Fall forward with royalty-free autumn imagery

Use Shutterstock’s high-powered search engine and filter options to find the perfect autumn image for your next project. Simply enter “autumn” into the search bar and scroll through millions of photos, vectors, and illustrations. Narrow your search by adding other keywords such as “autumn leaves” or “autumn pattern”. To further hone in on the exact sort of image you have in mind, apply Shutterstock’s various filter options. Planning a community event to celebrate the mid-autumn festival? Search “mid-autumn festival” and then narrow your results by selecting “Illustrations,” for example, from the “All images” dropdown menu. If you would like artwork that features children, select “Children” from the “Age” filter. To ensure that your image matches your website’s color palette, select the main color you want featured in your image from the “Color” section. Scroll through all of the corresponding artwork until you find the one for you.

Popular autumn images show the scenes and symbols most often associated with the season. Autumn trees: When autumn falls, so do the leaves from the trees. But first those leaves turn a fiery red, burnt orange, or brilliant yellow, so that a sweeping view of an autumn forest can take a person’s breath away. Even a close-up shot of a multi-colored autumn leaf can inspire a little sense of awe at the natural world. No wonder such images are so popular as autumn background shots! Autumn festivals: Each year, usually in September, many Eastern and Southeastern people celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, by lighting lanterns, eating mooncakes, and giving thanks to the full moon for a plentiful harvest. Images that show happy children holding mooncakes or graphics in elegant script that read “Happy Mid-Autumn Festival” are popular at this time.

To download free autumn images, first take a look at Shutterstock’s free autumn image collection below. From close-up shots of acorns and apples to stunning autumn landscapes, fun autumn patterns to simple autumn icons, Shutterstock is sure to have an image to meet your needs. To download instantly, click the red “Download” button.

Generally speaking, autumn falls between early September and late November. The autumn equinox marks the start of the season, as the sun passes over the equator and the earth tilts in such a way that day and night become equal. Many autumn images reflect this balance, with light and dark in equal parts. A jack-o’-lantern grinning in the night, a flickering flame behind its smile. The chill in the air kept at bay with cozy sweaters and steaming mugs of tea. An autumn forest full of fiery red leaves, a vibrant last hurrah before winter arrives and the leaves inevitably fall. With all the fire, color, and coziness inherent to autumn imagery, it is no surprise so many find them beautiful. Perhaps these images speak to something universal inside each of us: the need to recognize when it is time to hold on, and when it is time to let go.

Autumn is the harvest season, a prime time to appreciate abundance. In autumn imagery, colorful autumn leaves, sometimes on trees but often spinning down to the ground, are common. Autumn patterns and vectors focus on the red, brown, and orange hues one would expect to see in the natural world. Tartan prints, hand-drawn acorns, and playful woodland creatures are just a few of a vast number of autumn designs. Autumn photos that include people may feature a happy couple walking their dog down a tree-lined path or children jumping for joy into leaf piles. The autumn flowers that often appear on formal invitations tend to be more muted in color than the bright tulips of spring or tropical flowers of summer. Expect to see elegantly illustrated floral arrangements that include dark green ferns, faded pink roses, and burgundy red dahlias.