Designers and creatives use various visuals for their projects, usually by finding them online on stock image marketplaces. Such platforms offer users properly licensed content, including vector graphics in HD quality. Licenses clarify where, how, and how many times you can use a picture.
Royalty-free is one of the most popular content licenses. It doesn’t limit the file usage by location, time, or place. You only pay once and can reuse the visuals multiple times. Read on to learn details about the royalty-free license, its advantages, and where to find high-quality, licensed vector images.
What are royalty-free vector images?
Vector images (EPS, SVG, PDF, and AI files) differ from rasters (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, and TIFF files) in their composition. A raster picture consists of many tiny pixels, and after enlarging, it gets pixelated and blurry. On the contrary, vectors are based on mathematical formulae represented by points, lines, and curves. Therefore, they don’t lose quality when their size increases, as the equations automatically adapt to the modifications. Moreover, they are easily editable; you can change the object’s shape, color, size, and background in a special graphics editor. So, creators prefer using vectors for complex projects that involve a lot of image manipulation.
When you download royalty-free vector graphics, you get the right to reuse them in perpetuity without renewing the license. Typically, you can alter the downloaded images and use them for your commercial designs and various digital projects like social media posts and videos. The royalty-free license also features an extended license type. Although it can cost you 5–10 times more than the standard one, it allows you to use visuals for any project without restrictions or limitations on printed copies and product sales.
The standard and extended versions of the royalty-free license vary across stock content platforms, so you should always check legal terms to see which one covers your needs. The license agreements are legally binding documents that protect you against claims of vector image misuse that may appear.
Difference between copyright-free and royalty-free content
Copyright-free license means you can freely use vector images commercially and non-commercially, but you cannot resell the files. You can modify and publish the resulting project without attributing the original image author. Moreover, copyright-free files are available online without charge. However, you might have to buy a pricing plan on the stock platform to download royalty-free content and use the visuals with attribution.
Where to find the best royalty-free vector images for commercial use
Depositphotos.com
Depositphotos is one of the fastest-growing stock websites offering 230+ million royalty-free photos, vectors, illustrations, videos, and audio files. Among them, you can find 70,000 free HD visuals, including vector graphics in AI, SVG, and EPS format. In addition, Depositphotos features time-relevant, trendy collections and thematic categories where you can find authentic material for your commercial projects.
You can look for vectors by browsing at https://depositphotos.com/stock-photography.html the extensive library and applying advanced search filters which include vector type, orientation, color, contributor, origin, and other parameters. To download chosen files, you should first create a free account. After registration, you can get a 7-day free trial plan with 10 complimentary premium images. Generally, you can save free unwatermarked files to your device without purchasing a pricing plan. However, to download paid vector images, you should buy a budget-friendly subscription or on-demand plan.
Freepik.com
Freepik is another popular platform for free graphic resources, including over 6 million stock vector images. It offers its own image licensing that is similar to the royalty-free license. After purchasing the platform’s premium subscription, you can indefinitely use their vectors without attribution. If you are a free user, you can use complimentary vector images for personal and commercial purposes while crediting the original photo creator.
Vectors available for premium users exclusively will always appear with a small crown in the upper left corner. Freepik’s premium subscription is moderately priced and available in monthly and yearly packages.
Vecteezy.com
Vecteezy is an international stock content marketplace offering free photos, vector art, and videos online. The platform provides content under special licenses: Free License, Pro License, Pro Extended License, and Editorial License. All Vecteezy files are available for commercial use, but free visuals require attribution. The Pro License lifts this requirement and provides you with many commercial perks, including the print, merchandise, and digital use of up to 100,000 content copies. The Pro Extended License gives you unlimited print, merchandise, production, and digital vector image uses.
You can search for needed vector files applying the color, orientation, and license filters, or explore various curated collections and trendy images on the main page. Vecteezy also offers you monthly and yearly unlimited subscriptions and on-demand credits.
To sum up
If you are looking for an affordable HD vector image that you can use commercially, royalty-free licensed content is your best option. Typically, you only pay once for the usage rights and can use these images anywhere online and in print. Trusted stock content platforms offering royalty-free vectors are the go-to sources for finding quality visuals to enhance your creative projects.
