Pixabay: one free library for photos, illustrations, video and music

Four libraries, one search

Photos, vector illustrations, videos and music all live under Pixabay's roof. The illustrations and vectors are the hidden gem — for slides, worksheets and web graphics, a clean vector often serves better than a photo.

The music section covers background tracks and sound effects, useful for creators who'd otherwise trawl multiple licensing sites.

Filtering to the good stuff

Quality varies more than on tightly curated sites, so use the filters: orientation, size, category, and the editor's-choice flag. Sorting by popularity surfaces what the community has already validated.

For vectors, download the SVG when available — it scales to any size without losing sharpness, unlike a PNG.

License and attribution

Content is released for free use, including commercially, without required attribution — but the site also hosts some sponsored content from paid libraries, clearly marked. The usual cautions about identifiable people and trademarks in promotional use apply; read the current terms for the details.

Building a small media habit

Create a free account and use collections to save finds as you browse. A personal library of thirty pre-vetted images means your next article or slide deck starts with options instead of a search box.