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Escape into royalty-free landscape imagery

Thanks to thousands of talented contributors who regularly add stunning, high-resolution images to Shutterstock’s library, you can explore the natural world from the comfort of your home or office. Shutterstock has every landscape under the sun, from a far-reaching field of flowers to an arctic lake edged by pine trees and everything in between. Scroll down for creative tips on how best to incorporate these vista visuals into your next creative project.

About landscape images

Landscape images highlight the wide variety of beauty to be found in our world. Such imagery ranges wildly, from farm landscapes to fantasy landscapes, winter landscapes to spring. Within Shutterstock’s ever-growing collection of landscape imagery, you can expect to see every sort of terrain shot at various times of day and year. Whether you are looking for a high-quality landscape logo for your new environmentally oriented website or an eye-catching landscape vector tailor-made to fit a banner, Shutterstock is sure to have the landscape image to meet your needs.

Trending landscapes images and backgrounds

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Questions about landscapes images and backgrounds


What are landscape images?

In the world of photography, landscape images are those that are wider than they are tall. More generally, however, the term “landscape” refers to the visible features of a countryside or land. Landscape images can be shot from up high, as in an aerial photo of a far-reaching forest landscape, or down low, in a ground-level spring landscape of a sunflower field. These images shine in all sorts of formats, from a high-resolution photograph of a garden landscape to a highly detailed watercolor of a sunset landscape. Expect to see a rich variety of colors in landscape images. Red desert landscapes, green landscapes of rolling hills, snowy winter landscapes, and much more can be found in the Shutterstock landscape image library.


What makes a landscape image engaging?

Landscape images invite viewers to imagine themselves in beautiful locations. For a person who is cooped up indoors, a visual of rolling hills, a vast field, or majestic mountainside can feel like a breath of fresh air. A particularly engaging landscape shot likely utilizes the photography guidelines for composition. Such guidelines include leading lines. These lines draw the viewer into the image. In a photo of the mountains taken from a perspective that places the viewer at the foot of a path, for example, it is the lines of the path that guide the viewer into the heart of the shot. A vanishing point may also be a key element in such an image. This is the point in a photo at which two parallel lines appear to converge. This conveys a sense of three-dimensionality to viewers, making it that much easier to imagine walking right into the shot.


How can I find impressive landscape images?

With Shutterstock’s high-powered search engine, finding impressive landscape images takes no time at all. Simply type “landscape” into the search bar and explore the immense array of resulting photos, vectors, and illustrations. Further narrow your search by adding other keywords such as “farm landscape” or “landscape garden.” You can also use the various filter options to expedite the image search process. Want a seaside landscape that features someone walking along the shore? Select the “With people” option from the “People” section. Looking for a farm landscape that includes children enjoying the natural world? Select “Children” from the “Age” section. If you want your image to match your website’s color palette, select the main color you want featured in your image from the “Color” section. Scroll through your image results until you find the one for you.


What are the popular landscape images? (nature, desert, fantasy, watercolor, panorama)

Some popular landscape images include: Nature landscapes such as a sunlit autumn forest, majestic mountain vista, or sunset ocean view. Desert landscapes of dusty roads leading into empty red landscapes and aerial shots of monolithic desert mountains, as well as illustrations that depict the breathtaking beauty of a desert sunrise. Fantasy landscapes include artwork of islands floating in the clouds, dragons swooping before castles, and alien planets with multiple moons in the sky. Watercolor landscapes feature soft washes of color as gentle visual depictions of mountains, seascapes, and tree-lined paths. Panoramic landscapes provide the viewer with a wide, unbroken view of the land. Such sprawling images can seem to surround viewers so that they feel as if they are standing right in the middle of a flower-filled meadow or green forest, atop a mountain, or at the edge of the sea.


How can I download free landscape images?

Shutterstock has a free landscape imagery collection so that you can get started downloading your favorite nature photos and illustrations right away. Up-close macro images of berries on a branch and wheat in a field, misty vistas of the ocean and vibrant views of tropical lakes, forest landscapes in every season, and so much more await. Download this free image collection by clicking the red “Download” button.

Browse landscape images

How to use landscape images creatively

Use landscape images as website backgrounds With such an extensive library of landscape images to choose from, you can find the exact sort of image you have in mind for your website background. When doing so, it is best to opt for an image that matches the tone of your brand. Want to convey to potential clients that your company is on the cutting edge of technological advancement? Try an abstract digital image of a blueprint mountain landscape. Run a website with a health and wellness focus? A gentle, soothing landscape image of a sunset seascape or a watercolor lake landscape can suggest to viewers that your services will provide a much-needed sense of relief and relaxation. If your website is oriented toward children, try a bright and artistic landscape crafted out of origami to reflect a playful tone. Use landscape images on social media While landscapes are by definition wide angle, grand scope shots, you can find stunning landscapes that shine when postmark sized for your Instagram. Look for images that are not overly busy or filled with intricate detail, as such images do not shine when dramatically reduced in size. Try searching Shutterstock’s library for landscape vectors, as these images remain high-resolution when sized up or down. You can also easily find artistic renderings of landscapes that have been designed with social media layouts in mind. These images come square-sized so that you can download and share in just a few quick clicks. Run the social media for a landscape design company? Post some hand-drawn layout plans of stunning garden designs to let potential clients know about the personal touch you bring to each project. Want to show off your company’s playful side? Try sharing a shot of a pixelated arcade game landscape with a caption such as, “How would you like to play with your garden?” Such a call-to-action can encourage audience engagement and get soon-to-be clients excited for the beautiful, creative garden designs they can expect to see in their yards if they work with you. Use landscape images for online and print marketing campaigns Launching a marketing campaign for a travel-oriented company? Landscape imagery is here to help. You can set a sunrise image as your website banner to let customers know that if they use your services, they can travel to any location under the sun. Utilize social media as a marketing outlet. Try hosting Instagram contests. Post a panoramic aerial shot clearly taken from an airplane and pair it with a call-to-action that encourages viewers to comment on your image for a chance to win travel-sized goodies. You could also add a time crunch that encourages viewers to comment quickly in order to win a prize. Do so by sharing a stunning landscape with the caption, “Where was this shot taken? First person to comment with the right answer wins…” whatever your prize may be.

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