Have you ever been on the hunt for that one perfect photo only to realise it’s nowhere on your phone? You scroll through Google, hopefully… only to see watermarks and price tags at every click.
It’s like finding a needle in a haystack!
But here’s the deal—having a stock of go-to images is a game-changer for anyone creating their own designs, especially in Canva. It takes your self-made Canva graphics to the next level.
However, don’t just download random images from Google! Many are copyrighted, and the last thing you need is a legal headache.
So where do you turn for images that are free, quality, and legal to use? Here are my top go-to’s:
Pixabay – Tons of free photos, and you can even access it directly through Canva.
Pexels – Great variety, with some overlap with Pixabay.
New Old Stock – Unique vintage black-and-white photos (just check for copyright).
Picnoi – Diverse images featuring people of colour; remember to credit the photographer.
Gratisography & Unsplash – For quirky, no-attribution-required shots.
If you need exclusivity, you might even negotiate with a photographer to use their work, though it can be pricey.
Some of the paid-for sites will send you a link monthly with a couple of images that you can download and use. Their libraries are usually quite substantial. Some even offer a membership to access all the imagery.
These ones are the ones that have very strict guidelines around how you can use their images.
For instance, you can’t use their images and sell them as a template to a third party. You can only use it for your own social media advertising. If you also use it over on Instagram, you have to use their personal hashtag as a link-back.
Oh … and don’t think you can crop & manipulate the image.
You’re not allowed to do that either.
My favourite sites are Pixabay & Pexels, simply because these are part of the Canva resources and you can access them directly from within Canva.
In this video, you’ll see how easy it is to access both Pexels and Pixabay from within Canva.
So, the long and the short really is that you should always make sure that the image you are going to be using does not come with several strings of not-to’s attached to it.
Some free image sites will also have you use the photograph only once, or at most a couple of times.
Check the usage rights though, I have linked them for your convenience with those I use regularly. Rather be safe than sorry!
Standing Out
Creative design really allows you and your brand to stand out.
By not trying to stand out, you are doing both yourself & your social media presence a massive disservice. This is why stock images are both a good thing and a bad thing.
What?
Yes, you see, the lesser-used stock images are the ones that will make you stand out. And the more often used stock images will make your image disappear in a sea of sameness – especially on social media.
How do you know whether an image has been used before?
Simple – you use the website Tin Eye. It will tell you, in a couple of seconds, how often & where the image has been used before.
Conclusion
I hope you will find these resources useful.
If you’re new to design and want to start using Canva as your platform for design, you can sign up here and use the Pro features for 30 days completely free of charge.
Here are the differences between pro & free #justsaying
I created a quick-start guide for you to unlock your inner Picasso. Basically, it’s something every tech-phobic entrepreneur needs to start creating Canva graphics that allow you to look different to all the templated designs out there!
If you need a little more help, I can assist you using Zoom – which we’ll record so you can keep referring back to our session. This link here will get us connected for an hour to walk you through your challenges.
If there is anything else, I can help with, you can always just send me an email, or even connect with me on LinkedIn (as that’s where I’m most active) and chat with me there.
Stephanie 🤍
