Searching #77: Images

Using AllFreeClipArt, it took me twelve clicks before I finally managed to find a Santa that didn't have a color that made him resemble a troll.

I read “10 Places to Find Free Images Online”. Out of the different websites, I want to talk a little bit about two that drew my interest. I want to avoid the most familiar one such as Flickr because it has already been dealt with on previous posts.

Freedigitalphotos.com: What drew me the most from this website is it's organization. Things are separated by categories and also by photographers. These images are not your typical snapshots taken through a hazy camera lens or of poor quality. All of the images I have sampled are well balanced, they make good use of lighting and space, and look very professional. The only drawback is that the quantity of images are not as vast as what you would find in another place. Because all the pictures are submitted by users, the website is limited to the photographers. You can register (optional) and gain a few extra benefits, but other than that, the website is a good place to get images that look better than what the average person takes.

SXC.hu: This is another website that also relies heavily on the photographers and their pictures. Images range from simple backgrounds to more complex pictures of people getting creative with photoshop. The only thing to really pay attention to is that the "author" of the pictures sets the terms of usage. Most of the pictures are free, but every now and then you will run into a picture that you want but can't access unless you sign up. As far as I have seen, to create an account does not cost anything, and the restrictions depend on the artist.

Harris County Public Library subscribes to a clip art program, called Schools.Clipart for library staff use when making posters, flyers, etc. Using this website I decided to search for a "dragon" and this is the picture I obtained.

Image credit: http://schools-demo.clipart.com/search/close-up?oid=3863580&q=dragon&s=1&a=a