The series of new articles going on our main site continues. Our latest addition is a free Dreamstime Review. Although we happily list other stock image providers as well, these guys are our particular favorite.

The reason we like Dreamstime so much is simple; the quality of images is awesome, the website is very easy to use, and the prices represent incredible value for money! Read the full review for more info.

It also contains details about; how to use the site, payments, coupons and also some free tips. Don’t forget to also read up on some of the other free articles we have added online in recent weeks.

Another new page of quality content has been made live on the website, it is a 123rf Review. It looks at the main aspects including; costs, quality of images, how to use and our opinion on it.

123rf is one of the largest and most popular stock image providers on the web. The page also includes details about getting money off via coupons and special promotion codes.

At the time of writing (it may now have expired at the time of you reading this) you can use the code 123savemore when you checkout. This will give you a 20% reduction on a subscription plan, or 20% extra credits if you buy a credit package. A quick and easy way to get more bang for your buck!

Other reviews and new content coming soon so watch the blog for further details over coming weeks.

After the recent revamp of the main website we are continuing to add free new content as fast as we can. All content is (of course) totally unique and aiming to fill niches.

The latest article to be made live online is about stock market images, they are one of the most popular searched for types of pictures as it must be a topic which is reported on a lot.

Other new articles have also been added which we will post about in the coming days and weeks.

I was recently approached about embedding videos in one of my websites, initially I just thought it was no different to YouTube. But the company I was approached by work slightly differently. And it brings up the opportunity for me to publish quality content for users and increase my ad space at the same time!

Before the embedded videos begin they have a small advert, much like they have on some MSN videos. By publishing the videos on my website I get a share of the revenue. For every 1,000 views I will receive £3, which I think is a decent return given the nature of the revenue stream.

So the end result will be more (and very good quality) content for users, and also more profit for me. A total Win Win situation.

I’m trying to think of other ways to mix user function with generating revenue. Providing great articles with affiliate links is always a winner, but I’m trying to think slightly out of the box compared to that. There must be more ways then just video.

If you have high-traffic website(s) and already embrace video it may be worth you looking at companies who publish video with ads, I think is a sure fire winner as everyone benefits and you don’t have to make any web design changes!

Image: mycreativecorner

Imagery is very important on your website. On informational websites (like this one) the images you use help get across the message you are sending. On ecommerce websites they help sell products. They also give the website it’s ‘feel’. No matter what type of website you own, images are very important.

There are now a lot of good quality stock images available to download completely free, however by using these images you may have to put a copyright notice on your pages. The image will also be used by hundreds, maybe even thousands of other webmasters. Also, sometimes you can’t get the exact image you want, so you end up with an image which is ‘ok’ but probably doesn’t help get your message across like you want it to.

Another way to go is to use your own photographs in your content. Sometimes this won’t be possible, but generally it should be, especially in some subjects you should be able to use them all the time.

The chances are unless you are writing about an event or holiday or something you won’t have the photos already. So you are going to have to have your camera handy at all times and think ahead of pictures you will need so you can take them in good time.

At the top you will see an image of my shed that I took last week when it snowed, pretty huh? I couldn’t think of an image that would work with the article that I took myself, so I thought I’d go the opposite way and just choose a good picture – always a winner!

What are the benefits of using your own images?

• No copyright issues
• Totally unique
• Can help get the message across to visitors
• Gives your website more of a natural feeling
• Helps get your personality across to your regular users

So even if you aren’t a keen photographer, as long as you have some kind of camera I definitely recommend using your own images when possible. It may take slightly longer then just searching the stock image provider websites but the added benefits of using your own photographs make it worthwhile.

Every month from now on I will be doing a Feature Of The Month, or FOTM for short. Each month I will do a post on a company related to webmastering.

This is the FOTM for February 2009 – Anistock Animations. Anistock is a low cost provider of 2D and 3D animation clips to use in your web designs as well as video backgrounds. They can also be used for video projects, TV, broadcasting, presentations, emails and mobile marketing.

The Thing With Animations
The thing with animation clips is they can either look brilliant or really tacky and rubbish. The animation has to be ideal for your website and not just random but you chose it because “it looked nice”. Done wrong they look terrible, pointless, annoying. Done well though they can have a big visual impact on your designs and really separate your website from competitors.

Choice
As far as I’m aware Anistock are the largest provider of its kind, they have thousands of clips. Some of them look good but I have no idea how they could be used by anyone, a few look tacky and should be avoided, but most of them are good quality and I can see how they could be used.

Availability Of HD
If you have a super slick website and need a clip in high definition you can pay $5 for a clip to be ugraded, very good value for money in my opinion.

Cost
You can’t just visit the website and buy one animation, you have to buy a ‘plan’. The cost varies from plan to plan.

The cheapest plan is $19.95 for the Webpro 10 plan where you get 10 downloads. The most expensive is $79.95 which is a partnership with iCLIPART and gives you 1 years unlimited downloads from over 7.8 million photos, clip art, fonts, graphics and you also get 120 downloads from the Anistock website! Depending on how often you do web designs all packages are decent value for money I think.

Conclusion
Overall I think Anistock provide very good value for money. Used properly these animations can help you stand out from competition. Alternatively if they are being used for presentations, emails or mobile marketing they can give that edge of quality you normally wouldn’t be able to achieve.

Website: Anistock.com

4,100,000 + 3,100,000 = 7,200,000 - that is how many stock images are available to download from Dreamstime and 123rf. And you can buy most the images for less than $1 each, thousands of the images are completely free!

It is often a problem that you develop a new page for your website but can’t find the stock image you are looking for. Spend a dollar or two and you can get the perfect image for your website. The great thing is both websites accept paypal and allow instant download so you can get the images as soon as you need them!

Wise Investment
They say that “an image speaks a thousand words”. A good image can help the text on your page, it draws readers in and complements the message you are trying to get across in your text. It also makes your website more visually appealing which means visitors stay longer. You can also use the image you download again and again on your webpages, especially ideal if you have a blog.

The best thing of all is that all the benefits listed above come for only a dollar or two, or sometimes even free!

So don’t waste your time looking through loads of websites, get yourself over to Dreamstime and 123rf and improve the look and user experience of your website for only a few dollars!

For more quality posts about improving the web design on your website you can subscribe for free to our instant updates!

Image by deneyterrio

We have yet another new and quality section on our main website, it’s about using Moving Animations on your website! Animations really help set your website apart from competitors and improve the visual appeal when visitors first land on your website.

Animations aren’t used enough by webmasters in my opinion. For a start they don’t make any silly noises or anything like that, and they have more of an impact than traditional images but don’t take up any extra space. Best of all they are incredibly low-cost so you can instantly improve your websites visual appeal and make it look more professional for just a few dollars.

We have also partnered with Anistock to allow you to view their entire library from our website! This means you can have a quick browse of whats available without leaving FreeStockImages.net, and if you like what you see you can click thru to the Anistock website and buy the animations for a couple of dollars each!

In the next couple of days a post will be published as part of new FOTM blog feature. FOTM stands for Feature Of The Month and is a new regular feature for the blog! To keep up with everything don’t forget to subscribe to the free updates!

Images are powerful and have a big impact on the viewer. Whether it is on a website, on TV or in a physical photograph – they have a big effect regardless of how they are viewed.

This presents an opportunity, you can harness the power of photography to increase the strength of the emotions your visitors feel. The impact you have on them will determine the connection they feel with your website, so for strong loyalty this is a great weapon.

The right images are obviously vital. There are a few key points that must be met:

• The image(s) has to complement your text and the point you are trying to get across.
• The image(s) must be of top quality, fuzzy or blurry images are a big no no.
• The image(s) must be strategically placed, at the bottom of the article is normally too late. 

It may take a while to get the images you require to have the level of effect you want to achieve. But the result is definitely worth your time. Using powerful images in charity is a very effective way of getting people to donate, this is a great example of the power of images and something you should try to replicate.

Further Reading: if you want to edit your own images for your website check out this article on photographic techniques and this article on creating a movie-like effect.

The right images on a website can really help complete a design in style. No matter what the nature or style of your site design there are always plenty of images you can use absolutely free (or though you may have to credit the photographer). On our main site we previously only listed 4 providers of free stock images, now we list 6! You can check them out on our Stock Photo Providers page.

For even more providers check out this list.

The first ever article we wrote for the articles page on our main website was titled ‘Add A Friendly Face To Your Website’, we published it at the start of 2007 and it was picked up by many web design forums and websites. If you haven’t yet read it we recommend you do. You can read the full article on eZineArticles (Add A Friendly Face).

Article In A Nutshell 

It is fact that humans like to interact with other humans – not robots. For this reason putting images of faces and groups of people on your website is beneficial because it makes the site feel more real and humane. The full article expands on this and also recommends ways to insert images easily into your website.