In this guide, we will show you how to download watermark-free stock images using Shutterstock Downloader for free. Shutterstock is one of the largest repositories of Stock Images, Photos, Vectors, Videos, Music, and various digital assets. Whether you’re looking for the perfect images to use on your website, or you’re in search of the video footage to use in your next YouTube video ─ Shutterstock is the way to go.
This New York-based stock photography company is the home of 50 million-plus vector images, stock photos, templates, videos, editorials, icons, and much more. You can download royalty-free creative assets from Shutterstock and use them on your personal or professional projects without worrying about copyright.
Shutterstock images are not free though, and if you save any images from Shutterstock without buying them then there will watermark all over the images. They put watermarks to protect the ownership of the images. Therefore, you can’t officially download a watermark-free Shutterstock image without paying the price. However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t do it all.
Thankfully, downloading Shutterstock Images without watermarks is very much possible and there are multiple ways of doing that. And in this article, we will show you step by step guide on how to download stock images using the 30-day free trial and online Shutterstock downloaders. So, if this is something that you’re interested to learn then keep reading the article till the end.
Download Shutterstock Images without Watermark for Free
There are many online tools that help you to download free Shutterstock images without any watermark. If you want Shutterstock Images for non-commercial purposes, you can use certain web-based services to extract the images. Using a Shutterstock Images downloader you can easily save any full-size stock images on your computer within a minute or so. To know how to do that, follow the steps below.
1. Open the Shutterstock website, and navigate to the photo that you wish to download or search for an image using the search bar.
2. Copy the URL to the image from the address bar of your browser.
3. Now, open getpaidstock.com on a new browser tab. (Note: If you’re using any Ads-blocker, you need to disable it first, in order to access the site.)
4. Paste the copied Shutterstock photo URL onto the search bar and click the ‘Enter’
5. After clicking ‘Enter’, scroll down a bit and you’ll see the ‘Download Generated Photo’ button. Click on that.
6. Now, this will reroute you to a web page where you can download the generated image. Finally, to download, click on the image and the image will be downloaded instantly, that too without any watermarks.
That’s it. This is how you can download a watermark-free Shutterstock image that too for completely free.
Disclaimer
Just because you can download a free Shutterstock image, it doesn’t imply that you should use the image anywhere you want. The whole concept of royalty-free images is that you get a proper license when you purchase the image from a stock image vendor like Getty or Shutterstock.
Using stock photos without proper licensing is illegal and you must avoid using them in commercial projects. Shutterstock offers premium stocks of photographs that are submitted by many photographers across the globe, and the livelihood of these photographers depends on users.
That’s why if you want to use any images on a commercial project you must have a proper license and to get that you’ll have to purchase the image officially and legally. Otherwise, you can face legal consequences.
However, if you want the Shutterstock images only for non-commercial purposes or personal use, then you can go ahead and use the images. As long as you don’t share it or use it for commercial purposes, you should be fine.
Lastly, this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for official purchase. That being said, here at Gizmoradar, we neither encourage nor endorse any piracy.
How to download full-size Shutterstock images without a watermark?
We’ve already learned how to download Shutterstock images without watermarks using third-party downloaders, and also the risks involved in using those downloaded images on a commercial project without a license.
So, are there any legal ways (rather than a subscription) you can get Shutterstock Images free of cost? Thankfully, there do exist other ways if you want to use images on a commercial project without taking a Shutterstock subscription.
The likes of the free trial, weekly freebies, Shutterstock Image Pack, and group buy service are always there to fulfill your wish. Here we present some of the legal ways you can download full-size Shutterstock Images without paying the premium.
1. Get 10 FREE Images with Shutterstock Free Trial
Like many other stock image vendors, Shutterstock also offers a free trial. If you sign up for the trial then you can try Shutterstock for free for 1 month and download up to 10 high-resolution images without watermarks.
You can download any image you want and the best part is the images will be with a royalty-free license. So, you can use them for any commercial purposes without violating any terms. Here is how you can download non-watermarked images at Shutterstock with the Free Trial.
- Go to the Shutterstock website and click on the ‘Free trial’ button from the top right corner.
- Now, sign up for a new account or Log in to your account if you already have one. And click on ‘Start free trial’
- You’ll head over to the pricing page, and from there again click on the ‘Start a free trial’ button.
- Finally, fill out your payment details and billing address and click on ‘Complete checkout.’
That’s it! Now your trial will be activated, and you’ll be able to download any 10 high-resolution images (stock photos or vectors) of your choice, without a watermark, completely free! Get the best framed canvas prints.
Note: Shutterstock will automatically continue your annual subscription and will charge the monthly subscription fee (US$ 29) to your payment method 2 days prior to the end of every month until your subscription has expired or until you cancel.
If you do not cancel within the free trial period, your annual commitment will begin and you will be charged monthly. If you cancel after the free trial period ends, an early cancellation fee may apply. So, if you don’t want to continue with Shutterstock and get the image that you’ve been looking for then cancel your Shutterstock free trial up to 5 days before the month is due.
2. Download from ‘This Week’s Free Image’
Each week Shutterstock gives out a new photo and a new vector, completely free. You can download full-resolution stock photos and image packs for free. Use these images as you wish, there is no need to sign in and Shutterstock won’t collect any information.
While creating your account if you check the box that allows Shutterstock to send you promotional offers, you’ll be subscribed to their weekly newsletter. After you’ve been subscribed, you’ll get random high-resolution (watermark-free) royalty-free images directly into your inbox.
Follow the steps to get it:
- Sign up for an account on Shutterstock
- During the registration process check the box that allows Shutterstock to send you promotional offers.
- That’s it. Check your mailbox every week to get one free photo and vector.
Note: Though the images you’ll get in ‘This Week’s Free Image’ are not of your choice, still you get to download and use full-size, watermark-free images without spending any dime and no free stuff hurts.
3. Download from Shutterstock free collections
In addition to the weekly free images, Shutterstock also offers free stock image collections. You can download and use these free full-resolution stock photos and image packs without paying a single penny. If you also don’t get weekly free images in your inbox, you can go to Shutterstock’s free download page, and download them from there.
Follow the steps to get it:
- Go to the free image collections.
- Select an image pack.
- Download the image pack.
- Unzip the images.
- Use it wherever you want.
4. LIP Free Pack for Students
Over 47 fully licensed Shutterstock images are available for download for your class assignments and personal projects. All the images are high quality and have no watermarks on them so you can start your semester right with 40+ free images.
In addition to the free images, previously you could enter Shutterstock x Lecture in Progress student creative challenge, wherein if you’d created the best project, you’d had an opportunity to win a MacBook Air. But sadly the page is not accessible anymore.
Here is how to download Free Images for Students:
- Go to the lip student free pack page.
- Click on ‘Get it now’ button and the images will be downloaded.
- Unzip the images
That’s it. You can use the images on your class assignments, personal projects, or any creative projects.
5. Get a subscription plan
This is a no-brainer if you need to use multiple full-size, watermark-free Shutterstock images on a regular basis for your creative and commercial projects, then instead of looking for any free method, you should spend the money and get a subscription.
Shutterstock subscription plan varies on the downloading limit and the plan duration. Currently, there are four different plan sizes and three different durations, with the annual prepaid being the least expensive (starting at $0.22/image).
| Monthly downloads | Monthly | Annual | Annual (prepaid) |
| 10 images | $49 | $29 | $25 |
| 50 images | $125 | $99 | $82 |
| 350 images | $199 | $169 | $137 |
| 750 images | $249 | $199 | $167 |
Note: Among all other plans, image subscription is the most valued. With the annual plan of $29/month, you get to download up to 10 images per month. And needless to say, all images come under royalty-free licenses and of course without any watermarks.
6. Get Shutterstock’s on-demand packs
If you occasionally need some images then instead of subscribing to a monthly plan it is wiser to get an ‘On-Demand’ pack, even though the image price will be more expensive if you compare it to the subscription. However, you don’t have to pay monthly fees to download images ─ you can download any image you need, and when you need them.
These are basically one-time purchases in which you pay for a number of images in advance and then have a year to use those downloads. You can choose between two plans ─ 5 images for $49 or 25 images for $229.
| Pack size | Price |
|---|---|
| 5 images | $49 ($9.80/image) |
| 25 images | $229 ($9.16/image) |
Best free Shutterstock alternatives to download unwatermarked images
Though Shutterstock is one of the best sites to get stock images, it is not the only one where you can download royalty-free images for your creative needs. Thankfully, there is a myriad of royalty-free stock image sites available at our disposal where we can download watermark-free stock images. And the good news is there are a lot of free alternatives.
Yes, you can get royalty-free images free of cost, and use them commercially without being worried about copyright laws. Because all the images are either in the public domain or have a Creative Commons license.
Being a full-time blogger, I’m blessed to have these free alternatives. As it’s no secret that a high-quality image can enhance a blog post to an extent, and can give you better engagement as well as social shares.
Since everybody can’t afford a subscription to Shutterstock, they tend to search for alternatives where they can find watermark-free images for their various needs. So, if you’re one of them then you’re in luck ─ below we’ve listed the Best Shutterstock alternatives for unwatermarked images.
1. Unsplash
Unsplash is one of the best Shutterstock alternatives that provide high-quality royalty-free images. Over 3 million free high-resolution, watermark-free images are available for download ─ courtesy of the world’s most generous community of photographers.
All the images here come under a Creative Commons license, so you can freely download, modify, and use them on any commercial and non-commercial projects. Though you don’t need permission to use Unsplash images, you can’t sell and share the photos with another similar service, however.
2. Pexels
Another great source of free stock photos, royalty-free images & videos is Pexels. Similar to Unsplash, this site also provides millions of high-quality images, shared by generous creators from all over the world. All photos on Pexels come under the Creative Commons CC0 license.
This license reflects that you can download, modify, and use the images on a website, blog, app, flyers, postcards, invitations, magazines, albums, books, CD covers, social media, or for any commercial and non-commercial purposes.
3. Pixabay
In addition to Unsplash and Pexels, another popular alternative to Shutterstock is Pixabay, which grants you permission to download unlimited watermark-free images and use them wherever you want.
With Pixabay, you can download over 2.6 million high-quality stock images that are governed exclusively by the generous terms of the Creative Commons CC0 license. Therefore, you have the freedom to copy, edit, modify, and use those images. All Pixabay images are free for commercial use and no attribution is required.
4. FreeImages
The last mention of our Shutterstock alternative is FreeImages.com. As its name suggests, this site provides free Stock Photos and royalty-free Images. Whether you’re looking for the perfect image for your blog post or your Facebook ad campaign, FreeImage got you covered.
You can download as many striking, beautiful, on-point images for your personal and business purposes. All the images are without watermarks and fall under the terms of the Creative Commons CC0 license. So that you can download, edit, and use those images without being worried about copyright claims.
Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Qs)
Following are the most frequently asked questions on the internet regarding the Shutterstock watermark. We’ve tried to answer them all, however, if you have any specific questions then don’t be shy to ask in the comment section below, We’ll get back to you with the best answer possible at the earliest.
How can I download Shutterstock images without any watermark for free?
There are a couple of ways you can download Shutterstock images without any watermark that too for completely free. There are online tools that will let you freely download the images without watermarks, however, they are illegal and we don’t recommend doing that ─ especially if you’re planning to use the image on a commercial project. With that said, the only free and legal way you can download a Shutterstock image of your choice is to sign up for a 30-day trial and download 10 free images.
Can you use Shutterstock images for free with watermarks?
Shutterstock puts watermarks on every image to protect them from unauthorized use. When you see an image or other assets on the website, they are just low-quality previews of the final high-res product.
Though you could save the watermarked images for free and use them for demo projects or share them with your colleagues before purchasing the final product, there is no point in using those low-quality watermarked images on any finished designs.
How to download the Shutterstock vector without a watermark?
Along with 400 Million Stock Photos, Shutterstock is also the source of over 70 million royalty-free vector images. There are numerous ways you can download vector images. You can get 10 FREE vectors with the 30-day free trial or purchase them as we’ve discussed in the article ─ Shutterstock images subscription also includes vectors and illustrations. So, you can download the vectors with the same image subscription.
How do I remove the Shutterstock watermark?
The watermarks are only on the preview images, and as soon as you download an image, either with the free trial, on-demand pack, or with the subscription ─ the watermarks will be gone. Another way you can remove watermark from Shutterstock images is to use the watermark remover tools ─ though they are somewhat effective, using the download image without purchasing the license could put you and your project at risk of a lawsuit.
Are Shutterstock images free?
No, Shutterstock images are not free ─ even so, you can sign up for a free trial and get 10 free images, or subscribe to the newsletter to get random free images, but other than that Shutterstock is paid ─ be it for images, vector, videos or other creative assets you’ll have to pay.
How can I download Shutterstock videos without watermarking for free?
You can’t download Shutterstock videos without a watermark for free ─ at least legally. I know the internet is full of websites claiming you cloud remove watermarks from Shutterstock videos, but in reality, they don’t work or contain malware. Above all, these sites are illegal ─ and even if you manage to download Shutterstock videos for free, you shouldn’t use them in the public domain. Otherwise, you may have to pay a ridiculous amount of money if you get into a lawsuit.
Does Shutterstock offer any trial?
Yes, Shutterstock does offer a free trial of 30 days, in that trial period you could download 10 free high-quality, watermarked free images, or vectors of your choice.
Can you use Shutterstock images without paying?
You can use Shutterstock images without paying, but should you? If you’re using the image on a personal project and do not intend to use it commercially or publish it in the public domain then you could use the image. The only legal way of using Shutterstock images without paying is to get on the free trial and grab your 10 free images.
Conclusion
We hope this post helped you easily download Shutterstock images without watermarks. In this post, we’ve shown you numerous ways to get stock images from Shutterstock ─ both free and paid.
If you don’t want to spend a single penny then opt for the free trial and get 10 free images, otherwise, you can get a subscription plan, and download up to 750 images/month for just $0.22/image. Lastly, If you face any issues or have more questions, feel free to drop them in the comments below.
