27 Best Hot Air Balloon Pictures Resources

Looking for hot air balloon pictures or clip art? I've collected 27 of the best resources you can find on the net, both for personal and professional use. 

Unless otherwise noted, all of the listed resources offer images, graphics and clip art under the so-called "royalty free" license. This type of license typically allows the unlimited use of the image or any other content in the media defined in the license (e.g. websites, e-books, presentations).

Each licensing contract is different, so read the fine print before agreeing. Some may allow the resale of items that include the image content, such as a t-shirt or calendar, and others do not. Never allowed, however, is the reselling of the graphic itself, or to offer the free download of it.

Please note that the number of results under "Size of Selection" was accurate at the time of this writing (April 2016). When you read this page, the number has probably increased, as new pictures are uploaded daily to many of these hot air balloon pictures resources. 

1) iStock

Size of Selection: 29,058 results for “hot air balloon”

Search Function: Diverse, searchable by License Type, People, Composition, Color, Size, Upload Date.

License Agreements: You can choose between two licenses, standard and extended. With a standard license, photos can be used for any personal, business or commercial purposes that aren't otherwise restricted by the license. Content can be used in advertising, marketing, apps, websites, social media, TV and film, presentations, newspapers, magazines and books, and product packaging, among hundreds of other uses.

An extended license can be used to utilize pictures in even more ways. This license is used if you intend to have 500,000 printed copies, on items for resale, if you intend to share the photo.

Download Options and Prices: There are two download options. The first one is to buy credits (minimum of 1 credit for $12 and a maximum of 300 credits for $2400). Credits never expire, and unused credits can rollover from month to month. The second option is through subscription. There are two subscription levels available: Essential subscription for 40$/month and signature subscription for 100$/month.

Recommendation: iStock contains a wide range of illustrations, vector files, graphics, clip art and high resolution images. It's a great resource for both personal and commercial purposes. Their pricing is not too expensive and unused credits never expire.

2) Pixabay

Size of selection: 669 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: Practical, searchable by orientation, category, size, color.

License Agreements: All images are free to copy, modify, distribute, and use even for commercial purposes, without asking permission and without paying attribution. However, depicted content may still be protected by trademarks, publicity or privacy rights.

Download Options and Prices: Create a free account to download pictures. All images are public domain, that means you can download them for free, and you don't need to give attribution.

Recommendation: Pixabay is one of my personal favorites. All pictures are of high quality, as they have to pass certain guidelines before they can be uploaded to the site.

Beautiful Hot Air Balloon Picture from Pixabay

3) Shutterstock

Size of Selection: 40,934 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: user-friendly, searchable by orientation, image type, category, keywords, contributors, color.

License Agreements: Standard and enhanced licenses. 

Download Options and Prices: You must subscribe in order to download images. There are three standard license subscription accounts. With a basic account you get 5 images for 49$/year. A professional account costs 199$/month and allows you to download up to 750 images per month.

If you need a team account (more than 1 user), prices start at 299$/month. Images with enhanced licenses can be bought individually. Prices start at $199 for 2 images.

Recommendation: Shutterstock contains a wide range of high resolution images that can be used for personal or commercial purposes. Images are uploaded to Shutterstock on a daily basis from all over the world providing a lot of diversity. If you sign up for a free account, you'll receive one image and one vector graphic for free each week.

4) Photoshelter

Size of Selection: 99608 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: simple to use, searchable by pricing, image type, orientation.

License Agreements: Contrary to most other resources listed here, Photoshelter offers a "rights managed" license.  This kind of license allows the use of the graphic only for a single purpose which has to be specified when you buy the image, and the price depends on the defined usage (type of media, country, quantity, size of audience, languages, etc.).

Download Options and Prices: You can purchase images individually, without having to create an account. Choose an image, then click "Buy or license this image" and select "rights-managed." A window opens up where you fill in the requested information, upon which the price is being calculated. 

Alternatively, you can order the image as a print in various sizes, or different types of merchandise with the image on it, for example iPad covers, mugs, mouse pads, etc. 

Recommendation: Photoshelter has a huge selection of hot air balloon pictures and is easy to use. It comes with no subscription or membership fees. The downside is that you can use the image only for one specific purpose and for a defined period of time. 

5) Fotolia

Size of Selection: 16,200 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: diverse, searchable by file type, orientation, size, collection, price, color, category.

License Agreements: Standard and extended licenses. 

Download Options and Prices: Offers pay-as-you-go in the form of credits, starting with 10 credits for $14. Monthly plans with up to 5 downloads per month for $25/month and daily plans with up to 25 downloads per day for 249 $/month.

Recommendation: Fotolia is great because it offers different purchase methods so you can choose which one suits you best. It contains a wide range of images from photographers, artists, graphic designers and agencies all over the world. Photos can be used for many purposes and you can contact them if you want the image to be customized.

6) Bigstock

Size of Selection: 16,041 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: Easy to use and accessible, searchable by orientation, category, image type, keyword, number of people in the photo.

License Agreements: Standard and extended licenses.

Download Options and Prices: Bigstock offers 3 purchase options: Credit packs starting at $35 for 10 images; monthly subscription plans starting at $69 for 25 images; and daily subscription plans starting at $79 for 5 images per day. 

Recommendation: I like Bigstock because they offer a wide variety of purchase options. If you need a fair amount of hot air balloon pictures, you should go for one of their daily subscription plans. They offer better value than the monthly plans. As a first time user, you'll get a 14 day free trial that allows you to download up to 5 images per day. You can cancel your free trial at any time from withing your account.

7) Image Source

Size of Selection: 370 results for “hot air balloon” *
* July 2022: Website is supposedly to launch soon with new branding.

Search Function: Advanced, searchable by number of people, age, gender, ethnicity, orientation, setting, composition, license type, color settings, brand, viewpoint.

License Agreements: Royalty-free or rights-managed.

Download Options and Prices: You need to create a free account in order to purchase images. Prices start at about $45 for royalty-free images, for the lowest image resolution. For rights-managed licenses, prices get pretty high. For example, a 300 x 250 px image, used on your homepage for one month, sets you back over $800.

Recommendation: I didn't like that you have to register an account to even see the image prices. Their selection is pretty limited too. On the upside, they offer a free research service, where they help you find images that match your needs. 

7) Alamy

Size of Selection: 36,792 results for “hot air balloon”

Search Function: Practical and easy to use, searchable by people, location, image, viewpoint, date taken, license type.

License Agreements: Royalty-free and rights-managed. The license type is selected by the photographer and can’t be changed.

Download Options and Prices: The price of an image depends on what license type you’re buying and what you’re using the image for. When you click an image, you'll see all usage and price options. Prices start at $14.99 for personal use (personal prints, cards and gifts), and at $49 for a royalty-free license. 

Recommendation: Quick and easy website to use. No subscription or membership is needed to purchase images. If you are not sure that the image you select can be used for the purpose you have in mind,  you can contact them by live chat or phone.

8) GraphicStock

Size of Selection: 154 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: Sophisticated, searchable by file type, orientation, color, category, content type.

License Agreements: Royalty-free.

Download Options and Prices: You can choose between their monthly subscription plan for $49/month or their heavily discounted annual subscription for $99. Both plans come with unlimited downloads. New customers get a 7-day free trial during which they can download up to 20 images per day.

Recommendation: I like the unlimited downloads, the 7-day free trial and the simple subscription process. However, the selection of hot air balloon images is rather limited with just 154 files.

10) Stockvault

Size of Selection: 2404 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: Elegantly designed and practical, searchable by photographer, category, shape, date.

License Agreements: StockVault grants a non-exclusive, non-transferable license for each image on their website. The images are free for personal and non-commercial usage on the Web and in printed material. 

Download Options and Prices: Free

Recommendation: I've included StockVault in my list, because it's another source for free images. However, I doubt that the number of results for free hot air balloon pictures is correct. When you click through to page 2 of search results, you'll see all kinds of images, but no hot air balloons.

Use with caution! Be careful when you select pictures: both at the top and the bottom of search results they display paid images from Shutterstock.

Hot Air Balloon Image Example from StockVault

11) Dreamstime

Size of Selection: 6900 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: Straightforward and user-friendly, searchable by pricing, image license, image properties.

License Agreements: Dreamstime offers two main types of license agreements: standard royalty-free license for commercial usages and the editorial license. There may be commercial usages not included in the standard RF agreement and for which you need extended licenses. If you're unsure what license you need, you can contact them.

Download Options and Prices: 2 purchase options: Credit packages starting at $14.99 for 11 credits. They are valid for one year and perfect if you just want to download the occasional hot air balloon picture.  

If you need more images on a consistent basis, you can choose from one of their monthly subscriptions plans. Subscriptions start at 39$/month for 5 downloads.

Recommendation: Another excellent site for both personal and commercial use. Images are of high quality and can be used for a wide range of purposes. 

12) Corbis Images

Size of Selection: 6299 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: Easy to use, searchable by date, photographer, resolution, location.

License Agreements: Royalty-free and rights-managed.

Download Options and Prices: You can download images without creating an account by simply clicking on the image, adding it to the cart and paying for it. Customized subscription packages are also available, but you need to contact them to work out the pricing and terms.

Recommendation: Corbis Images is a great and flexible website to find hot air balloon pictures. Its specialty are the customized subscription packages. If you know exactly what you need (how many images per month, and for which purpose), you can negotiate the right package for you, and avoid paying for something you don't really need.  

13) 500 px

Size of Selection: 2530 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: User-friendly, searchable by orientation, category, collections, people / no people, indoor / outdoor.

License Agreements: There are two types of standard royalty-free licenses (Web Ready, Print Ready) and a number of extended licenses, including one for resale.  

Download Options and Prices: You can pay for each download individually or purchase a photo bundle. Prices per image vary by license and whether it's part of the core or the prime collection. Web ready images are the cheapest and start at $34 per image. When you purchase photo bundles for $500 or $1000, you'll get a discount of 5% and 10% respectively.

Recommendation: 500 Px offers various options for downloading photos, including a personalized subscription plan. It is great for personal and commercial purposes including resale.

14) Stocksy

Size of Selection: 212 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: Searchable by format, distance, number, gender and age of people, ethnicity, location.

License Agreements: Standard and extended licences, including a license for resale. 

Download Options and Prices: Photos can be bought individually. Prices are the same for all images in the collection. Each image costs between $10 and $100 for the standard license, depending on the image size. Extended licenses cost between $300 and $500.

Recommendation: I like Stocksy because you don't need an account or subscription to download pictures. It's easy to use, and you don't need to worry about the image price, as they all cost the same. Their selection is small, but they have some really unique hot air balloon pictures.

15) morgueFile

Size of Selection: 578 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: Easy to use, searchable by popular, recent, last downloaded and most downloads.

License Agreements: License is free for commercial purposes, to adapt the work and to use without attributing the author. However, you cannot sell, license, sub-license, rent, transfer or distribute this image exactly as it is without alteration. You may not claim ownership of this image in its original state.

Download Options and Prices: Downloading images is free, and you don't even need to create an account.

Recommendation: morgueFile contains images for personal and commercial purposes free of charge. You don't need an account or subscription to download images. A great site to get high resolution hot air balloon pictures hassle free and for no cost.

Hot Air Balloon Picture Example from morgueFile

16) 123RF

Size of Selection: 23,541 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: Diverse, searchable by relevance, variety, new, popularity.

License Agreements: Standard and extended licenses.

Download Options and Prices: 123RF offers two pricing methods: “On demand” which starts at $39 for 40 credits, and subscription plans starting at 59$/month.

Recommendation: An excellent resource for personal and commercial purposes. The site contains a huge selection of high quality images. The two pricing options give you the choice between just downloading a few images every now and again (“on demand”), or downloading up to 5 images per day with the subscription plan.

17) Crestock

Size of Selection: 1270 results for “hot air balloons"

Search Function: User friendly, searchable by file type, orientation, size, people.

License Agreements: Standard and extended licenses.

Download Options and Prices: There are three pricing methods available for download. You can buy images individually without credits or subscriptions for as low as $1 per image. Subscription packages start at 199 $/month and Credit Packages at $10. To download images simply add the images to your cart, go to checkout and you will be taken through the purchase and download process.

Recommendation: Crestock is highly recommended because it contains high-quality pictures that are great for almost any use. I really like their pricing flexibility from individual downloads to credit packages to subscriptions. Something for every budget. And prices are pretty good too, starting at just $1 for the smallest image size.

18) Thinkstock Photos

Size of Selection: 25,995 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: Compact, searchable by content, style, composition, image technique, collection

License Agreements: Standard and extended License. A chart is available on the website that compares both licenses.

Download Options and Prices: Offers image packs (starting at $49 for 5 downloads) and subscription packages starting at 139$/ month.

Recommendation: Thinkstock Photos has a huge selection of high quality hot air balloon photos. For personal use, their pricing is rather on the high side.

19) SmugMug

Size of Selection: 50,724 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: By keyword; you can refine results by camera make and model, date taken, file format and orientation.

License Agreements: Two types of licenses: Commercial Use License and Personal Use License. Personal use means you can use the photo on your website or for making image prints for yourself, without any intention of making money from it. The commercial license allows you to use the image for advertising, brochures, books, merchandise, and other commercial activities. You are not allowed to resell the image.

Download Options and Prices: When you click on a photo you like, you are presented with various options of how you want your photo: as wall art, as paper prints, as keepsakes (mugs, mouse pads and other items) or as a download. Downloading the image costs between $10 and $50, depending on the image resolution and size.

Recommendation: SmugMug is for you if you are looking for prints or keepsakes with hot air balloon art on them. It's not ideal if you just want to buy the photo, as many photos don't have the download option. 

20) StockSnap.io

Size of Selection: 199 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: By keyword; you can refine your search by date, trending, views, downloads.

License Agreements: All photos on StockSnap fall under the Creative Commons CC0 license. That means you can copy, modify, and distribute any photo on the site, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Download Options and Prices: Free to download. No account required.

Recommendation: Great for personal use. There aren't many hot air balloon pictures (definitely not 199, as the number of search results indicates), but the ones available are of high quality. No download fees, and no need to create an account. 

Hot Air Balloon Image Example from StockSnap

21) DepositPhotos

Size of Selection: 18,012 results for “hot air balloon”

Search Function: Stylish, searchable by category, contributor, orientation, editorial, people, image size, color.

License Agreements: Standard and extended licenses.

Download Options and Prices: 3 Options: On demand download packages from 1 image for $10 to 50 images for $99; monthly subscriptions starting at 29$/month for 10 images and daily subscriptions starting at 5 images per day for a cost of 69$/month.

Recommendation: DepositPhotos contains a wide range of high resolution photos. They have several plans so you can select the one that works best for you. If you are interested in a custom solution you can contact them and they will customize their plans to suit your needs.

22) CanStockPhoto

Size of Selection: 14,718 results for “hot air balloon”

Search Function: Good, searchable by file type, orientation, photographer, content filter.

License Agreements: There are several license types available. They include a Standard License, “Multi-Seat License”, Editorial Use Only License, “Unlimited Reproductions" Enhanced License. 

Download Options and Prices: Two pricing options: credits and subscriptions. Credits start at 9$ for 15 credits. They can be redeemed for images and videos. Use as quickly or slowly as you want. Subscription packages start at 39$/week for 10 downloads per day. This is the best value for image hungry designers. Download up to a set number of images every day, for as long you choose.

Recommendation: CanStockPhoto Is great for commercial and personal use. It offers flexible pricing options to meet the need and budget of each individual. Images are of high quality and resolution.

23) Masterfile

Size of Selection: 3326 results for “hot air balloon”

Search Function: Graphically pleasing, searchable by license type, image type, model, property releases, color

License Agreements: There are three licensing options: Premium Rights Managed, Premium Royalty Free, and Budget Royalty Free.

Download Options and Prices: Subscription packages start at 99$/ month, where you can download images under the Budget Royalty Free and Subscription license. For other licenses you get charged an extra fee.

Recommendation: Master File contains a wide range of stunning photos that are great for both personal and commercial purposes. The pricing is reasonable and you can choose from  various licenses to meet your needs. What I don't like is that they set the language based on your location, with no option to change it. So in my case (browsing from Nicaragua), they show me their Spanish interface, and I cannot switch to English.

24) Superstock

Size of Selection: 2438 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: Diverse, searchable by license type, orientation, image type, color, person count, gender.

License Agreements: Standard and extended licenses.

Download Options and Prices: Subscription plans start at 199$/ month with up to 250 downloads per week. You can also buy a credit pack with 10 downloads for $99.

Recommendation: Superstock's credit packs are rather pricey compared to their subscription plan. Their subscription plans are a good option for professional use where you consistently need a high number of images. Every file comes with a lifetime royalty free license for multiple uses.

25) Compfight

Size of Selection: 65,351 results if you search “all text” (not just tags) and for “creative commons license” (best search option as there are many non downloadable images under “all licenses”).

If you search for all licenses, and all text, you'll get a whopping 500,859 hot air balloon pictures!

Search Function: Basic keyword search, with the option to search by tags or all text, by license type and in safe search mode.

License Agreements: Many images at Compfight come with a Creative Commons (CC) license. This is one of several public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work. A CC license is used when an author wants to give people the right to share, use, and build upon a work that they have created.

Download Options and Price: Images are free to download but you need to attribute the image owner and the CC license in the specified format. No need to create an account.

Recommendation: Compfight has the largest selection of creative commons photos among all the resources listed here. Images are free to download and use as long as you give credit to the author. Really easy to use as you don't even need to create an account. The only downside is the rather basic search function. You have do do a lot of browsing and scrolling to find the right image for your purpose.

26) Adobe Stock

Size of Selection: 16,088 results for “hot air balloons”

Search Function: Simple to use, searchable by orientation, people, color and categories.

License Agreements: Standard and extended licenses. 

Download Options and Price: You can choose between monthly and annual plans. Their cheapest subscription plan starts at $29.99/month for 10 downloads per month. Larger organizations can get customized enterprise packages.

Recommendation: This is a superb resource that contains high quality premium images. Nice perk: You'll get one month for free if you purchase their smallest annual plan. Their flexible pricing options cater to the needs of both individuals and large organizations. 

27) iCLIPART

Size of Selection: 832 Results “hot air balloon” when you search under clipart; 149 results when you search under photos.

Search Function: Searchable by keyword, color or b&w, and orientation.

License Agreements: Standard royalty-free license. Commercial usage is permitted, but with certain restrictions. For example, you cannot produce more than 100,000 printed copies or 100 electronic copies. Neither can you use iCLIPART content on CafePress, Zazzle, or other print-on-demand sites.

Download Options and Price: Subscription plans start at $14.95/ week or $ 29.95/month. You can also order images individually with prices starting at $ 4.95 for the smallest size.

Recommendation: iCLIPART is a fabulous resource for hot air balloon clipart with affordable subscription plans of varying lengths. Its selection of hot air balloon photos is rather small though.