After 15+ years as a webmaster, I know finding the perfect background image for your WordPress site can be a real challenge. But nailing down great backdrops is crucial for enhancing your design and creating an immersive brand experience.
With so many stock resources online, how do you locate high-quality, beautiful photos that make visual impacts? Where are the best places to source stunning full screen imagery for free or for purchase?
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share insider tips from my decades of experience in web design. I‘ll walk through the top places I‘ve found to get eye-catching background photos, along with key advice to set you up for success.
Whether you need free CC-licensed images or premium shots, you‘ll discover plenty of options to make your WordPress site shine.
Contents
Understanding Image Requirements
Let‘s start with a quick primer on picking out photos optimized for web backgrounds.
Image Licenses
All images online are copyrighted by default. Only 15% of image searches lead to results with proper licenses for use. So it‘s critical to verify licenses before using any photos.
Look for:
- Creative Commons (CC) – freely usable under certain conditions, like attribution
- Public domain – no restrictions on use
- Specific commercial licenses – defined uses allowed for purchased images
Assume unmarked images cannot be used without permission. Check each site‘s terms to be absolutely sure. Copyright lawsuits are no joke!
Ideal Image Sizes
Since backgrounds span your full screen, bigger photos are better:
- Width: At least 1920px
- Height: At least 1080px
Larger, high-res photos are even better – it‘s easy to size down, but not up!
Smaller images get distorted/pixelated at full screen. For perspective, most phone wallpapers are 1080 x 1920 pixels.
Check your theme documentation for any specific dimensions recommended. This ensures the best fit.
Now let‘s explore top sources for stunning background imagery!
10 Great Places to Find Background Photos
Over years of building sites, these are my go-to resources for grabbing great backdrops:
1. Unsplash
Unsplash is my #1 pick for jaw-dropping high-res photography. They offer over 2 million free images under Creative Commons Zero license.
You can use any photo from Unsplash for anything – commercial or personal use – with no attribution required. This makes Unsplash ideal for backgrounds.
New pictures are added daily across diverse categories like nature, abstract, cities, textures and more. You can also search keywords for specific subjects and styles.
The photos are very large resolution, perfect for sprawling backgrounds. This site is an amazing free resource!
2. Pexels
Pexels is another top choice, with over 1.3 million free stock photos available.
Their library features gorgeous nature, travel, architecture and lifestlye photos. Similar to Unsplash, the images are free for personal and commercial use.
However, some photos require attribution, so be sure to check each image‘s specific license. Pexels also offers handy PSD and AI templates with photos built in to enhance your design projects.
3. Burst
Burst provides an expansive, free stock photo collection focused primarily on lifestyle imagery.
They have over 337,000 high-quality CC0 photos as of 2022 spanning categories like:
- People
- Business
- Shopping
- Nature
- Food
Burst makes it easy to search for vertical or horizontal shots suitable for backgrounds. This site is ideal for ecommerce, lifestyle brands and bloggers needing imagery.
4. Gratisography
For more unique images, browse Gratisography. They offer over 900 free photos with an artistic aesthetic.
You‘ll find imaginative abstract images, textures, patterns and graphic designs perfect for making visual statements.
Gratisography provides photos free for personal and commercial with credit. Their style stands out from generic stock imagery.
5. StockSnap.io
StockSnap.io provides a regularly updated collection of hundreds of high-quality CC0 stock photos.
Their filters make it easy to find vertical or horizontal landscape and nature shots ideal for backgrounds.
One helpful feature is sorting images by dominant color, great for matching site color schemes. StockSnap is frequently refreshed for fresh photographic backdrops.
6. Picjumbo
For more free stock photo options, check out Picjumbo.
Every week Picjumbo adds new free image packs spanning categories like:
- Nature
- Food
- People
- Business
- Technology
- Textures
The photos are free for commercial projects with attribution. Picjumbo also provides a developer API for direct image access.
7. Kaboompics
Kaboompics offers over 7,500 beautiful CC0 images totally free to use.
Their searchable gallery is regularly updated with diverse stock photography. You‘ll also find illustrations, clipart and vector graphics.
Kaboompics is an excellent one-stop-shop for backgrounds with no limits on use. Just credit them if possible.
8. FoodiesFeed
For delicious food photography backdrops, check out FoodiesFeed.
They offer over 1,700 high-resolution CC0 food images covering:
- Overhead dish photos
- Restaurants
- Ingredients
- Cooking scenes
This makes FoodiesFeed perfect for food bloggers and brands needing cuisine backdrops. Just don‘t forget to credit them!
9. Freestocks.org
True to its name, Freestocks.org offers 100% free stock photography for any purpose.
You‘ll find stunning nature landscape imagery perfect for background use. While credit is appreciated, it‘s not required to use their photos.
10. Dreamstime
For more niche themes, check out Dreamstime. They offer both free and paid stock images.
You can browse just their free photos under CC licenses needing attribution. This includes categories like:
- Landscapes
- Textures
- Patterns
- Wildlife
- Architecture
For maximum selection, explore their broader 25 million image paid collection.
Tips for Selecting the Best Photos
Once you‘ve found some great sources, use these pro tips for choosing ideal backgrounds:
Match the Style
Pick imagery that aligns with your brand style and identity. For example:
- Geometric patterns for modern, tech sites
- Nature photos for retreat centers or conservation brands
Consider Color
Avoid photos with colors that clash with your color palette. Some sites let you filter images by dominant hue.
Avoid Clutter
Skip busy photos with people, objects or text that distract from your content.
View Full Size
Don‘t just view thumbnails – look at potential images full size to see if they‘ll scale up nicely on desktop and mobile.
Mind the File Size
Larger photos have better resolution, but very big files slow sites down. Find the right balance for your needs.
Watch the Focus
Avoid soft, blurred background photos unless they fit your desired aesthetic.
Change It Up
Rotate backgrounds seasonally or for specific content types to keep things engaging!
Preparing Photos for Web Backgrounds
You‘ve found some killer photos, but now it‘s time to optimize them for use online. Here are my top tips:
Resize for Your Needs
Scale very large images down to the maximum dimensions needed for your theme. Keep resolution high.
Compress Them
Use a tool like TinyPNG to reduce file size while maintaining quality.
Enhance Details
Edit brightness, contrast and colors as needed so images pop as backgrounds.
Convert to Next-Gen Formats
Change JPEGs to WebP format with CloudConvert for much better compression.
Enable Caching
Use caching plugins so background images are only loaded once per visit, speeding things up.
Properly optimizing your photos helps deliver stunning backgrounds without slowing site performance.
Transform Your Site with Great Backdrops
Hopefully this guide gave you a solid foundation for finding and using background images to take your WordPress site‘s design to the next level.
With so many great free and affordable stock photo options, you‘re sure to locate the perfect visuals to make your site shine.
Just be mindful of image licenses, sizes, preparation and performance. With the right backdrops, you can transport visitors each time they land on your site.
Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to help fellow webmasters. Keep pushing your brand‘s visuals to new heights.
