Are you looking for cheap stock images? Searching for images in search engines and downloading them is already an old practice. It has too many legal consequences that will put any user into certain risks. Thanks to the emergence of stock photo agencies, bloggers, entrepreneurs, designers and other members of the creative community now have a solution to this long standing dilemma.

Did you know that the first major stock photo agency was founded in 1920 by H. Armstrong Roberts? It continued to this day under the name RobertStock. Two of the biggest companies in the industry are Getty Images and Corbis. In the year 2000s, many more agencies have emerged. These include iStock, Dreamstime and Shutterstock. As today, many more websites have been developed to fill the needs of the creative folks.

However, stock images have their limitations and restrictions. Here are some of them:

• Royalty-free. As the name suggests, royalty free images are does not have royalties. This means you can use the image as many times as stated in the agreement. But of course, you need to purchase the license of the image before you can use it in your projects. Most stock photo agencies use royalty-free images. These include Shutterstock (click for review), iStock and Getty Images. You can purchase these images at the above stated agencies either with Pay-As-You-Go or through a subscription plan, which are available monthly and yearly.

• Rights Managed. Rights managed images are licensed images with restrictions on its use. This type pf license dictates the specific use of images, duration, industry, territory, print run and exclusivity. Where are you planning to use the images? For how long are you going to use them? How many copies of the image will you produce? All these are included in the rights managed images so as not to overlap with the terms specified, clearly defined and negotiated. However, this is the most expensive and most limited license.

• Public Domain. The last but definitely not the least is public domain. In contrast with rights managed images, public domain images are free to use. It means you do not need to purchase any license. They can also be used as many times as you want for commercial and personal use. They are usually overused by many people. Moreover, they are often low-resolution images.

When it comes to getting stock images, it is important to find affordable but high-quality ones. It is also essential to get licenses to protect you from legal risks. You can only have these types of images and this kind of protection from stock photo websites. What are you waiting for? Visit your preferred stock photo agency and get amazing images for your creative projects now!