Search & Buy FAQ

• How do I download the images from ImageTrail?
• Are the photo free? How much do they cost?
• Can I use one of your photos in my project?
• I am a student, can I get a discount?
• Why did you create this website when you don't sell any images?
• I represent a stock photo website (agency) and want to list my images, how do I get started?

If you are a photographer or designer looking to sell stock images, you may want to checkout our Photographer FAQ or visit our Microctock Review website.

How do I download images from ImageTrail?

ImageTrail is a stock photography search engine which indexes images from a variety of Microstock photography websites. In order to download an image, click the Download / Buy button found on the image detail page to be taken to the source agency. Most agencies sell these images from $1 - $15 depending on the size (resolution) and popularity of the image. Please checkout or Licensing Page for information about licensing images from microstock agencies.

 Are the Photos free? How much do they cost?

ImageTrail does not list free images in the main search area. However, if you really can't afford paying (see below) we do have a list off free photo resources you might want to checkout. Most photos on microstock websites are sold from $1 - $15 depending on the resolution that you need. The primary reason we created ImageTrail was to allow photo buyers to shop prices on different agencies. Right now, photos found on StockFresh and DepositPhotos are normally cheaper than those found on Dreamstime. However, Dreamstime still has a larger selection of images to choose from. Please visit our Photo Pricing page for more details on pricing. You may also want to visit the Why Buy Photos page see find why we think its worth spending money on images rather than getting them from Google or most free image sources.

Can I use your photos for my ___________ project?

Royalty-Free photos from microstock agencies can be used for almost any project. Common uses include:

• Blogs
• Signs
• Posters
• Articles (online / print)

It is important to check the license from the partner agency where you obtain the photo. Most have similar licensing, but it is important to make sure your use is approved. Some agencies have limits on how many copies the photo can be used for (for postcards, etc). Most stock photo agencies have special extended licenses if you need to increase this amount or put the image on something intended for resale (a t-shirt or coffee mug). See our licensing page for more information about licensing.

I am a student, can I get a discount?

No agencies that I am aware of offer discounts for academic uses. Often students find themselves hunting for free image resources more thant a professional photo buyer at a graphic design agency. Most agencies offer discounts for large credit purchase so you might want to use one of the cheaper agencies like StockFresh and purchase a bunch of credits to be used over the course of a year. We recommend researching the credit system before buying as some agencies expire credits if not used for over a year. See this example from iStockPhoto's credits page.

Why did you create this website when you don't sell any images?

Before creating ImageTrail we tried our hand at running a Sotck Photo agency online. Well it didn't last long and we realized how hard it was to market. Our group also noticed that many photographers listed their images with multiple agencies (as we recommend in our Photographers FAQ). A side effect of this is that the exact same image is available on several sites for different pricing structure. We found that when we needed an image for one of our web projects, we would shop around a bit checking CanStockPhoto and BigStock, some of the smaller agencies at the time. These agencies and other newer agencies would often have the same photo for less money. Fast forward several years and this is still true, the smaller agencies offer less images, but typically at lower prices. Not only do we hope to offer the ability to compare prices, but we also hope to introduce designers to some of the newer sites. Now this being said, we still offer images from a couple larger agencies like Dreamstime because they have excellent images and a very solid business plan. Images can be cheap on Dreamstime, but as they are downloaded more, they become more expensive.

ImageTrail does not directly sell images, but we hope our site helps you find a great deal either on a familiar stock photography site or maybe a new one you have yet to use. We knew we had created something useful when we ourselves start on ImageTrail to find images for our other projects.

I represent a stock photo website (agency) and want to list my images, how do I get started?

We are always excited to have new microstock agencies represented in our search index. We would love to hear about your agency, but cannot always garuntee placement. Please contact us and we can discuss more what we need in order to index a new stock photo agency. General we will consider listing an agency that has more than 60,000 images, but please contact us as you grow so we can get ready even before you cross that threshold.