Adding attractive images inside your articles can make the subject more inviting and in some cases more interesting–or in other cases is the whole point of the blog article. Everyone can agree that excellent imagery greatly enhances the user experience, but things to consider the proper use of images (i.e., using only images you have the right to use), proper editing (resized for best and fastest viewing) and if need be, proper watermarking.
First things.. do you have the right to use that photo?
It is very important that you do not use photographs that you do not have the express permission to use or that you have the copyright for.
Facebook and Pinterest has become something of the ‘wild wild west’ with any image you can Google, you can pin or share, however on your own privately hosted blog you have to answer to higher authorities (don’t shoot the messenger, I don’t make the rules).
In the case of photos you take yourself, be sure you have permission if you feature other people in it. Are you photographing kids (that are not your own) and they are under 18? Make sure you have the parent’s permission before you post it on the web. Are you inside your workplace or the gym–are you aware of any rules against filming or photography. Are you photographing copyrighted images or works? I’m not giving legal advice, I’m just making you aware of the considerations you need to take into account before using photos on the web and the implications if someone decides you are invading their right to privacy.
Sharing beautiful photos
If you would like to use stock images, you need to find a free stock image service or look for deals on paid services or of course take your own photos. Some free stock image services include:
- www.Pexels.com
- www.pixabay.com
- www.canva.com/photos/free
- www.unsplash.com
- www.stockunlimited.com
- Here’s an article about some of the top free stock image sites (I haven’t checked out these sites myself, but some of them might be worth the look-see).
In my video I show how to use the free Paint.net to edit, resize, and optimize images (Windows only). If you are a Mac user, you should watch this anyway for proper sizing for the web using Canva or another image editing program and then upload the image to www.fastpng.com and download an optimized image for uploading to your blog.
Copyrighting your own images is an excellent idea. I’ve done a short video on how to make your own copyright image an Paint.net in this blog post HERE.
Meanwhile, enjoy this post regarding image editing for your blog.
