In December 2024 we retired the Stockimo app, but we’re still accepting Smartphone photos. You can read the latest update here. If you’re looking to upload your mobile phone photos to Alamy you can sign up here.
This blog article from 2016 has been kept live for archival purposes.
Finding the perfect image can sometimes feel like a daunting task, so we asked our account management teams from across the globe:
“What 1 piece of advice would you give to someone using Alamy to find images for their project?”
We’ve pulled together all their responses to give you 9 insider tips to help make using Alamy even easier and speed up your image search.
- Our easy download tool
When you sign up for an Alamy account you’ll be able to access our awesome easy download tool – it lets you download hi-res images from the site to test in your layouts before you buy them.
- Use the search filters to dig deeper into the collection
Once you’ve done your initial search, take a look at the filter options at the top of the search results page. You can filter your results by size, orientation, number of people in the image and even the colour – it will really help narrow down your search to exactly what you’re looking for.
- Include brackets in your search
If you’re searching for a phrase rather than a single word, use brackets to group them together e.g. (London bus) – this will stop results for “London” and ‘bus” popping into your search results. You can also use the phrase “not” to exclude certain things from your search e.g. London not bus. Find more useful tips on our picture research page.
- Get inspired by our awesome photographers
If you’re at the start of your project and looking for inspiration, try our curated image categories and latest imagery pages – they’re full of awesome images.
- Explore the Stockimo collection
If you’re looking for super creative imagery with an Instagram feel check out our mobile content. Either take a look at the Stockimo category or use the mobile filter in the search box.
- Make the most of our lightbox tool
Our lightbox tool lets you create collections of images and save them for later. You can also add notes, shuffle the content and share it easily with your colleagues. Plus it’ll be there waiting for you on our system whenever you need it.
- Use the releases filter to make sure you’re finding images you can use
If you’re working on a commercial project and your images need a model or property release, use the checkboxes next to the search bar to make sure you only see images that have the releases you need.
- You can search by image ref
It’s easy to search by image ref, so if you’ve been sent a set of image references by a colleague or spotted images online, just type them into the search box. You can search multiple image refs by inserting ‘or’ between each one e.g. AAA111 or AAA222
- Give us a call
We have the best customer service in the industry, and we have loads of experts on hand to help you out with whatever you need. So if you have any questions at all, get in touch with us.