If you look at a well designed blog, you may find yourself wondering how the author gains access to so many enticing images. For example, there are hundreds of blogs that feature pictures from exotic places, as well as ones that have all kinds of cartoon characters. No matter where you look, the most appealing blogs include relevant images.

On the other hand, if you look through your own photo albums, you may not find pictures that have the quality and clarity of the images featured on most websites. At the same time, if you aren’t accustomed to drawing cartoons or working with photo editing, it may seem impossible to add images to your blog. There are four easy ways to gain access to all the images you will ever need for your blog.

1) Royalty-Free Clipart

Today, there are dozens of site that offer free clipart images. Since you are going to be creating a blog for the purpose of making money, you should study the copyright limitations carefully. As long as the artists give full permission, then you can use these images without having to pay royalty fees.

It is important to realize that many people with similar intentions will be downloading the same images and using them for blogs that may have a theme similar to yours. Therefore, once you narrow down your image selections, it may help to keep a list of blogs that are in competition with yours. At the very least, this will give you a chance to select other images if one has already been used by another blogger.

2) Royalty-Free Photos

Today, there are a number of websites that will charge a small fee in exchange for use of stock photos. Some of these sites also offer free images for a wide range of purposes. Even though the free images may not be as attractive as the fee based ones, they may still be perfect for your blog. You may also want to consider websites that ask for a link back to the main site or artist in return for using the images. These sites tend to offer high quality photos without the burden of a financial cost. In general, if you want free, good quality photos, this may represent your best option.

3) Videos and Animations

As you may be aware, many people today are more interested in watching online videos as opposed to reading static text. On the other hand, the materials needed to create a large number of videos for your site can be complicated and time consuming. Fortunately, sites like YouTube offer thousands of new videos on a daily basis. Depending on the author and copyright restrictions, you may be able to splice in information about your products or blog with a minimal amount of difficulty. You may also be interested in featuring videos from organizations related to the theme of your site. For example, if you have a blog about cooking gadgets, it may be of some help to add videos from the major manufactures featured on your site.

4) Non-Windows Based Opportunities

Even though you may be accustomed to Windows, Linux variants come with an endless number of image editing tools. For example, if you download Mandriva Linux 2009, you will be able to create fully functional Powerpoint presentations as well as edit videos and images. All of the files that you create can easily be run on Windows based computers. Perhaps best of all, many Linux versions are available as download products for free. Alternatively, you can purchase CD’s for well under $10.00.

In many cases, Linux packages also come with a set of files that will allow you to run the operating system from your CD/DVD drive. Therefore, even if you do not want to change over from Windows, you can still use the programs associated with the Linux operating system. At the very least, if you want to have a blog filled with a wide range of vibrant images, you will be well served by having Linux tools available to work with.

When you first start creating blogs for financial reasons, you are likely to think that you can avoid using high quality images. Many bloggers soon learn that images are vital when it comes to maintaining a steady readership. Fortunately, royalty free sites and Linux based editing tools will give you high quality images, videos, and animations without having to spend a fortune.

Author Bio: Learn how to make money blogging today. Visit Brian’s website, http://www.HomebasedBlogging.com and learn how you can make money online from blogging using social media, affiliate marketing, podcasting, article marketing, and many other money-making topics from blogging professionals.

Category: Writing
Keywords: blogging, work at home, make money online, freelance writing, social media, blogger