Dustin Stout

Social Media, Blogging, and Design Resources

The Essential Guide to Sharing Images Online

sharing images online

Sharing images online is getting easier and more commonplace every day. With sites like Google+ and Pinterest putting such huge emphasis on great imagery, it’s never been more important to growing your online presence to know how to share great images with your growing audience.

In this new series I’m going to attempt to tackle the many aspects of sharing images online from legality and etiquette to original creation and best sizes to use.

Why This Is Important

To get noticed online you have to give people what they’re looking for. Photos, memes, infographics, inspirational fitness quotes and other visual stimuli are what’s grabbing people’s attention. Moreover, these are what people are sharing more than anything else. Good visuals spread like wildfire.

Knowing that visuals spread fast, it’s important not only to know how to do them well, but also to do them right. Sharing images responsibly and with a bit of developed skill can help accelerate your online presence and open opportunities and communications that you wouldn’t have had otherwise.

So let’s not just share images online, let’s share them like a boss!

sharing images online like a boss

The Table of Contents

This post will serve as the anchor (or table of contents) for the series. I’ll update the links below as I publish each piece in the series so that you will always be able to come back and easily navigate to the piece you want to read up on.

The working list of topics I have in mind are:

I may add some to the list or change some of the current topics listed as the series progresses. This should serve as a basic outline though so you know what to expect.

In the comments below I would love it if you told me what questions, comments, or curiosities you have about the topic. Is there anything specifically you want me to cover? Any methods in which you want me to cover a particular topic?

Well, what are you waiting for?

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Dustin W. Stout Avatar

About the author

Dustin W. Stout
A social media blogger and speaker who loves helping people tell bigger, better stories online. Founder of SoVisual.co, and an unashamed coffee addict.

51 responses to “The Essential Guide to Sharing Images Online”

  1. Lyn Avatar
    Lyn

    BRILLIANT TOPIC!
    With so many thousands of relatively new entrepreneurs entering the online community daily it’s VERY HRLPFUL of you to dig deeper into this often overlooked area.

    With engaging VISUAL content becoming the fastest means by which to engage with those who don’t know you yet – to grab attention – to build further on your brand – deliver a message – and so on…

    Getting your head QUICKLY around the whole IMAGE THING can mean a way better start to your marketing (& even the survival of your business if you don’t want to get SUED).

    I spent 16+ yrs as a design and marketing consultant working with many leading FMCG companies and their high profile BRANDS (eg; Uncle Toby’s, Meadow Lea, Nestlé & dozens of others), constantly at photo shoots with awesome photographers – often also trawling through stochastic photo sites for that “perfect” image for the front cover of a brochure….

    PHOTOGRAPHERS,stock photo companies, and even the TOURISM depts of entire countries are supremely vigilant about misuse of their images.

    “I DIDN’T KNOW THAT” is not a line of defence that will stand up in court if you end up there.

    ON THE FLIP SIDE
    There’s LOADS of images available for FREE that will work for most people’s needs, so there’s no need to put yourself or your business at risk. Sure – there’s no EXCLUSIVITY – but even when you pay for a license to use an image it’s never exclusive anyway (you CAN determine how many times it’s been used though).

    Rave rave – I just love this subject – will share anything you care to write about it Dustin

  2. Lyn Avatar
    Lyn

    BRILLIANT TOPIC!
    With so many thousands of relatively new entrepreneurs entering the online community daily it’s VERY HRLPFUL of you to dig deeper into this often overlooked area.

    With engaging VISUAL content becoming the fastest means by which to engage with those who don’t know you yet – to grab attention – to build further on your brand – deliver a message – and so on…

    Getting your head QUICKLY around the whole IMAGE THING can mean a way better start to your marketing (& even the survival of your business if you don’t want to get SUED).

    I spent 16+ yrs as a design and marketing consultant working with many leading FMCG companies and their high profile BRANDS (eg; Uncle Toby’s, Meadow Lea, Nestlé & dozens of others), constantly at photo shoots with awesome photographers – often also trawling through stochastic photo sites for that “perfect” image for the front cover of a brochure….

    PHOTOGRAPHERS,stock photo companies, and even the TOURISM depts of entire countries are supremely vigilant about misuse of their images.

    “I DIDN’T KNOW THAT” is not a line of defence that will stand up in court if you end up there.

    ON THE FLIP SIDE
    There’s LOADS of images available for FREE that will work for most people’s needs, so there’s no need to put yourself or your business at risk. Sure – there’s no EXCLUSIVITY – but even when you pay for a license to use an image it’s never exclusive anyway (you CAN determine how many times it’s been used though).

    Rave rave – I just love this subject – will share anything you care to write about it Dustin

  3. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    I’m glad you found it Roxana! And yes, I tend to go the KISS route as well. If you can communicate more simply and effectively you reach a wider audience and are more likely to be shared.

  4. Roxana N. Avatar
    Roxana N.

    Better late than never. If it weren’t for PYB and Melanie Perkins’ interview, then I probably would’ve missed this.

    Really cool info, I’m checking out the other two posts right after this comment. I use a lot of visual mapping in what I do and symbols to structure my “visual content” better in the offline. In the online, I’ve noticed the design principle of “kiss” (keep it simple, stupid) applies best. 😀

    I get a better response from followers if I’m sharing something that “plays” with their emotions: cat/dog/animal videos, nature images, motivational visual quotes, tango&ballet and mainly art etc.

  5. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Awesome Warner! I hope you learn something!

  6. Warner Carter Avatar
    Warner Carter

    Thank you so much for this. I am often sharing images and want to know as much as I can learn.

    Warner

  7. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Efficiency is a huge concern of mine as well. It’s all about deciding on a structure and sticking to it. With photos, a solid tagging system works really well. I don’t know if PCs have that ability to tag files, but I’m loving that ability on my iMac.

  8. Kelly Mitchell Avatar
    Kelly Mitchell

    Late to the party… My challenge is focusing on a few resources and tools to be efficient with my time and choosing images and words with impact. Also how to organize my own images as the library grows and becomes unwieldy … Just a few of the many questions I have… Looking forward to learning more!

  9. Eunice Coughlin Avatar
    Eunice Coughlin

    Hi Dustin,
    I’m on your email list, I hope I am not signing up again! About a week ago, you shared a post about images on Twitter and how to make them appear in your Twitter feed instead of having to click on them. I can’t find that post! Can you cover that again? Or post a link to that post?

    Thanks so much for this info. I already shared the invitation to this series on my Facebook page as a recommendation for my followers.

  10. Heather Thompson Avatar
    Heather Thompson

    I don’t have a website. Maybe that disqualifies me right away. My wife works full time at the public library in town and she writes a blog about our life together here in Oregon.
    I would like to learn as much as I can for free about sharing images because I don’t want to violate copy right or be accused of plagiarism.

  11. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Awesome Kaz! I’m in the process of finishing that blog post right now! 😀

  12. Kaz Avatar
    Kaz

    Hey Dustin,
    Been a reader of your emails for a while. But I just got interested in Social Media Marketing. I have developed a website for my church and am wanting to launch my own personal blog to inspire people to live their best lives. I am a graphic designer and use Photoshop but the time it takes to produce quality content means sometimes I want to look else where. But quality imagery can cost a bomb. I’d like to know where you can source great imagery that is legal to use.
    Thanks for helping others helping people find our creator and live amazing lives.

  13. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Thanks Resah! When was I mentioned in the OhSoPinteresting Podcast?

  14. Resah Avatar
    Resah

    I’m so happy I found you from the ohsopintersting podcast, your info singing be soooo helpful with my social media marketing, thanks again for your great content!

  15. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Я не уверен, что вы имеете в виду. Знаете ли вы отправить кое-что из моих и поделиться им без ссылок или отнесения? Если вы правильно дали ссылку на источник, у меня нет с этим проблем. А что касается “как создать изображения с текстом над ними”, я пишу этот пост в блоге теперь. : D

  16. Зинаида Avatar
    Зинаида

    Здравствуйте, Дастин, я новичок, хотела научиться как ставить бесплатные картинки, шрифт написания и многое другое, не нарушая закона о правах и как искать изображения, неужели я нарушила права и взяла не ту картинку, если вы напишите то я удалю.

  17. Ken Harkey Avatar
    Ken Harkey

    Looking forward, eagerly to the rest of this series. Really interested in learning things like, the specific legality of images and maybe some good usecases as to what to look for in an image or whatnot. Top notch as always +dustin stout

  18. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    I have recently increased my activity on Google + and already can see a pick up in my website activity.

  19. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Thanks Peter! I’ll have to remember the different font examples– that’s a great idea!

  20. Peter McNeice Avatar
    Peter McNeice

    Looking forward to this ongoing series, Dustin, and have bookmarked your site.

    Being a photographer, I use Photoshop for my images, of course, but I have clients who need to upload photos and PS is way too much for them to add to their arsenal. Would love to hear your recommendations on a few basic image-editing programs I can suggest to them.

    And I’ll throw my hat into the group interested in more about fonts, especially if you can show examples of different fonts you like to use on the same photo. Does that make sense? What I mean is, showing the same photo 6 or 7 times, each with 6 or 7 different fonts, to show how different the image looks using the different ones – that would be highly instructive for those like me who struggle to choose fonts.

    Thanks for doing this series, Dustin. I’ll be sharing it with my peeps for sure!

    – Peter McNeice.

  21. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    You’re welcome Gem!

  22. Gem Webb Avatar
    Gem Webb

    I am brand new to your blog and so happy I took the time to read a few of your blog posts. This upcoming series is going to help me and my social media marketing clients. Thanks so much for all the effort you put into this.

  23. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Ooh, good questions Emilie! 😀

  24. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Great question Grizwald! I will be sure to address that in the legal post in the series.

  25. Emilie Eggleston Avatar
    Emilie Eggleston

    Hi Dustin. How about a little tidbit on the safety and privacy of sharing photos. Like, is it worth it to put a watermark? And how to remove GPS coordinates. And if you delete a photo from social media, is it actually deleted, or does it stay on the internet forever? 😉

  26. Grizwald Grim Avatar
    Grizwald Grim

    As a side effect of posting on G+ and knowing posts without image are nigh invisible, I’ve adopted a policy of pulling something from deviant art and including a link to the source. I’m curious of the possible downsides of that practice.

  27. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Awesome Cyndi! 😀

  28. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Awesome Jason! 😀 I’m sure you’d have some great things to say on the subject as well.

  29. cyndi Avatar
    cyndi

    Looking forward to it all. I am forced to get by with what I can find or make for myself. I have found a few resources to obtain creative commons images and to create images or modify images and look forward to which you recommend.

  30. Jason Vana Avatar
    Jason Vana

    Pretty stoked for this series! I do graphic design for my paycheck, but am always looking for ways to improve. My biggest thing is time – it’s why I haven’t focused much on the imagery like I should. I’m sure your thoughts and ideas will put that importance back in the forefront of my mind.

  31. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Awesome! I’ll toss that idea around!

  32. J.C. Avatar
    J.C.

    Looks like a great list!

    Maybe some mobile design tips??
    Pressgram tips…
    Creating image templates

    Looking forward to it!

  33. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Awesome Mark-John! 🙂

  34. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Haha! Awesome KC!

  35. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Thanks Troy! That post is definitely helpful when crafting the typographic experience on a website or blog. I’ve got a few more tips to share when it comes to images! Excited to share!

  36. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Oh I will definitely have a section on font usage. I have a few simple principles that will make you look like a pro!

  37. Troy Mclaughlin Avatar
    Troy Mclaughlin

    Sorry Ileane one too many L’s

  38. Troy Mclaughlin Avatar
    Troy Mclaughlin

    Here you go Illeane here is a post and in Dustin’s design series about fonts. https://dustinstout.com/stunning-reading-experience/

  39. Ileane Avatar
    Ileane

    Hi Dustin,

    Can’t wait to check out this series. It sounds like a lot of fun.

    I’d like to know more about fonts and how to pair different fonts together like you did in the image on this post. I’m using PicMonkey and Canva, but I never seem to know which fonts look good together or why.

    Thanks Dustin! Enjoy the holiday and i’ll speak to you real soon (like this coming Sunday) 🙂

  40. ThatGuyKC Avatar
    ThatGuyKC

    Stoked for this series. Bookmarked fo shizzle.

  41. Mark-John Clifford Avatar
    Mark-John Clifford

    Dustin,

    You are the man. What I needed to learn and just in time for some new adventures on my blog. Thanks for this series. Looking forward to it.

  42. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Awesome Beth! Are you on WordPress.com or do you have a self-hosted setup?

  43. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    It’s pretty easy Carolyn, you just have to know which button to press. When you’re writing/editing a new post in there is an “Upload media” button. Click that and you will be able to grab an image from your computer and upload it into the post. Wherever your cursor was when you hit the button, that’s where the image will go.

  44. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Awesome David! Forcing yourself to work through limitations always makes you hone your abilities. Software limitations are particularly frustrating but will make you so much better in the end. I think I have a couple things that will help you a lot.

  45. Beth Harwell Avatar
    Beth Harwell

    Thanks Dustin for doing this. I am very interested in shareable images for word Press. Looking forward to it.

  46. Carolyn Avatar
    Carolyn

    I would like to make a suggestion.
    I am currently in the process of creating a blog on WP.com and it sure would be nice to learn more about what’s required to add images to a post. I don’t know if it’s just me, because I literally had no previous experience using WP, but it took a lot of research before I was finally able to figure it out. It would be nice to have such info readily available, so other beginners like myself would find it easier to do. And, the WP.com forums and help were not very helpful at all. I found most of my info on YouTube.

    Or is WP.com to specific a program to consider mentioning ? Just a thought.

    Thank you so much for the time and energy you are expending to offer this series Dustin. Looking forward to learning more.

  47. David Foster Avatar
    David Foster

    I LOVE imagery, but have no clue how to use Photoshop. I actually use Keynote on a mac to make all of my images…yours are always top notch Dustin…amazing. But none the less, this is still a topic I am interested in and look forward to reading.

  48. Ben Boykin Avatar
    Ben Boykin

    A handful thus far.

  49. Dustin W. Stout Avatar
    Dustin W. Stout

    Awesome Ben! How many resources do you have so far?

  50. Jim Petersen Avatar
    Jim Petersen

    Dustin, thanks for the opportunity. I’ve had a website for a number of years, but am just getting started blogging and using pix to make it come alive. I’m writing about listening skills and am having trouble coming up with pix to enhance relationship ideas.

  51. Ben Boykin Avatar
    Ben Boykin

    Primo content right there man! Over the years I’ve had clients really struggle with a number of the topics you will address – in particular where to find great images that are legal to use to help reinforce blog posts and on page content. I am in the process of putting together a spreadsheet of resources, albeit it is rather small at the moment, but do hope to continue to add to it and share with any that are interested. Again, looking forward to following along and hopefully adding to the convo. Thanks Dustin!

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