Shutterstock’s Creative Flow is the stock photo giant’s online tools hub, with applications to help customers of all budget sizes get their projects done.
The platform has features for graphic design, content discovery, and even content management strategies, and it services large corporate customers and small business owners alike.
Today, we’ll tell you the best ways to get full premium access to this great tool, for free!
Shutterstock Generate: Legally-Backed AI Image Generator
The images are under a Shutterstock license and built on the base of authorized and legally-cleared content from Shutterstock's library, which makes them safer to use.
Shutterstock Generate is a paid service, but with the Shutterstock free trial, you can get up to 10 free AI images in one month. Try it today!
What is Shutterstock Creative Flow? Why Do I Want It?
Shutterstock Creative Flow is a platform by Shutterstock that houses multiple online workflow applications for marketers, content creators, and business owners of all avenues. AI-driven creative insights, a user-friendly yet powerful image editor, and even new catalog and plan applications that help you manage your content strategy, are some of the resources you can find here, with many new or planned features to come.
It's a website similar to Canva or Adobe Express, where you can get visual content done easily and with great results.
We love this resource because it’s not only top-notch technology that is accessible for all (and doesn’t require any special skills to use) but also because it seamlessly integrates Shutterstock’s robust catalog full of royalty-free, high-quality content and affordable imagery, making the whole creative process so much easier and faster.
The emphasis is put on royalty-free, by the way. By using these legally verified images that are cleared for commercial use with an appropriate license, you are avoiding all sorts of legal problems that stem from using other, less safe resources such as free images from the web or, worse, unauthorized images.
From enterprise customers searching for the most effective photos for marketing materials to freelance professionals looking for fresh and relevant content to strengthen their online presence, all of Shutterstock’s customers can benefit from Creative Flow.
And by the way, Shutterstock also has a first-class selection of editorial imagery, and now you can get those at the best prices with the newly introduced Shutterstock editorial subscriptions.
Three Best Ways to Get Creative Flow for Free
Shutterstock’s Creative Flow has a free-forever version that is open to all users, upon free sign-up. However, it is rather limited in its access to the most useful features of each one of its tools.
If you want to truly seize the power of the platform you need premium access (which is labeled as Creative Flow+) which comes at the cost of $12.99 per month, or $119 per year.
If you cannot afford to add that expense to your creative budget, though, don’t despair! There are ways to get Shutterstock Creative Flow+ for free, and we listed the best three methods below, just for you!
#1. Shutterstock Free Trial: 10 Free Downloads + Free Creative Flow for One Month
If you know Shutterstock, and if you are an avid Stock Photo Secrets reader, you might already be familiar with the Shutterstock Free Trial offer, which gives you 10 free image downloads of your choice, for 30 days, completely free of charge. If you don’t know, you can read all the details of the Shutterstock Free Trial right here.
But did you know, that by unlocking the Free Trial for a Shutterstock subscription you will also get premium access to Creative Flow+, for the whole trial month, also for free?
It’s true! All you have to do is sign up for an account at Shutterstock and start your free trial – Shutterstock Creative Flow+ will be automatically activated in your account for the duration of the trial as well!
Do keep in mind, this method only works for new customers.
#2. Shutterstock Creative Flow Free Trial: Full Free Access for 30 Days
If you have already used your Shutterstock Free Trial in the past, or if you simply don’t want the free downloads from it right now (although why wouldn’t you!), there is another simple way of getting Creative Flow+ without paying: the Creative Flow+ free trial.
This offer gives you full premium access to the platform, completely free of charge, for one month.
Do keep in mind that if you don’t wish to pay for Creative Flow+ you need to cancel your trial before the initial 30 days are up. If you stay subscribed past the trial end date, you will be automatically upgraded to a paid subscription and charged $12.99/mo until you cancel.
But as long as you cancel your account within the first month, you will not be charged a penny.
#3. Any Shutterstock Subscription: Premium Creative Flow Included for Free
And last but not least, the one other method to use Creative Flow+ for free is to have an active Shutterstock subscription. Why? Simple: Creative Flow+ is included at no added cost with any Shutterstock plan!
Subscribing to any monthly or annual subscription, for either image, videos, or the new multimedia FLEX plan enables quick access, at no added cost, to Creative Flow+
So if you have a use for stock photos, vectors, videos, music, and more, this is the perfect chance to get all the media you need, plus a great free bonus in Creative Flow!
If you work with digital advertising but also film and media projects, we highly recommend you get the eCommerce mixed asset subscription, FLEX. This new flexible subscription lets you download all kinds of media formats with one single membership, and combined with Flow+ it can be a real workflow innovation for you and your team.
Even better news: You can also get your subscription at a discounted price, using our exclusive Shutterstock coupon code with up to 25% off on all plans!
Shutterstock Creative Flow: What’s In The Box?
As we briefly mentioned earlier, Creative Flow+ is a platform full of online resources to enhance creativity and accelerate results. But how full, and what exactly do these tools do?
We’re glad you asked. Here is a quick rundown of Creative Flow:
- Shutterstock Create – A user-friendly image editor with lots of AI-based functions that automatically edit or enhance your pictures in a couple of clicks: image resizing, background removal, applying filters, and more edits can be done in just seconds. It’s packed with templates and very simple features to transform any image into a unique design, without being a designer.
- Shutterstock Predict – An AI-powered search feature that helps customers discover the perfect assets for their goals. Through intelligent analysis of Shutterstock’s internal data, Predict is able to deliver creative insights designed specifically for your industry field, your target audience, and more.
- Shutterstock Plan – An online content scheduler for you to keep track of and publish all your designs directly from the platform, managing it all in the same place you created it.
- Shutterstock Catalog – This is a simple digital asset management tool, where you can store and sort all your digital assets and encourage collaboration by having access to all the creative materials whenever you wish.
And this is only the beginning. Shutterstock is a company in constant evolution and development, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they upgrade, update or add new applications to Creative Flow+ in the future.
Shutterstock: A True Creative Partner
Creative Flow+ is a cool resource on its own, but in connection with Shutterstock, it’s a complete solution for visual content creation.
You see, Shutterstock isn’t just an online marketplace for stock images. It’s a leading global creative platform that thrives to serve content creators of all kinds to achieve their goals. Shutterstock’s comprehensive collection includes royalty-free photos, vectors and illustrations, templates, 3D assets, stock videos, stock music, sound effects, and even Shutterstock editorial for editorial-only content. And it’s a massive collection, with hundreds of millions of files to choose from. For more information, check our Shutterstock review.
Combining this library with Creative Flow+ tools, or with Shutterstock.AI’s latest intelligent developments, you can really take your visual content strategy to the next level, without having to learn specific skills or having to hire professional consultants or freelancers.
Whether enterprise customers or small-budget clients, Shutterstock can be a cool creative partner.
So choose your favorite method and enjoy Shutterstock Creative Flow+!
