I am excited to share with you six simple solutions that will help your visual content stand out, even if many others use the same image.
Have you ever found a stock image that you thought complimented your content perfectly, only to see the same image across social media and other blogs?
I have had this happen a couple of times over!
I am browsing my social media accounts only to see the same image I used on a post show up for someone elses content.
I find it amusing the times I have noticed this happen. Mainly because of the tips I will share with you later in the post. I use at most of these tips every time in order to help my visuals look more appealing, and different from anything else out there.
Coming across multiple of the same images online is more common than you may think. When it comes to stock and royalty free images, one of them can be downloaded and used by thousands.
There are so many options out there. New sites pop up all the time and some conveniently drop them into your inbox every month or so.
We have to look at how we can edit our images and get them to appear as original as possible.
Will an image that was already seen multiple times have the same impact?
Maybe…maybe not!
I would prefer to make some simple changes to the image and tailor it perfectly to your needs.
3 Ways To Make Your Stock Royalty Free Images Look Amazing
Find The Right Filter
This is one of the easiest ways to completely change the feel of your image.
It’s super simple since on practically all of the photo editing software out there, you can do this at the click of a button!
After you find the image that is right for your content, play around with different filters and go with the one that you feel best enhances the image.
Have fun with it.
I recommend finding two or three filters that you really like and compare them side by side.
Original Image
Image with Filters Added
Zoom/ Crop Your Image
Another super simple way to change-up your image is by doing a quick Crop.
Depending on what tools you are using, you can accomplish this a few different ways. You get same results either way.
Not only do you change-up the feel of your image but you can get rid of empty space or highlight a specific part of the image that compliments your content best.
Original Image
Images After Zoom/Cropped
Fonts Fonts Fonts
Fonts give you another simple way to make your images visually appealing.
Play with a couple different sizes and styles.
For more examples of great ways to use your fonts, check out these Quote Images.
Fonts/ text are the most important part of your images.
They are what move readers to action and drive them to your content.
They can also make your image look less than as well if you are not careful.
Since Fonts are the most important part of your images, here are some additional tips to make your fonts stand out!
Use Larger Fonts
I have made this mistake plenty of times in the past.
When you are creating an image on a computer things are large and look great. You have to keep in mind that not everyone will see your image at its original size.
You have to compensate for all those out there that will see that image on mobile, tablets or the thumbnail version of your photo. They will see a much smaller version of your image.
They need to be able to easily see how they will benefit from reading your content.
The style of your Fonts will help your images stand out but you have to be cautious of the size as well.
Contrast Matters
I see this pretty often. The Text blends in with the image making it hard to read.
You have to make your text stand out from everything else that is going on in the image.
The lighter the image or filter, the darker the Font. The darker the image or filter, the lighter the Font.
If you remember these simple steps, you will have everything you need to know to pick the perfect contrast between your image and Fonts.
Text Box
A Text Box is a great way to separate your text from the rest of your image.
Simply adding a box that also contrasts well with the rest of the image.
This is highly effective if you have an image that has a lot going on.
You can have a text box for each word, each row of text, or one large box for all of your text. Whatever works best for your design.
The main thing is that you want everything to be easily read by readers.
Places To Find Stock Royalty Free Images
Photogen offers tons of free stock photos. They are free to download, without registration. The are hi-res JPEG images that can be used for commercial or personal use. The add new images to their gallery all the time.
Free Digital Photos.net has a large gallery of photos to choose from in many different categories. The have plenty of free images you can download, also without registration. The images are hi-res and you have the option to purchase a larger version of the image if needed.
Fotolia having one of the largest galleries online had to be added. They have around 39 million images available and add hundreds or more per day. Their collection is so large that several other stock photo sites pull from the images Fotolia offers due to their api. You have to register here and they offer a pay as you go, monthly packs and a subscription plan offering images as low as 19 cent per image.
The Best Places To Find Stock Images
There are so many other places to choose from when it comes to finding free images.
Instead of listing them all, I have some of my Favorite post below.
They all have an awesome list of other free image sites you can check out.
- 16 Places to Find the Best Free Stock Photos | DesignModo
- 14 Amazingly Free Stock Photo Websites | Entrepreneur
- Our Top 9 Best Free Stock Images Sites to Get You Started with Blogging | Headway Themes
- Places to Find Free Images Online and Make Your Content More Linkable | Search Engine Journal
- 65+ Sites To Find Awe-Inspiring Public Domain Images & Clipart For Your Blog + Social Media Posts For FREE
Quick Word Of Caution
When you are using stock and royalty free images, you have to be sure you know and understand the license for each image you use.
You are using someone elses work and it is possible to have certain restrictions or obligations even if you pay a small fee.
So thoroughly read the license associated with image before making your final decision.
For example, The Content Factory blog begins their tale of being sued for $8,000 with, ‘Long Story Short: Image Copyright Laws Can Screw You Over‘!
Final Thoughts
There you have it. Six simple ways to make your stock images stand out and get more eyes on your content.
I use the first 5 of the methods on every image and I recommend you do the same. The Text box is optional depending on your design. Just make sure your text can be seen and it doesn’t matter.
There is not a huge time investment. Once you get the hang of it all, you can knock an image out in about 10 minutes.
That little time investment is well worth it to set your visual content apart from all the others that may be circulating out there.
Twitter: CopyWarner
Hey Steven,
Great post. I try to add some color to my pictures whenever I can. I don’t always do … but I try. Especially if I decide to use stock photos.
One thing I suck at is fonts. I need to really work on that in the future to make my fonts “pop” more an captures attention.
Great stuff here.
– Andrew
Andrew recently posted…Reader Challenge: How To Grow Your Blog By Attracting Your Ideal Reader
Hey Andrew,
The fonts can be a challenge for sure. I add 2 different sizes and stlyes to my fonts most of the time.
Sometimes I will have everything laid out and it just doesn’t feel right. Then I start all over.
I guess that could be frustrating but I enjoy it so creating images doesn’t feel like work!
I appreciate that and have a great weekend ahead Andrew.
Hi, Steven,
You did a great job with your article, and I like your examples a lot of how to enhance images. If I’m not careful, I could spend way too much time on them, but having an image that’s optimized and that exactly depicts what you’re trying to convey is priceless in my opinion.
You gave some really good tips, and I see you’ve addressed some mistakes which is really good because learning what not to do is just as important as learning what we should do.
I agree with all of your tips, and would only add that the image should be changed enough to pass the TinEye test, so that we can have unique and original images and rank for them in the search engines, just like our content. I sometimes start with stock photos, and add text or other alterations to make it completely unique to me and my site. Makes me happy.
Thanks for sharing these sources with us and for the reminder to do our due diligence in checking for usage rights.
You’re absolutely right! Once someone gets the hang of it, it takes very little time to create a high quality image. I like to also use LogoCreator.
Am so glad you made a point of ‘contrast’ because I see this done incorrectly so often. We all learn by trial and error and much practice.
Great article, Steven, and I’ll definitely be sharing this out.
Have a good evening.
Carol Amato
Carol Amato recently posted…Carol’s Cut – Best of the Month 1
Hey Carol,
I appreciate that!
I totally agree! I feel it is worth it as well. I spent a lot of time on some of my images but I have been fortunate add they are circulating well on social media.
I remember a previous post you mentioned TinEye and haven’t made it over to check it out yet. I will go right after this for sure!
I have been coming across several articles about people getting sued and it is becoming more frequent. With so may photos circulating now Unfortunately this may become more common.
Thanks for stopping by Carol!
Twitter: sunnywilly
Hi Steven,
Once we have ascertained that the stock and royalty free images we choose are not copyrighted then we are good to go with editing and making the images standout.
The tips shared here are simple and could be applied by newbies and experts. In addition to the above tips, I like adding my own text on a part of the image to make it unique!
Thanks for the list of places where we can access these images. Finding the right place could be a challenge to most people!
I have shared this comment in kingged. com where this post was upvoted.
Sunday recently posted…4 Best Free WordPress Email Newsletter Plugins
Hi Sunday,
Yeah, checking out the copyrights are important. Just because you made a small investment doesn’t mean you have the right to use it however you want.
Your text is so important to getting your image shared and driving traffic. It’s good that you at least do that.
Thanks for the comment Sunday!
Twitter: Sks_success75
Hey Steven,
So far I haven’t found any sites with the same images I used (Knock on wood), but that doesn’t mean that the don’t exist.
But I haven’t realize how many options we have just in case this happens. I’ve done some playing around with just a couple of images and they tend to bring your posts our even more. So far I’ve added text and fonts which I like since it gives the picture words as well as what the blog is going to be about.
I’ve been using deposit photos for images and I’m interested in looking for some free images. I’ll check out photogen for my next post.
Thanks Steven for sharing! Have a great rest of the week!
Sherman Smith recently posted…Why Writer’s Block Is A Myth To Seasoned Bloggers
Hey Sherman,
I know right. That’s why I make sure to edit them all even if I pay a small price for them.
You never know!
The text is the most important part so I’m glad your doing at least that.
I was pleasantly surprised at what Photogen has to offer. A lot of nice images for sure. Let me know if find one.
Take care Sherman. Thanks for stopping by man.
Twitter: AdrienneSmith40
Hey Steven,
Such great tips and I’ve used several of these myself.
It’s hard to find images that really fit what we’re sharing at times. I know because of copyright issues people are more eager to use their own. My problem is that I live in the city so it’s not like I can walk out my front door and capture the perfect shot that’s going to fit perfectly with what I’m sharing.
I admire those that are creative enough to create images for each post but I just don’t have that in me personally. Wish I did but my mind doesn’t work that way. Therefore, I use royalty free images and I’m very cautious about the ones I use.
I’ve heard the horror stories from others and even when you’re purchasing them it can be from the wrong person and you still can get sued. All I can do is hope that never happens because images are definitely here to stay. I think we all need to change them up or add our own flair as you shared here and all of your suggestions are great.
I hope to pick it up a notch moving forward, I’m sure going to try so thanks for all your advice.
~Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted…Breaking Away From The Me Too Crowd
Hey Adrienne,
You are right about that. I have spent a ton of time searching for images before.
I have tried to take my own images before but I rarely used them because they didn’t fit with the post.
Yeah, those horror stories are rough. Especially the one where they still get sued even if they followed all the guidelines. If the product is owned by someone else they can file suit for any little reason. Probably just hoping it gets settled out of court for a quick profit. It’s real unfortunate how that works out sometimes.
Thanks for stopping by Adrienne!
Twitter: Lisapatb
Hi Steven, I never thought to add filters to mine via photoshop. I will have to try that. I use the Free Digtial Photos.net and usually add my words via photoshop and sometimes add in another piece of art or logo as well. I love the ideas you shared here!
It’s good to know the other ways as sites like Pinterest have become so popular and even photos in our tweets help to spread them further into cyberspace. People are visual and the photos can really help us to get more views on our posts.
I read a lot about Canava but I haven’t delved into that one yet.
Thanks again Steven and have a great rest of the day!
Hey Lisa,
I really enjoy playing around with the filters. They changes your image up so quick and easy.
You are right about the way images are helping get more attention to our content!
Canva helped me create the feature image for this post in about 15 minutes with ease. The templates etc they have really help you create nice images without a huge learning curve like with Photoshop.
I appreciate you stopping by Lisa.
Twitter: pritamnagrale
Hi Steven,
Great topic , I also try to change original images for my posts . Contrast always works , and try to use fonts , they are ‘In’ now a days.
I have used Fotolia , they have great collections .
Thanks for introducing other sites for photos.
Pritam Nagrale recently posted…Don’t Underestimate the Benefits of Email Marketing for Small Businesses
Hi Pritam,
Contrast and Fonts are huge for the success of our images.
Your welcome! You can never have to many good resources at your disposal.
Have a good week.
Great post, Well indeed its always necessary to use royalty free images to get free from any issues. I’ve been using few sites which will provide free stock images though.
Samir recently posted…TOP 10 Google Play Store Banned apps
Hi Samir,
I appreciate that!
Have a good rest of the week.
This is some great advice on enahancing images and making them stand out . Using filters is a great way to enhance images and can really make them come to life. I really liked the examples you used above and showed how just an ordinary room can come to life. I dont usually use text in my featured images, I just make sure the title of the article can be clearly seen, but yes if you were to use text, constrast matters. You dont want some text that no one can read.
Lawrence Berry recently posted…7 Socially Unaccepted Traits You Need To Be Aware Of from Robert Greene’s Mastery
Hi Lawrence,
The filters are the first thing I normally start working with. I love they way at a click you completely change the feel of your image.
Absolutely! They have to be able to see what your content will provide for sure.
Thanks for the comment Lawrence.
Twitter: crosswebideas
Hi, Steven, some excellent advice and I wish everyone would follow it!
One thing above all resonates with me – seeing another blog using the stock image you chose. I couldn’t believe when I found the perfect stock image to illustrate the Internet of Things and since then I see the same image everywhere for exactly the same subject. Never again!
All your examples are really strong. I do have a graphics background so I try to follow those steps and I thoroughly recommend them.
You are so right in saying that you need to adapt images – often to make them fit your message better but also to avoid stale images, that staleness gives the impression that what you write is stale too.
You’ve spoken about license restrictions. The worst one is ‘no modifications allowed’ which rules out all of your great suggestions. That’s why I’ve simplified the whole process by only using completely royalty free images – that means I can go ahead and do the things you suggest now or in the future without trying to remember the license details.
Great information, thank you!
Hey Donald,
I noticed how multiple images were circulating on multiple blogs etc on the same topic a while ago. Luckily, I made it a point to really make my image look different.
The few times I noticed it, it wasn’t that big of deal because they use the image right out the box and I didn’t.
I agree with you on the licenses. That’s why lately I stick with one resource and just pay a dollar. That way every image I use I know has the same license.
Thanks for stopping by Donald!
Twitter: DinaDestreza
Hi Steve,
Great info. However, I have one doubt, can you please tell me how to add that transparent text box you have shown in your image (2nd image with text box). I was so desperately looking for this info.
Thank you so much for amazing post.
Have a great weekend!
Hi Dina,
I use Canva to create the text box on my images. After you have the image you want up, click on the search tab in top left corner. Then select shapes, then click on the square.
Resize the square to your liking and select the color you want. Then click on the little arrow at the bottom of your square and click transparency. From there adjust it to the transparency you think works best.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
I hope this helps!
Twitter: BloggingFlail
I like your tips Steven, all so simple.
I do most of these, but there’s a few things that I could do a big better, and you just gave me a few ideas.
The biggest issue I was having was trying to figure out how to put a text box across some of my images to make the text stand out even more. I was playing around with this for at least 30 minutes earlier this week, and I had to give up because other things were calling. So your reply to Dina’s comment just hit the mark for me. I’m going to try that right now!
Thanks Steven, have a great Memorial Day Weekend.
Craig
Craig recently posted…21 Must Click Links On Guest Posting
Hey Craig,
Simple, that’s exactly what I was going for.
Some of these tools and strategies come across so complicated. I mean we have enough to do instead of adding a huge learning curve to the list
I’m glad that response helped you out. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to drop me a line!
Have a good rest of the week.
Indeed a very useful post to find royalty free images and I guess its really essential and may be mandatory to use images rather getting into some copyright issues.
Thanks
Christy recently posted…5 Top Reasons That You Should Host Your Website with HostGator
Hey Christy,
I’m glad you found this useful
Have a good rest of the week.
Twitter: problogsuccess
Hey Steve,
That’s a very useful topic. As bloggers we need images on a regular basis! And to make them stand out is really a challenge. Especially if it is a stock photo, it is most probably already used by hundreds of other bloggers!
Thanks for the tips, they are really smart! I like the zooming tip very much and haven’t used it so far
I buy my photos at Deposit Photos but still one has to be careful in making the photos look unique as well as go with the style/theme of the blog.
I usually write the blog post’s title on the image (or any other important sub-heading) and put my blog’s logo in there and add the short link to the post – just to add a signature, and make the image useful even in standalone more
Thanks for bringing this topic up! Have a great week
Cheers,
Jane.
Jane recently posted…How to boost engagement of your blog for good?
Hey Jane,
I noticed your short links in your images. Do you make separate shortlinks for your images to track their effectiveness?
That is one thing I haven’t tried. I normally just put the root domain at the bottom of mine. Something to think about.
I hope your vacation was awesome!
Take care Jane.
I must admit that I never tried any of the listed websites for royalty free images and I’m gonna try “Free Digital Photos.net” which seems compelling interms of price and packages.
Thanks
Tushar recently posted…Wrike – Combining Collaboration, Project Management & Interaction in One Place
Hi Tushar,
Glad you found some new resources to take advantage of.
Take care Tushar.