Where You Can Find Images to Use on Your Blog?

Are you searching internet for free photos you can use on your blog? Do you need to change image size or edit your image but don’t have right tools on your computer?

Here you can find list of apps to edit your images:

• picnik — free online image-editing tool (there is also premium option). You can resize, add custom effects, etc.
• paint.net — free-free-free! Application which you can download to your computer (Windows) and start editing your images. Way much more features than picnik or picasa. Upgrades are for free too.
• gimp — also free photo-editing application. You can download it to your computer (Windows and Mac).
• shrink pictures — resize images and save it in .jpg format. It’s online app. it’s for free.

Don’t forget that your images should be saved in web-friendly format:

• .jpg
• .png
• .gif

When you can use the images?*:

• if you don’t have copyright to the image you want to use — DON’T use it
• creative commons licenses — were created to provide copyright alternatives for people who didn’t want the tight restrictions of traditional copyright law to apply to their original work. There are different types of creative commons licenses. Make sure that the person who licensed the image is the original creator.
• ask for permission — sometimes the best way is simply to ask for permission. The problem is that not always it’s possible to ask for that, then make sure you mention the author/source on your blog

Where to find images you can use safely on your blog?:

• istockphoto — many photos which you can use on you blog (you need to pay for it first).
• bigstockphoto — many images available to chose from (you need to pay for it).
• gettyimages — images database. Very expensive.
• picapp — you get images for free but every image displays on your blog with an ad component.
• dreamstime — you can get images for free or pay for some.
• freefoto — 130k+ images. You can use them for free as long as you follow licensing rules
• morguefile — The morguefile contains many images. You can download photos for free and republish them for free. Tho there is a request (sometimes) to notify the author when their images are used.
• stock.xchng — the leading free stock photo site (390k+ photos); you can use the photos: In digital format on websites, multimedia presentations, broadcast film and video, cell phones. In printed promotional materials, magazines, newspapers, books, brochures, flyers, CD/DVD covers, etc. Along with your corporate identity on business cards, letterhead, etc. To decorate your home, your office or any public place.
• Flickr — photo-sharing site where people are sharing their images. Many Flickr users have chosen to offer their work under a Creative Commons license (few types of license).

Glossary:
Creative Commons:

• Attribution — You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your copyrighted work – and derivative works based upon it – but only if they give you credit.
• Noncommercial — You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your work – and derivative works based upon it – but for noncommercial purposes only.
• No Derivative Works — You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform only verbatim copies of your work, not derivative works based upon it.
• Share Alike — You allow others to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs your work.

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*information regarding copyrights, fair use, creative commons licenses, etc. – I found on Blogging All-in-One For Dummies by Susan Gunelius