are). They also want you to acknowledge NASA as the source (as I’m now doing).

by NASA: a photo of noctilucent clouds

NASA: noctilucent clouds

Free photo sites

There are a number of other sites that offer free photos, with varying rules about how you can use them. Some are sites that let photographers contribute their own photos. Be sure to check the license–there’s usually a page that explains it. In some cases, each photo has a license description.

An excellent site is freeimages.com (formerly stock.xchng). This is a huge, well-trafficked site. You can upload your own photos, and find zillions that you can use. The site is easy to search, as well. You need to check the allowed usage for each image.

Another site is morgueFile. It offers free image reference material for use in all creative pursuits.

ImageAfter lets you search by category or color. These photos are free for most uses.

RGBStock is a website with a collection of free images. It’s searchable, too.

Picdrome contains a small collection of free photos. They aren’t searchable but are categorized.

CJO Photo is another website with free photos that aren’t searchable but are categorized.

Free Images Collection is Santhosh Kumar’s personal free photo site where anyone can download copyright free photos. He would like to get back a link in return for the download, but it’s not mandatory.
Canva.com has a list of free image sites here.
Pixabay is a new favorite among marketers looking for photos.

Sites with Creative Commons photos

Creative Commons is a licensing for images that defines how you can use them. The purpose is to make images freely available while maintaining the authorship of the photographer.

For photos licensed under Creative Commons, you need to provide attribution. Include the photographer’s name (or “handle”) and the link provided next to the photo. This link usually goes to the photographer’s profile on the website.

You need to use a photo with the licensing that suits your needs. In most cases, that means you need creative commons licensing that allows for commercial use and modification (such as cropping).

Flickr, which you’ve probably heard of, is another site that lets people contribute their own images. Many are simply personal photos, but you can still find some good ones. You’ll have a choice of millions of photos. Here’s how you can find photos you can use legally:

  1. Enter your search term in the Search box and press Enter.
  2. From the results page, click the Advanced Search link to the right of the Search button.
  3. Scroll down and check the “Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content” check box.
  4. Check the other two check boxes if appropriate.
  5. Click the Search button.

Wikimedia Commons is the media side of Wikipedia.  As of this writing, it has over 24 million images! Some are in the public domain and some are under Creative Commons license.

Take your own photos!

free-images-take-ownI encourage you to take your own photos. For example, recently I needed a photo that represented the concept of partnering. I couldn’t find what I wanted, so I took a photo of my husband and me doing a high-five together.

This suited my needs perfectly and took only a few minutes (and my husband’s cooperation). If you take a photo with a recognizable face, be sure to get permission from your subject.

Sometimes you need to buy an image

Sometimes free won’t get you what you need. This is especially true if you want a photo of a recognizable person, which requires a model release. And photos of people have been shown to be especially engaging.

The photo site that I’ve found to be the best for low-cost images is 123rf. The site has over 16 million high-quality photos. (The link is an affiliate link.)

3 orange large asterisks

Do you have a favorite site for legally getting free images? Leave a comment!

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READ LATER - DOWNLOAD THIS POST AS PDF >> CLICK HERE <<

Related posts:

  1. Recolor bitmap images in PowerPoint 2002 & 2003
  2. Format photos to look like old-fashioned snapshots
  3. 6 steps to create cool stickout photos in PowerPoint
  4. PowerPoint has photos again! And a lot more…

Filed Under: Images Tagged With: background, free photos, images, PowerPoint, presentations

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Craig Hadden - Remote Possibilities
Guest
Craig Hadden - Remote Possibilities

Thanks for all the links!

As you say, I’m sure many people don’t realise that PPT itself can be such a great source of quality photos – right at your fingertips. And the fact there’s a link to Office Online gives a couple of advantages, too. For instance, I find the “See Similar” feature really handy.

(As I’ve blogged about, I’ve used PPT to get over 2500 free photos, which shows just how many it has! See How to find 1000s of great free photos for your PowerPoint slides.)

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10 years ago
picdrome
Guest
picdrome

Hi and thank you for the article!
I can also add http://www.picdrome.com, a growing Public Domain picture collection, free of copyright and licensed under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication. All items are free to download for personal and commercial use, without restriction and are available in high definition. New photos are added on a daily basis.

Vote Up0Vote Down 
10 years ago
Ellen
Guest
Ellen

It’s an interesting site, but there aren’t enough photos yet. I tried to click Submit, but the button didn’t work. The photos are good quality.

Vote Up0Vote Down 
10 years ago
CJ
Guest
CJ

Individuals are also welcome to use the photos and images available on CJO Photo http://www.cjophoto.com/.

Vote Up0Vote Down 
10 years ago
Ellen
Guest
Ellen

In your terms of use, you say: Allowed Usage: For personal and educational work. For use in printed media (newpapers, magazines and newsletters). For use on websites and blogs. *We just ask that CJO Photo.com be credited. Not Allowed Usage: For “print on demand” items such as mugs, greeting cards, t-shirts or any other product that would be intended for resale. For any unlawful or unethical purpose (such as spreading hate or discrimination or to dafame any person or place). For another to claim as their own work. But 2 important issues are left out of either the Do’s and… Read more »

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10 years ago
CJ
Guest
CJ

Hi Ellen,

I Ellen I sent you an email (thanks again for bringing this to our attention):

Our “Terms and Usage” was created to give individuals a basic idea (mostly that the images are not intended for resale purposes) but you make a good point that some may question the usage for business purposes and they are indeed okay for business (powerpoints, websites, etc…). We will definitely update our page to clarify better and thank you for bringing this to our attention.

I hope that you are having a wonderful summer so far and that you enjoy the remainder!

Best Regards!
CJ

Vote Up0Vote Down 
10 years ago
Santhosh
Guest
Santhosh

freeimagescollection.com is my personal free photo site where anyone can download copyright free photos of 6mp. I would like to get back a link in return for the download, but its not mandatory.

Vote Up0Vote Down 
10 years ago
Julie1970
Guest
Julie1970

Hi Ellen,
This is a great resource for photos thamks. Could you please provide something similar for vector graphics, icons etc?
Thanks very much,
Julie.

Vote Up0Vote Down 
10 years ago
Ellen
Guest
Ellen

I haven’t found a good source for free vector graphics. They are pretty time-consuming to create. So I recommend using the Office Clip Art Gallery. In PowerPoint, after choosing Insert> Clip Art, in the Clip Art task pane, set “Results should be” to Illustrations only. You’ll get some PNG but mostly WMF. Remember that you can ungroup them (you need to do it twice) and modify them.
You can also create your own vector graphics. These tips from my blog might help you:
http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/pptblog/create-clear-iconic-illustrations-in-powerpoint-with-gasp-clip-art/
http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/pptblog/creating-your-own-graphics-and-icons-for-powerpoint-part-i-using-clip-art/
http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/pptblog/create-your-own-graphics-and-icons-for-powerpoint-part-ii-creating-line-art-from-scratch/

Let me know if those help you!

Vote Up0Vote Down 
10 years ago
mohamad
Guest
mohamad

very good

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10 years ago
John Lee
Guest
John Lee

Great list! Here is another one

http://stockphotogram.com

Vote Up0Vote Down 
9 years ago
byron
Guest
byron

I also like getting pictures from insert clip art because you are sure that there are no copyright issues to using them. They also do have a pretty wide range of pictures only some of which are super easily recognized by people who use images a lot in ppt ( i am surprised how many highly paid speakers still use some of the free images there!) Like Flickr mentioned above, Google images also has an advanced search area where you can search by use permission. There is even a category to use and modify for commercial use. They do put… Read more »

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9 years ago
Don Pearce
Guest
Don Pearce

Find free photos and images for PowerPoint mailing just received.
The link to

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pictures/Graphics site has lots of great photos and drawings. Here’s an example:

needs updating. I clicked on link and a screen message from 2007(?) gave the updated link.
Regards
Don

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9 years ago
Cris DeRaud
Guest
Cris DeRaud

A good alternative to sxc is http://www.rgbstock.com/

Vote Up0Vote Down 
9 years ago
Dawn Howard Weaver
Guest
Dawn Howard Weaver

Thanks Ellen.

I will search into these.

Warm Regards,

Dawn

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9 years ago
Angela Goodeve
Guest
Angela Goodeve

Great resource Ellen, thanks! I will check out all of the new sites right now!!

Ang 🙂

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9 years ago
Myrna Del Valle
Guest
Myrna Del Valle

Thanks, you have a great resource..This will help me lot.

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9 years ago
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9 years ago
trackback
The Art of Using Images in Presentations | StandOut.GuruStandOut.Guru

[…] source for free photos and images: http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/pptblog/find-free-photos-and-images-for-powerpoint/ Advice about using photos from the web: http://speakingppt.com/2011/03/07/commercial-pictures/ […]

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9 years ago
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9 years ago
trackback
The Art of Using Images in Presentations Copy | StandOut.GuruStandOut.Guru

[…] source for free photos and images: http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/pptblog/find-free-photos-and-images-for-powerpoint/ Advice about using photos from the web: http://speakingppt.com/2011/03/07/commercial-pictures/ […]

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9 years ago
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The creation of meaning is art - All Things Presentations

[…] Impact. Visual stimuli stay in memory longer. Use pictures that are memorable. Make your slides memorable by associating each picture with one of your points and leaving the interpretation to your audience. For instance a black and white picture has a dramatic effect which does not need to be explained. […]

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8 years ago
meesh
Guest
meesh

Now that Microsoft has done away with clip art, what is the best way to utilize clip art on PowerPoint presentations done for commercial use? PowerPoint now directs users to Bing, which has some public domain, but much of it isn’t and it is very time consuming to do the license search for each image.

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8 years ago
Ellen Finkelstein
Guest
Ellen Finkelstein

I agree that searching for creative commons photos is a poor substitute. Not only is it time consuming to do the license search, but I usually don’t want attribution text on my slides. I’m still seeing the Clip Art gallery in PowerPoint 2013, but not 2010. Yesterday, I downloaded about 1,000 images — that’s how strongly I feel about having them available. I use the photos there a lot! freeimages.com is good, but you won’t find a lot of photos of people. wikimedia.org is a better source for CC images because they do the research and the attribution text is… Read more »

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8 years ago
Madeline
Guest
Madeline

Thanks for sharing.

Very upset that Microsoft is doing away with Clip Art. My husband uses Bing, but I’ve discouraged him from using Bing to research as much as I can.

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8 years ago
Ellen Finkelstein
Guest
Ellen Finkelstein

I agree that it’s time consuming. That’s why I listed some solutions. However, the clip art gallery is still there, as of now. I’m waiting to hear back more information from Microsoft.

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8 years ago
trackback
Where to find legal photos? | Web Marketing Newsletter

[…] Look at the resources on this link:  “Find free photos and images for PowerPoint,” with  a list of free images here […]

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8 years ago
Martin
Guest
Martin

Hi, here is also good source for free photos: http://freepix.eu

Vote Up0Vote Down 
8 years ago
Tobias
Guest
Tobias

Hi, Maybe one more source for your great list. I search Photos always on http://creativecommons.photos they have many high quality public domain images. 

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8 years ago
Freeikon.com
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Freeikon.com

Please also check out
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