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Choosing the perfect stock photo might seem like a simple process. You just browse through the latest collections, find something you like, and simply place it into the content it’s destined for.

But that couldn’t be farther from reality and it’s not a reliable pathway to success. Choosing the right image is a creative decision that needs forethought and planning. With these five tips for selecting stock photos, you’ll be able to make the process much quicker and easier.

These are practical steps you should take to improve your image selection process.

1. What is the purpose of your image?

Answering this question essentially serves as the brief for selecting images. You should define your goals and then determine how the image will serve those goals. Sometimes, you simply need an image for decorative purposes and that’s fine.

But sometimes, your image may need to support brand positioning. Or it’s a header image that needs to grab the reader’s attention. Maybe you need it to support and enhance the point you’re making in your copy.

Defining the purpose of your image is a critical step that will help make the whole selection process quicker and easier. Once you’ve done this, you can proceed with the search.

2. Check your specs

Now that you know the purpose of the image. It’s time to define the technical details of its placement.

Here’s a quick but non-exhaustive list of things you may need to consider:

• What resolution do you need?
• Is it for print or digital?
• What orientation do you need? Horizontal or vertical?
• Will it need to be displayed on mobile devices too? If so, how will this affect the crop and resolution you need?
• Are there any colour requirements for the image?
• Do you need copy space?

Knowing the specs will speed up the process for you. Especially on 64ÌåÓýwhere you can filter your image search by orientation, colour, and file size. This will whittle down your list very quickly so that you’re not wasting time rejecting images that were never fit for purpose in the first place. Specifications can be found below the image when searching on Alamy.

3. Consider the placement of your image

This may not seem like an important consideration but if you’re interested in optimising your content to its full extent, it’s vital.

Unless your image is simply being used as a standalone photo, you should consider how it will relate to all the other content around it. Will it be surrounded by text? Will it be close to any call-to-actions (CTAs)?

For example, if it’s being used in an email, you should consider the direction of the image. Ideally, you want your images to point towards your CTA buttons to help drive conversion. Many images have an inherent direction that they point towards based on the way they’re composed.

If it features people, you can use the gaze of the subject to determine this. The below image encourages the viewer to look towards the top-right based on where the subject is looking. So it would be optimal if your CTA is in that direction too.

4. Consider diversity

It’s no secret that diversity and inclusion have become essential considerations for brands and businesses. If people don’t feel represented in your marketing and communications, they’re less likely to relate to what you’re saying, and therefore less likely to buy from you.

Make sure you’re representing your target audience so that they can be a part of your journey. Remember, it’s not just about ethnicity. Diversity and inclusion also includes body types, disabilities and age too.

5. Are there any copyright issues you need to address?

Ensuring you’re legally covered to use the image you’ve chosen can seem daunting and complicated, but it doesn’t have to be.

Firstly, you need to consider whether you’re using your image for editorial or commercial purposes. Essentially, this comes down to whether the image is being used to monetise something, such as a calendar, or whether you’re simply looking to impart information, such as a blog post.

You can find out more in this blog post that explains the difference between editorial and commercial use. If you’re unsure, our experienced customer service team will always be able to clarify this for you.

If the image is for editorial use, there’s much less to consider. But if it’s for commercial use, then you’ll also need to check what releases you need. Releases are documents signed by the subject, such as a model, or by the owner of any copyrighted property in the image, expressing permission to use the image commercially.

And lastly, you may need to consider what third-party rights are in the image as this will affect whether you can use the image in a commercial capacity.

Third-party rights refer to a wide range of potentially copyrighted elements in your chosen image that you may need to secure clearances for. This blog post on how to identify and secure clearances for third-party rights will help you navigate this safely.

We hope this helps crystallise your image selection process. Much of this can be applied to videos too. Now the whole process will be quicker and easier, so you can spend more time on other parts of your project.

If there’s anything else you’d like us to cover, head over to our social channels and let us know.