You are an expert in your field and you are ready to share your knowledge with the whole world. Creating your own online training, therefore, become a priority in your business model.
To promote your expertise, you would like to add a quality image as a support to your training content.
It is an excellent idea.
The creation of visual content is intimately linked to the quality of the images we present and use. These images illustrate your point and attract the attention of your visitors. This is why it is important to choose the right visuals to use during your online training.
Empower your organization with the skills-based canvas.
Choosing images for your training content
To select your images, think about your brand and how the photos you choose are complementing it. It is recommended to keep a certain constancy in your choice of visuals to facilitate brand recognition. So take the time to establish your strategy before starting the research.
In an ideal world, you should use your own pictures or illustrations. However, we understand that not everyone has the time or the means to do so. Fortunately, there is another solution: images released by their photographers.
In addition to being available online, there are several platforms that offer you completely free stock images. We suggest some of them at the end of this article.
You don't like things to be complicated? Neither do we!
Workleap LMS offers an Unsplash integration which gives you quick access to their directory. You can thus insert free images for your training header image and for your training overview. No need to download the photos to publish them later!
What is a royalty-free image?
An image is called "royalty-free" when it can be used commercially without paying a royalty to the photographer. However, one must respect the original intention of the author and respect the context of the photograph. For example, a photo of a child playing should be used to support play, family or learning content.
This is precisely what it takes you to illustrate the training you are selling and which has a commercial intention.
Searching a stock image bank
The advantage of royalty-free image banks is that they offer a wide variety of content well organized by keyword. It is therefore easy to search there and filter the results according to their relevance.
Although several stock image bank platforms are translated into French, it is faster to search in English. Feel free to make a list of keywords and translate them into English for better results.
Searching on Google
The worst thing you could do is to publish an image found on Google without verifying the source. Quebec companies have received a formal notice from Getty Images for using their images. This can be quite costly in terms of time and money, it is very unpleasant.
Directly in the "Images" tab of the Google search engine, it is possible to add a filter. By clicking on the "Tools" button, you can select the usage rights. Thus, you can filter to see only the images that are labeled for commercial reuse.
Reuse of royalty-free images
When downloading the selected images, carefully read the related obligations. It may happen that some photos require to mention the author or to display the source.
Sometimes it is not allowed to modify the original image, therefore adding a logo or altering the colors. If you are considering changing the look of your visuals, this is an important detail.
"Mockups" are used to change the displayed visual on a computer, tablet or smartphone. By searching for mockup images, you can enhance professional photos with your own content.
You can also find Photoshop documents on Google that will automatically adapt your image to place it on a screen. The advantage is that your own image will integrate directly with the right size and the right angle.
To avoid having a royalty towards the author, limit your research to images that have the CC0 license.
Free stock image banks
Here you will find our site recommendations for searching for free and royalty-free images. The images on these sites are licensed CC0 and can be used free of charge for your training without mentioning the author.
Unsplash
This is an excellent free image site. The quality level of the images is extremely high. You can subscribe to the site to receive 10 great images by email three times a month.
There is also an Unsplash integration directly into your Workleap LMS online training platform.
Pixabay
This is certainly the site with the largest number of stock images. After Unsplash, it's our second choice.
Pexels
A very high level of quality here too. In reality, Pexels manually selects royalty-free images from a handful of sites, including Unsplash. More than 50 new images are published per week.
Gratisography
Ryan McGuire photographer routinely releases the rights to his new photos. His high-resolution images have many colors.
SplitShire
Same thing here, but this time by an Italian photographer, Daniel Nanescu. The quality level is very high and there is a lot of variety.
Jay Mantri
Jay Mantri offers very beautiful images, with a marked preference for landscapes and buildings.
Pikwizard
This site is distinguished from the others by the presence of several images of people and faces. This is something very rare in public image banks.
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