How much time do you spend searching for images to give your blog post more of a wow factor? If all you want to use is a book cover image, that’s easy enough. But if you want something more generic that:
- has impact,
- isn’t ubiquitous,
- is free and
- doesn’t have copyright restrictions
you can easily spend an hour sifting through photo library sites like Pixabay.com and Unsplash.com.
It’s only recently I discovered that WordPress also has a photo library containing thousands of images, and they’re all free to WordPress users. It’s also easy to use but of course you first need to know where to find it.
How To Use WordPress Photo Library
You can access the library in two ways. This is the method I prefer.
- Navigate to My Site → Site → Media.
- Click on the drop down arrow alongside the button for media library source button in the top-left corner.
- Select “Pexels free photos” from the 3 options.
4. Now do your search using the search box at the top of the screen. As an example, I searched using the term “reading”. As you type, the screen below the search box will fill with options.
5. Initially, the screen will show the possible images in small size but if you use the slide tool in the upper right corner, you can change the view.
This is how my first screen looked.
I found it difficult to really see the images clearly so I used the slide bar to change the view. By moving it to the mid way point I could see 6 images per row instead of 12.
Although it does mean you have to do more vertical scrolling to see all the options, I find it easier to work in this view.
If I wanted to see the images even more clearly, by moving the slider bar to the far right, I end up with just 3 images per row.
6. Now all you have to do is select the image you want (you can select more than one at a time). Your selected image will show with a small red dot in the bottom right corner.
7. Click on the “Copy to Library” text top left of your screen. Your chosen image/images are now in your media library, ready to add to your post in the usual way. You can edit the image here – changing the size, adding a title to make it easier to find, and an alt-tag.
How to Use The WordPress Image
8. When I’m ready to add the image to my post, I just select a new Image Block, click in “Select Image”
9. From the drop down menu I choose “Image Library”, and select the image I just added.
When the image appears on your page, you may notice that the caption has been pre-filled with the photo credit. One less thing for you to worry about.
10 The alternative method is to access the WordPress image library while you are writing your content and building your blog post. You just “insert image” and from the drop down menu choose “Pexels Free Photos” as shown at step 10 in the graphic above. Then you just search that library, select the image in the same way.
I prefer having my images already chosen before I begin designing the page but both methods will get you to the same results. Just choose what works for you.
A Good Solution?
The catalogue is extensive though some of the images available are a bit on the cheesy side. But so are many of those you’ll find in other libraries.
You do need to think carefully about the search terms you use. The more general your search term is, the more results will be returned but many of them could be irrelevant. Again, that’s no really any different to what you’ll find in other photo libraries.
Of course the best images will be ones you create yourself since there’s no risk you’ll find another blogger using the exact same picture. But if you don’t have great photography or design skills, this is a good option.
This post is part of my A2Zofblogging series. Don’t forget to check out the other articles listed in the series page.
We're all friends here. Come and join the conversation