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.

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

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.