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Food and drink royalty-free images and stock photos
Images with foods and drinks are universal visuals that can be used in virtually any creative project. Because of the great variety of colors, shapes, textures, and patterns that food and drinks offer, images with a culinary twist are extremely popular with designers, social media managers, and bloggers. From raw fruits and vegetables to ready-to-eat meals, the Shutterstock image library has photos, illustrations, and vector graphics displaying food and drinks from all imaginable angles and all corners of the world.
Food and drinks images for websites
If your website needs new or refreshed images with food and drinks, start by focusing on the colors. Pick images with foods that match your site’s branding and color palette. Search for images that look fresh and appetizing.
Using closeup images of foods or liquids as backgrounds on your site is an elegant option to immerse your visitors in a new experience. High-resolution closeup visuals outline details that the viewer doesn’t usually register. Plus, the natural patterns and textures can add an organic and unique feel to your site.
If you’re looking to update the headers or banners on your web pages, go for foodscapes and active scenes that inspire action in your viewers. Picking food visuals with repetition, like cups of coffee in different colors and sizes, is another way to provide a rich experience for the viewer.
Trending food and drink images
Tips and tricks to make the most of your food and drinks images
Choosing engaging food and drink visuals
Image libraries like Shutterstock have millions of photos, icons, and illustrations with foods and beverages, but how will you find the right ones for your project? You can follow these simple tips to search for and pick food and drink pictures that work with your project.
First, play with your food. And by that we mean play with the angle of your food. Food and drink will look more interesting from unexpected angles. For example, pizzas or cookies can look appetizing in a top-down flat lay. Sandwiches and burgers make your mouth water with a side view cross section. A towering cold beverage looks especially refreshing when photographed from below. When you look for new angles, food and drink can be surprisingly artful.
Second, visuals with drinks and foods are more engaging when there is no clutter. A great dish and a simple background is all you need for a great culinary image. Silverware and fancy napkins are unnecessary.
Thirds, food and drink images should look realistic, without distortion or oversaturated colors. The goal of food and drink imagery is to spark an appetite, whether it’s an appetite to eat or to shop. Look for authentic images that appeal to your viewers’ eyes and stomachs.
Questions about food and drink images
Food and drink images appeal to all five senses, which makes them extremely engaging. The variety of colors, textures, and shapes in food imagery don’t just contribute to how we see an image, but also help us to hear, taste, touch, and smell the food that’s illustrated. One image can be an entire universe of experiences, including the feelings and memories we associate with food. In an image of a classic diner meal, for example, you might be able to taste the burger, feel the cold milkshake glass, hear the clink of ice in your soda. You might also have a strong sense of nostalgia attached to your past experiences of dining out with your friends.
The colors, patterns, and shapes in food and drinks are immediately interesting. But don’t be misled by your first impression. Check the background of the image — beautiful food and drink visuals have simple and neutral backgrounds that highlight the food and nothing else. Stick to clear images with enough negative space for the viewer to take in the whole picture. If you want a bit more story in your visuals, look for images that bring food and drinks to life. This could be a shot of people eating, a dinner table set with a feast, or a delightfully messy kitchen in the midst of a cookie bake. These scenes allow the viewer to imagine they’re there, eating or drinking and experiencing the liveliness of good food.
Shutterstock has best-in-class image search. You can search for food images as you would on any search engine by typing your keyword directly into the search bar at the top of each page. Refine your search by using the advanced filters on the left side of the screen. You can also use our powerful search by image tool. On the right side from the search bar click “Search by image” and drag and drop an image of your choice to find similar images in our image library. This is a great tool if you want to match a food or drink style you found on social media.
Millions of food-related searches on the Shutterstock site show that people search for cakes, pizza, and ice cream visuals more than any other types of food. Rising in popularity are healthy types of food, including fresh and bright fruits and veggies and colorful smoothies. When it comes to beverages, the most popular images are bottled water and multicolored mixed drinks in cheerful glasses.
Our data shows that peaches, apples, and bananas are the most popular fruit images, illustrations, and vectors. Watermelon is a close runner-up.
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