Dreamstime Review: Your Complete Guide to Use

Dreamstime offers a massive library of stock images and videos, but using this platform is a bit difficult. So if you're a buyer looking to find the perfect image or a contributor hoping to sell your photos, there are a few things you should know to enjoy your stay on this website. In this Dreamstime review, I’ll share my take on Dreamstime, talking about both the pros and cons so that you can make the most out of your Dreamstime’s experience.

What is Dreamstime

Online since 2000 as a royalty-free stock photography website, Dreamstime has evolved into a powerful and active community-based site. There's a massive library of images and videos on this website, uploaded and updated by photographers all over the world, shot on film or digital. But they don't just let anyone upload a photo, there's an entire process that an uploaded image goes through to make sure the quality is maintained. Every day, thousands of images are uploaded to Dreamstime, meaning nothing on this website is outdated, unlike other popular stock websites.

Features：

• Extensive Image Library: Find visuals for any project with access to over 304 million images, plus 6 million new files added monthly, including royalty-free videos and audio tracks.

• Image Quality: Use high-resolution images, HD footage, and music, all perfect for professional content creation, whether for web or print.

• Licensing Coverage: Enjoy royalty-free licenses for commercial use across various mediums with few restrictions, plus access to editorial content with a dedicated license.

• Flexible Pricing Options: Choose from credit packs or subscription plans, offering flexibility and affordability to suit any budget.

• Free Trial: Download up to 15 premium images for free during a one-week trial (watermarked), and keep the unwatermarked versions plus your full quota when you upgrade.

Pricing:

Dreamstime offers flexible pricing plans to suit different needs. Users can choose from monthly credit packages with varying download limits, or opt for subscription plans that provide larger quantities of downloads. The platform also provides a one-week free trial with the option to upgrade. For frequent users, there are plans with 200 or 750 downloads per month, as well as a yearly plan for those who require continuous access to stock content.

Pros：

• Large customer base with over 24 million members.

• Multiple content types.

• Flexible pricing plans.

• High demand for fresh and creative content.

• Offers both editorial and commercial licensing.

• Free trial with up to 15 image downloads.

Cons：

• High competition with over 4 million contributors.

• Expensive higher-tier subscription and credit packs.

• Strict and time-consuming content review process.

• Image search function can be difficult to navigate.

How to Use Dreamstime for Different Users

I understand that navigating around Dreamstime can be a bit complicated. So I’ve put together a step-by-step guide in this Dreamstime review explaining how you can use Dreamstime; this will help you whether you’re a buyer or a contributor.

For Buyers (Downloading):

Step 1: First, open your browser and go to the official Dreamstime website.

Step 2: Click on the "Sign Up" button, then enter your details. If you'd rather skip the typing, you can log in with your Google, Facebook, or Apple account.

Step 3: Use the search bar to browse through Dreamstime's huge library. Apply filters like category, color, and orientation to narrow down your search and find exactly what you need.

Step 4: Once you’ve found the perfect image, select the appropriate licensing option on the image page.

Note: Make sure it fits your intended use to stay compliant with Dreamstime’s usage rights.

Step 5: Pick a plan that works best for you, whether it’s a subscription, credit pack, or pay-per-download. Dreamstime offers flexible pricing to fit your needs.

Step 6: Once everything’s set, simply click the “Download for Free” your selected images or videos. It’s that easy to get high-quality content for your projects.

Tips for Buyers:

If you’re a buyer, then these tips that I’m sharing will really help you out to make the best of your experience on this platform.

Pricing Options:

Dreamstime offers free photos for personal and commercial use, maintaining high standards. Users can access these with a free account. A 7-day free trial allows downloading up to 15 watermarked images, which can be upgraded to non-watermarked versions with a paid plan.

• Subscription Plans: Dreamstime’s subscription plans allow monthly image downloads, with larger plans offering better value.

• Credit Packages: There are credit packages to make sure you have flexibility for your needs for an entire year.

Licensing (Understanding usage rights):

There is an extremely flexible pricing plan, which makes sure that there is clarity and you're protected legally if using their content.

• Royalty-Free License: You can use the platform multiple times for a one-time fee. Advertising, website design, and print materials are all included free of cost. But resale or redistribution of the original file is not allowed.

• Extended Licenses: Even more flexible than royalty-free licenses. This will allow you to have unlimited seats for users, which means there's no limit to how many people can log in. And you can further use the images for resale or even on items like t-shirts. You can even purchase full ownership or exclusive usage for a certain period.

• Free Use Licenses: Dreamstime provides free images under various licenses:

• Royalty-Free Limited License: Allows personal and commercial use, with some restrictions.

• Public Domain License: No restrictions, but the agency doesn’t take liability for potential copyright issues.

This platform offers a wide variety of resources, including global public content licensed for broad use with minimal restrictions (often just requiring you to give credit). There's also an Editorial License, perfect for using content in non-commercial settings like news articles, blog posts, or educational resources.

Image properties:

You'll find high-quality images suitable for online or print use, along with high-definition video clips and music tracks geared toward professional content creators.

For Contributors:

Just like I showed in this review of Dreamstime how it has multiple features for buyers. Dreamstime also offers a simple and accessible process for contributors to join their global network and start earning. With over 1.2 million contributors, this is a great place for photographers, videographers, illustrators, and audio artists to earn money from their work, or to contribute to the community by donating to the free photo library.

Step 1: Create a free account on "Dreamstime's website" to get started. This simple step gives you access to the platform where you can upload and manage your content.

Step 2: Upload your images, videos, vector illustrations, or audio files on the interface.

Step 3: Provide accurate "titles", "descriptions", and "keywords" for your content. This helps increase your chances of being discovered and improves searchability.

Step 4: After setting your price, click on “Submit commercial image” and send it for review. Dreamstime’s team will check it to ensure it meets their quality standards before it’s made available to buyers.

Tips for Contributors:

Here are a couple of tips if you want to create and not just consume. Dreamstime provides a very simple and efficient way to do this.

Sell Stock Photos:

• Sell Your Photos: Upload your images to Dreamstime, make them available for sale, and earn money every time they’re downloaded. The “Sell Stock Photos” page includes a table showing potential earnings per image so you can estimate your income.

• Use the Referral Program: Share your work with a wider audience and earn in two ways: get paid when someone buys your photos, and receive a 10% commission on all purchases made by anyone who signs up through your referral link.

Enhance Your Dreamstime Experience: Toolsmart's Watermark Remover

Having built up some experience contributing to Dreamstime and earning money from your work, you might want to think about streamlining your process with Toolsmart's Watermark Remover. While Dreamstime offers preview images that include watermarks, especially when you're on a trial or taking advantage of promotions, you'll often find you need to get rid of those watermarks for your finished products. Whether you're a creator looking to polish your submissions or a customer who wants to use those trial images in your projects, Toolsmart can be a really helpful answer.

It's irritating to be stuck with images marred by watermarks. Toolsmart's Watermark Remover offers a solution to this frequent problem. It allows you to swiftly and effectively erase watermarks, guaranteeing your photos are suitable for polished, professional projects. Whether you're using pictures from contributors or sample files from Dreamstime, this handy application streamlines your workflow by removing the identifying marks without sacrificing the original picture's visual fidelity. Ultimately, it saves you valuable time and prevents unnecessary difficulty.

Why You Need It:

• Effortless Removal: Toolsmart’s Watermark Remover makes the process of removing watermarks incredibly simple. Just upload your image, and the tool takes care of the rest, removing the watermark with just a few clicks.

• Preserves Quality: Unlike manual removal methods that can degrade the image, Toolsmart ensures that the image quality remains intact while removing the watermark, so your visuals stay crisp and professional.

• Time-Saving: No more spending hours trying to manually erase watermarks. Toolsmart quickly handles the task, allowing you to focus on your project without wasting precious time.

• User-Friendly: With a straightforward, intuitive interface, Toolsmart is easy to use for anyone. You don’t need technical expertise or advanced tools to get the job done, just upload and remove.

How to use Toolsmart's Watermark Remover:

Using this tool is straightforward; it gets straight to the point as soon as you go to their website.

Step 1: First, head over to the Toolsmart Free Photo Watermark Remover website.

Step 2: Click on the “Upload image” option or drag your image directly onto the screen

Step 3: Once you’re done, download the Image, click on the “Download” button, and it will be automatically saved to your download folder.

Oh man, Toolsmart Watermark Remover has been a godsend for me, it's so simple to use. Plus, unlike the famous tools I was using before, this tool never had me doing things manually. I mean, it's the big 2025. Why do I need to remove the watermark with so much difficulty? Toolsmart Watermark Remover is AI-powered, so there's none of that, and neither does it ask you for anything annoying like a login, nor does it steal money from your wallet.

FAQs

Q1: How much can I earn on Dreamstime?

Dreamstime gives up to a whopping 60% whenever you sell your photo, video, or audio. Although this can depend on your license and how much you contribute, generally Dreamstime gives more to the contributors than others. Check out the "Sell Stock Photos" page to see potential earnings per image!

Q2: Are Dreamstime’s images copyright-free?

Not quite. While Dreamstime has a Free section and offers Public Domain images, most content is still copyrighted. You’ll get a royalty-free license, meaning you can use the content multiple times for a one-time fee. But, Dreamstime’s images aren’t entirely free of copyright, so you can’t claim authorship of the images.

Q3: Can I resell images I download from Dreamstime?

So far, no, you can’t. You can use the images on your products, but reselling the images themselves is strictly not allowed.

Q4: How do I get access to non-watermarked images?

Non-watermarked images are available once you upgrade to a paid plan. Free trial images will always have a watermark, but if you decide to upgrade, you’ll get the original images, free of watermarks, along with your monthly download quota.

Q5: Can I use editorial images for commercial purposes?

Nope, as the name suggests, you can use them only for editorial purposes like articles, blogs, or educational content, and that’s it. You can’t advertise them, but they’re great for sharing stories or providing context in your content.

Simplifying Image Management with Toolsmart for Dreamstime Users

Dreamstime offers a vast library of stock content with flexible pricing and licensing options. Contributors can upload work and earn from downloads. Toolsmart’s Watermark Remover simplifies watermark removal, preserving image quality and saving time, making it a great tool for Dreamstime users as we saw in this Dreamstime review.