where do you get your stock photos and grahics from?

[X1Lightning]

Like the title says, where do you guys get your stock photos and graphics from for the sites you build?

[AviationFan]

istockphoto and fotolia are good choices with very affordable rates.

- Martin

[brad.c]

Seconded for istockphoto. I would complain over the time limit for the purchased credits, but it's not like I'm losing any significant sum of money.

[Melrose]

fotolia are good choices with very affordable rates.

- Martin

I second that.

[sorryiwasdreami]

istock and sxc.

[Melrose]

I forgot sxc (http://www.sxc.hu). Just watch out - no watermark doesn't necessarily mean no strings attached. Alot of their photos require you to get permission to use them first..

[Photomax]

What kind of site are you going to produce?

My $.02 is this: I think there are nice advantages to avoiding stock graphics and generic disc photography whenever possible. Why? Well, using stock images is too easy. Everybody does it. Most of the cheaper stock images look like, well, safe "broad appeal" stock images. I see this all the time. A site for so and so or such and such, all using the same bland, safe stock art that is "nice" and "sort of fits..." Sites tend to look the same in a bland, mushy kind of way. Part of building a successful site is knowing the importance of making a statement that stands out and is very focused on the message. Using stock imagery can really get in the way of achieving this goal.

I think a good alternative is producing the images on your own: no one else is using them, they look different, have unique character and quite often are a lot more focused on the topic. Even if some of the images may not be technically brilliant they will shine amongst a see of corporate stock images.

Not handy with a camera? Then make trades with someone that is. Is this for a business? Then hire a local pro. But get UNIQUE, FOCUSED images that really speak to your message.

In the long run its often worth the extra effort or capital...

[X1Lightning]

What kind of site are you going to produce?

My $.02 is this: I think there are nice advantages to avoiding stock graphics and generic disc photography whenever possible. Why? Well, using stock images is too easy. Everybody does it. Most of the cheaper stock images look like, well, safe "broad appeal" stock images. I see this all the time. A site for so and so or such and such, all using the same bland, safe stock art that is "nice" and "sort of fits..." Sites tend to look the same in a bland, mushy kind of way. Part of building a successful site is knowing the importance of making a statement that stands out and is very focused on the message. Using stock imagery can really get in the way of achieving this goal.

I think a good alternative is producing the images on your own: no one else is using them, they look different, have unique character and quite often are a lot more focused on the topic. Even if some of the images may not be technically brilliant they will shine amongst a see of corporate stock images.

Not handy with a camera? Then make trades with someone that is. Is this for a business? Then hire a local pro. But get UNIQUE, FOCUSED images that really speak to your message.

In the long run its often worth the extra effort or capital...


up till now i have always used photos that i take and graphics that i create on my own or the client supplies, but some of my sites i have really had a limited amount of content to work with, so I'm just looking for a good site that has photos i can fill the void with.

are there any good sites that supply textures? i only found photos in the links above.

[MegaMan1311]

Adobe Stock Photos. They are free to download!

[X1Lightning]

last time i was on adobe stock, they were very expensive... i'll have to go back out there and check now

[JasonElise1983]

Adobe Stock Photos. They are free to download!

wait...COMPS are free to download, that doesn't actually give you a license to use them. Have a file and having the rights to use it are two different things.

-JE

[X1Lightning]

I just went back out to adobe stock, they are nuts, $90 for one low res image.
and the images are not even that good....

[kbmb]

Just got this email from Adobe tonight....no more stock photos.

-Kevin


As of April 1, 2008, the Adobe® Stock Photos royalty-free image service will be discontinued. We made this decision in order to focus our efforts in other areas, and we want to share this news with you and let you know how it affects you.

Over the next few months we will be making changes to Adobe Stock Photos. On March 4, 2008, search functionality will be disabled. You will be able to purchase images through our service until March 31, 2008.

To finalize your transactions with us, please follow these steps:

1. Complete your image searches by March 4, 2008.

2. Make final image purchases by March 31, 2008.

3. If necessary, re-download past purchases and print your purchase history by March 31, 2008.

4. When you're ready, uninstall Adobe Stock Photos from Adobe® Bridge in your Creative Suite® applications.
Download the Windows Uninstaller now.
Download the Mac Uninstaller now.

Thanks for your support of Adobe and the Adobe Stock Photos service.

Sincerely,

The Adobe Stock Photos Team

[Ish]

I've used istockphoto, also Dreamstime (http://www.dreamstime.com/) and sometimes I take my own. Doing your own textures is interesting and no-one else will have them. What sort of textures are you looking for?

[ezekielrage_99]

iStockPhoto (www.istockphoto.com) it has the best range at the best prices.

Corbis (www.corbis.com) is also good but it's very pricey.