Shutterstock
Shutterstock is a provider of stock photos, illustrations, and vector art. The website allows individuals to purchase a subscription and download copyrighted art for creative projects. Artists can also sign up and list their original work for sale on the Shutterstock website. Using this website helps individuals get paid for their work, and it protects project creators against copyright infringement.
- Choose from over 196 million images
- Photos, artwork, and illustrations available
- Access to video footage
- Easy downloading of images
- Images on almost every subject
- Search the image library by keyword
- Images can be used without attribution once the license is paid
- Very expensive compared to other services
- Compensation for artists is low
- Daunting approval process for contributors
Finding suitable photos for a website or other projects can be difficult. Clipping them from random websites can lead to charges of copyright infringement. Shutterstock offers an economical alternative. Individuals may purchase a monthly subscription which allows them to download and use a specified number of images. No attribution is required once a license has been purchased. The images provided by Shutterstock include professional photographs, vector art, and drawings. A subscriber is generally granted a license to use the art in whatever way they choose. Images can be used to create website headers, placed in blog posts, or even shared on social media. Shutterstock has also partnered with other providers to offer stock video footage. Those who take photographs or create illustrations can also find this to be a useful website. Artists can create an account and offer their own works for download. They are compensated in a manner that is commensurate with the number of downloads they receive. Royalty payments are collected by Shutterstock and delivered to the artists. For creators, Shutterstock also offers many useful tools. There is an e-book available as a free download called Going