Where to find incredible images for presentations

Images are so important for our presentations. More than just an aesthetic choice, the right images can help you tell your story and make it more memorable for your audience in the long run. Whether you’re trying to teach, sell or persuade, the imagery you use to support your deck can make or break your presentation.

You may think that you need to splash out on an expensive Shutterstock or iStock licence to be able to find the ideal images for your presentations but we’ve compiled a list of websites that offer a huge range of photos, vectors and other graphics completely free of charge. Just bear in mind that it’s important to check the individual licence for any asset before you drop it into your deck. Different sites have different usage allowances, so it’s always better to be on the safe side!

1. Unsplash

Unsplash is a paradise of beautiful, high-definition images that have been sourced from thousands of creators across the internet. Most of the images that you’ll find on Unsplash have an undeniable artistic flair which you can use for free to spruce up your presentations. Just don’t forget to credit the photographer in your footnotes!

Especially good for: Photography of cities and landscapes

Visit the website here.

2. Pexels

Pexels also offers a range of beautiful, artistic, and most importantly, free, images for presentations. They have amazing portrait photography in their archives, so if you’re interested in using visuals of people to enhance your presentations then definitely have a look through Pexels. As well as still images, they give you access to free stock videos that can be used to add a dynamic flair to your deck. Check out this guide to using video in PowerPoint and this one on how to insert video into Google Slides.

Especially good for: Photography of people

Visit the website here

3. Canva

You may well have heard of Canva before, but you might be surprised to find it on a list about images for presentations! As well as allowing you to create a range of materials like logos, flyers and invitations, Canva also offers a selection of stock imagery that you can use for free. They even have a ‘Presentations’ option which means if you’re happy to stray away from PowerPoint and Google Slides, you can create and present your deck directly in Canva. We reviewed Canva in our Ultimate Guide to PowerPoint Alternatives.

Especially good for: People who are looking to flex their creative muscles!

Visit the website here

4. Pixabay

Beyond offering high-quality images for presentations, Pixabay also offers a wide range of other materials that you can use absolutely free of charge. If you feel like photography doesn’t suit your deck, then Pixabay can provide you with royalty-free illustrations and vectors to help you bring your story to life. They even have sound effects if you’re looking to make your presentation into a cinematic experience. Check out this blog post for a discussion on when to use photography and when to use illustration.

Especially good for: Variation in type of graphics available

Visit the website here

5. Burst by Shopify

Burst by Shopify makes finding images for presentations incredibly simple. They’ve organised their images by collections which makes it easy to find the photos that match the theme of your deck in only a few clicks.

Especially good for: Creating quick turnaround decks

Visit the website here

6. PowerPoint

PowerPoint might not be the first place you’d think of looking for stock images but there’s a great selection of free stock imagery for those with an Office 365 subscription. Even if you have the free versions, you’ll have some imagery available too. Go to Insert > Pictures > Stock Images. The only downside is that there aren’t many filtering options, so you might be scrolling for a while to find that perfect pic.

Especially good for: Pictures at your finger tips.

Hopefully this list gives you plenty of options when you’re searching for stunning free images for presentations. But just in case you still haven’t managed to find exactly what you’re looking for on these websites, then here’s a few more you can try:

• Freerange Stock
• Vecteezy
• FreePik
• io
• Rawpixel
• Negative Space

And, if you’re looking for help with iconography, colour palettes and more presentation graphics then head over to our blog post exploring the best free design resources available on the web!

Bookmark this guide for easy access next time you’re crafting an important presentation that needs to be visually impressive and effective.