Finding images online for your book

Purchase photographs, illustrations, or clipart online.

As a book designer, I am always searching for images. There are several image companies on the Internet that offer photographs and illustrations for sale. Many companies allow you to save images that interest you in a "light box" (imagine viewing slides on a light table), and to email your light box to others for consideration.

Generally, online images fall into two categories: royalty-free and rights-managed. Royalty-free images can be used for any purpose, and have a fixed price for each size. Rights-managed images are more expensive, and you purchase the right to use the image for a specific purpose (your book cover), for a specific circulation (5,000 copies), and for a specific geographical area (North America).

Online images can be purchased on the Internet with a credit card, and then downloaded to your computer.

The image companies listed below are ones I visit often. They are just a few of the many companies you'll find on the Internet.

iStockPhoto.com My personal favorite! Great images for $3 to $5. Just enter a word or phrase in the keyword search box, and away you go! Make sure any image you purchase for your book is 300 dpi at the actual size you're using it. You can also download a comp (low-resolution image) to try it out and see how you like it before purchasing it.

British Columbia Photos Search photos from some of BC's finest photographers.

Country, Farm & Garden Photo Search for royalty-free and rights-managed photographs.

Digital Vision Select your region, then search for photographs and typefaces.

FirstLight.ca Search for royalty-free and rights-managed photographs.

Fotosearch.com Search for royalty-free and rights-managed photographs.

Getty Images Click on Creative, then use the search box to find photos, illustrations or both.

Image Zoo Search for royalty-free illustrations by subject or by artist's name.

Index Stock Imagery Use the search box to find photos, illustrations or both.

Masterfile.com Search for royalty-free and rights-managed photographs.

Photos.com Download multiple images for a fixed price.

Punchstock.com Search for royalty-free and rights-managed photographs.

Shutterstock.com Search for royalty-free and rights-managed photographs.