Cozy up with royalty-free winter imagery

With Shutterstock’s powerful search engine at your fingertips, finding beautiful winter images takes no time at all. Simply type “winter” into the search bar. Pick out one of millions of high-resolution photos, illustrations, and vectors, or further narrow your results by typing in more specific keywords. Use Shutterstock’s easy-to-use filter options to further narrow your results. Looking for some fun winter clip art to use in your holiday newsletter? Type “winter clip art” into the search bar and then select “Illustrations” or “Vectors” from the “All images” dropdown menu. Know that you want your clip art to have a holiday focus? Just add “winter holidays” to the search bar. If you will be typing your newsletter in green font and want your clip art to be predominantly red so as to make a happy Christmas pair, select the red color square from the “Color” filter option.

Popular winter images tend to reflect the joyful celebrations and natural beauty of the season. Winter landscapes: Serene and stunning winter landscapes show viewers the stark beauty of the season. A violet sunrise emerging from behind the black and bare branches of winter trees. Deep blue ice shining atop a frozen lake. A magical arctic view of the aurora borealis. All this and much more can be found in the Shutterstock library. Winter scenes: Familiar winter scenes allow viewers to imagine themselves right in the action. Common scenes include children playing in the snow, either by building a snowman, making a snow angel, or tossing a snowball. A man walking down a snowy path with his dog by his side or a woman sitting by the fire with a good book in her hands reflect a more relaxed sort of wintry fun.

To download free winter images, first scroll down and take a look at Shutterstock’s free winter image collection. From close-ups of winter flowers and Christmas cookies to long shots of majestic snowy mountains, fun winter clip art to festive holiday backgrounds, Shutterstock is sure to have the image to meet your needs. Download these free winter pictures with one click on the download button.

The winter solstice marks the beginning of the chilly season with the longest night of the year. December through February, many people experience short days, long nights, and much colder temperatures. No wonder the Danish concept of hygge is so big this time of year. Hygge refers to a quality of coziness and comfort, of finding contentment in simple, soothing pleasures. Winter images often reflect this with peaceful atmospheres: Candles burning before a frosted windowpane, a couch laden with blankets, and a cabin with fire crackling in the hearth, all inspire viewers to slow down, sip a hot cocoa, and relax. Of course, there are also a number of holidays associated with winter. Images that show people enjoying the season of giving, either by wrapping up gifts to place beneath the tree or cooking a big holiday meal together, can instill a sense of holiday excitement in viewers.

Winter images tend to have a cool color palette. Expect to see a lot of icy blues and refreshing whites. Due to end of year New Year’s celebrations, many graphics feature gold or silver font atop a black background. If the image is holiday-focused, however, then the traditional red and green of Christmas are bound to make an appearance. There are three main attributes of winter images: Winter wonderland: From vast snow-covered landscapes to children sticking out their tongues to catch falling snowflakes, winter images show both the untouched beauty of the natural world and people out enjoying the winter weather. Cozy winter houses: When it is cold outside, many people choose to get cozy inside. Winter images often reflect this sense of snuggled-up warmth by showing people seated comfortably beside a crackling fire, thick blanket on their lap, and steaming mug in hand. Holiday cheer: Christmas trees decked out in lights and gifts wrapped up with bows, children helping parents roll out cookie dough and couples kissing beneath mistletoe, are all familiar images that inspire a sense of the holiday season.