Understanding Dreamstime: Offers, Content and Features

In the competitive landscape of stock photography, Dreamstime has established itself as a significant player, offering a diverse range of images, illustrations, and videos. This guide aims to provide an in-depth look at the platform's features, helping you determine if it meets your creative needs.

Brief History of Dreamstime

Founded in 2000, the company is based in Brentwood, Tenessee (USA). It has consistently been amongst the best stock imagery services and evolved into one of the largest stock image providers available today.
With millions of royalty-free assets at your disposal, it caters to a broad audience including marketers, graphic designers, and content creators. The platform operates on a credit-based system allowing users to purchase images individually or subscribe for more frequent access at affordable prices.

Dreamstime offers a wide range of high-quality stock photos, illustrations, and videos for purchase. However, some users have reported issues with image quality and customer service. It's essential to read reviews and thoroughly research before using their services.

Read on for user experiences, pricing, and subscription details for Dreamstime.

How Dreamstime Works: A Step-by-Step Guide

Dreamstime is a user-friendly platform offering an extensive library of stock photos, illustrations and videos. Getting started is quick and straightforward whether you're a creative professional or a small business owner. Here’s how you use it:

• Visit the Dreamstime Website: Open your browser and go to www.dreamstime.com

• Create a User Account: Enter your details on the “Sign Up” button. For convenience you can also log in using Google, Facebook or Apple. This is free of charge

• Explore the Library: Use the search bar to browse millions of high-quality images. Apply filters like category, color, and orientation to find precisely what you need. You may also want to explore their curated libraries

• Choose a License: Select a licensing option directly on the image page that aligns with your intended use, ensuring proper compliance with usage right

• Select a Pricing Plan: Choose from flexible options including subscriptions, credit packages, or pay-per-download

• Download Your Assets: Once you’ve made your selection, download your chosen files with just a few clicks

Dreamstime’s intuitive design makes it effortlessly easy to find and use stunning visuals.

Types of Content Available on Dreamstime

The platform offers an impressive variety of visual assets to meet your creative and professional needs. With a rich library of high-quality content, you can find the perfect resources for your projects, whether designing a website, creating marketing materials or working on a personal project. Here’s what they have to offer:

• Stock Photos: Explore millions of high-quality royalty-free images covering a wide range of categories such as nature, business, lifestyle, and more

• Illustrations: Unique hand-drawn and digital illustrations perfect for branding, posters, or infographics

• Vectors: Scalable vector graphics for logos, icons, and web designs.

• Stock Videos: High-definition video clips suitable for commercials, presentations, or social media

• Audio Files: Royalty-free music and sound effects for enhancing multimedia projects

• Editorial Content: Newsworthy and event-focused images and videos for journalistic use

Dreamstime’s wide range of assets ensures you’ll find exactly what you need for any creative vision.

Dreamstime Contributors

Dreamstime collaborates with a global network of over 1.2 million contributors to build its extensive stock content library. Becoming a contributor is straightforward:

1. Register: Create a free account on Dreamstime's website

2. Upload: Submit your images, videos, vector illustrations or audio files through the user-friendly upload interface

3. Describe: Provide accurate titles, descriptions and keywords to enhance discoverability

4. Submit: Send your content for review to ensure it meets Dreamstime's quality standards

Additionally, contributors can donate their work to Dreamstime's free photo section, allowing for broader exposure and community support. This initiative helps new contributors gain visibility and expands the free content available to users. With its welcoming approach Dreamstime offers an excellent platform for photographers and creatives worldwide to monetize their work or give back to the creative community.

Features and Tools for Users on Dreamstime

When evaluating this stock image provider, consider the following key features that can enhance your experience:

Extensive Image Library

The collection includes 270 million+ images, with over 6 million new files added monthly ensuring users can find visuals for virtually any project. The platform adds collections of royalty-free videos and audio tracks.

Image Quality

They offer high-resolution images suitable for web and print use, high-definition footage and music, all ideal for professional content creation.

Licensing Coverage

The service provides royalty-free licenses enabling commercial use across various mediums with few restrictions. Editorial content is also available with its dedicated, editorial-use-only license.

Flexible Pricing Options

They offer credit packs and subscription plans, making it accessible for users with varying budgets.

Free Trial

For one week, you can download up to 15 premium images for free—albeit comped and watermarked. If you upgrade to a paid user for the 15 downloads a month plan, you keep your trial pictures' original, unwatermarked version, plus the full 15 downloads quota.

Free Photos

They have a wide selection of free downloads and use images with different licensing terms.

User-Friendly Interface

Designed for seamless navigation, the website allows users to search for and download images easily.

Search Filters

Advanced search options allow users to filter by orientation and color, perform reverse image searches using AI, and more.

Photo Map

Find photos based on a specific place or contributor using their world map. Click on a country or region, or use the search bar to find exactly your need.

Photo Tools

Dreamstime's free image resize and crop tool is an intuitive solution for customizing images. Users can easily adjust dimensions, crop to specific ratios and optimize visuals for various platforms. Ideal for designers, marketers, and content creators, this tool simplifies the process without requiring additional software, ensuring professional results quickly and effortlessly.

Mobile Apps

The Dreamstime app, available on iOS and Android, allows users to search for and download stock images directly on their smartphone or tablet. The platform also offers a contributor app for artists to upload their content and track their earnings easily.

Plugins

You will also find plugins to integrate Dreamstime into WordPress and Google GSuite and an add-in for MS Office, which will help you work seamlessly.

Educational Resources

Dreamstime offers tutorials and articles to help users maximize their use of stock images.

Customer Support

This agency offers comprehensive customer support through multiple channels. Users can access a detailed FAQ section for quick answers to common questions. For personalized assistance, the platform provides a contact form, enabling direct communication with the support team. Additionally, Dreamstime features community forums where users can exchange insights, ask questions, and share experiences. These options ensure users receive the help they need, whether through self-service resources or direct interaction with the Dreamstime team.

Pricing Options and Offers on Dreamstime

Dreamstime offers a variety of pricing options to accommodate different user needs, including subscription plans and credit packages. Below is an overview of these options:

Free Trial

Dreamstime offers a 7-day free trial, during which users can download up to 15 high-resolution images to assess their quality. These trial images are watermarked and intended for use in compositions and mock-ups. Users must upgrade to a commercial plan to utilize these images in final projects, which provides access to non-watermarked versions. Upon upgrading, users receive free trial downloads in a non-watermarked format and the downloads included in the paid plan, effectively combining both plans for the price of one.

Subscription Plans

Dreamstime provides several subscription plans that allow users to download a set number of images per month. The cost per image decreases with larger plans, offering greater value for frequent users.

Credit Packages

For users who prefer flexibility, Dreamstime offers credit packages that can be used to download images, videos, and audio files. Credits are valid for one year from the purchase date.

Free Photos

Dreamstime offers an extensive collection of free photos, providing high-quality images for personal and commercial use. Their free section includes a diverse range of categories, ensuring something for every project. Users can access these images with a free account, making it an excellent resource for budget-conscious creators. While free, the photos maintain professional standards, making them suitable for blogs, websites, or social media. Dreamstime’s free photos offer a practical solution for cost-effective, creative content.

Different Licenses Available on Dreamstime

Dreamstime offers a variety of licensing options to suit the diverse needs of its users, whether for personal projects, commercial endeavors, or editorial purposes. Each license is designed to provide flexibility and legal clarity when using the platform's high-quality assets. Below is an overview of the key licensing options available:

Royalty-Free License

The Royalty-Free (RF) license is the most popular option on Dreamstime. It allows users to pay a one-time fee to use the content in multiple projects without incurring additional charges. This license covers various uses, including advertising, website design, social media, and printed materials, the latter with unlimited copies. However, it does not permit resale or redistribution of the original file.

Extended Licenses

For users requiring more flexibility, the Extended licenses offer additional rights beyond the standard RF license. The different options include:

• Unlimited seats: Access to an unrestricted number of people to the user account and the licensed images

• Web Usage: Use content in electronic items for resale or distribution, such as web templates, screensavers, e-cards, etc

• Print Usage: Integrate media in physical items for resale or distribution: t-shirts, postcards, and more

• Sell The Rights: Obtain full, exclusive ownership of the media (not just a license to use it)

• Time Limited Exclusivity: Be the only one to use an image for a certain period

Free Use Licenses

Dreamstime offers a selection of free images, perfect for those looking for high-quality visuals without a cost. These free images are available under three types of licenses, ensuring flexibility and clarity for various usage needs:

• Royalty-Free Limited License: Allows personal and commercial use with some restrictions, such as no resale or redistribution of the image itself

• Public Domain License: Images under this license are copyright-free and can be used without restrictions, including for commercial purposes. However, the agency does not take liability in the case the pictures end up being copyrighted

• Global Public Content License: Permits broad use of images with minimal restrictions, often requiring attribution to the creator

These options provide accessible solutions for diverse projects.

Editorial License

Dreamstime's Editorial License is tailored explicitly for newsworthy or event-focused content. Images and videos with this license can be used for non-commercial purposes, such as in newspapers, blogs, or educational materials, but not for advertising.

By understanding these licensing options, users can confidently select the one that aligns with their creative and professional goals.

User Feedback and Experiences

Dreamstime currently holds a 3.5-star rating on Trustpilot, reflecting mixed feedback from users. While the overall score suggests room for improvement, the platform shines in many areas, as evidenced by 48% of users awarding it a five-star rating. Positive reviews frequently highlight the extensive library, affordability, and ease of use, making it a favorite for many creatives. However, some users cite issues like customer service or licensing clarity as areas where the platform could improve.

The service shines with its budget-friendly, flexible options, such as pay-as-you-go and subscription plans, tailored to all financial needs. Users rave about the wide array of high-quality images spanning countless industries and creative niches. The intuitive search interface makes finding specific assets a breeze. Dreamstime’s clear licensing terms empower users to utilize assets confidently in personal or commercial projects. Still, some users find it lacks the depth of giants like Shutterstock and Adobe Stock. Additionally, newcomers often find navigating licensing options a bit perplexing.

Dreamstime contributors rave about the fair commissions and easy uploads, which evokes a sense of satisfaction. Yet, some yearn for enhanced visibility and quicker earnings growth to thrive.

Our View of Dreamstime

Leveraging our many years of experience in the image licensing industry and our direct collaboration with Dreamstime, this robust and reliable stock media service is worth considering for your content creation needs.

While perhaps not as all-encompassing or modernized as other providers, Dreamstime is one of the top stock photo sites and has been so for over two decades. Its positives far outweigh its negative points, and it’s overall a recommendable provider for stock media, ideal for businesses of all sizes and independent freelancers.

Pros and Cons of Using Dreamstime for Stock Photography Needs

Before making a decision it's essential to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of using this stock photography platform. Here’s a detailed look at the pros and cons:

Key Takeaways

Here are the core points that highlight why Dreamstime is a standout platform for stock photography and creative resources:

• Dreamstime is a popular stock photography website that offers millions of high-quality images, illustrations, and videos for purchase

• Users can also upload their own content to sell on the platform

• The website has a user-friendly interface and advanced search options to help users find the perfect image for their project

• Dreamstime offers flexible pricing options, subscription plans and pay-as-you-go credits

• Customers praise the quality of the images available on Dreamstime and appreciate the variety of content offered

• Dreamstime is a popular stock photography website where users can buy and sell high-quality images, videos, and music

Conclusion

In summary Dreamstime offers a robust solution for those in need of stock photography. With its extensive library, flexible pricing, and user-friendly interface it stands out as a strong contender in the market.
However, potential users should carefully consider their specific requirements and weigh the pros and cons before making a decision. By understanding the platform's features and limitations you can make an informed choice that best suits your creative projects.