How to Make Your Way Around 123RF.com

123RF.com is a valuable resource to freelance writers, especially those who write AC articles, which are always enhanced by the addition of complementing images. 123RF.com is a complex Web site with many features and options. This is a guide to how to make your way around 123RF.com, and it covers Registering and using the Lightbox.

Registration with 123RF.com is free and follows the standard Web site registration procedure, with one variation. You establish your User Name and the validation confirmation e-mail you receive from 123RF.com will contain your initial Password. You use it the first time and then you may click My Account and then find and click Change Password in the upper left box. Just remember that if you copy your initial password from the e-mail you must be careful not to include any extra spaces around it or it won't be recognized and you won't be able to make your way around 123RF.com .

You'll notice as you begin to make your way around 123RF.com that the lower right link allows you to browse free images that you can download now that you are registered. These images are donated by photographers to increase their exposure and reputations and are indeed free. Each has a starting time limit of 24 hours and the expiration of time is tracked beneath the image, the nearly expiring ones are displayed first, the ones with the fullest time available are displayed last. There are usually close to 1,000 free royalty free images at 123RF.com to choose from.

Lightboxes are available at 123RF.com in which to collect images that you are interested in. Of course the free images expire so they aren't practical to accumulate in a Lightbox. Lightboxes allow you to save, consider and manage images. You may download straight from your Lightbox if you choose. You may open a number of Lightboxes for specific kinds of collections, say, one for building exteriors and one for foods and drinks. These collections can accommodate your writing genres. I repeat that this option is not practical for long term collections if you are collecting free images. Although it is useful for the time while you are organizing your article image selections while you make your way around the images available at 123RF.com.

To use the Default Lightbox at 123RF.com simply click the box labeled Add to Lightbox that is located below the image you are interested in. You don't need to do anything else as the image automatically collects in the Default Lightbox after that one click. To view your Default Lightbox find the link My Lightbox in the upper right hand corner next to Logout and click it. Now you see your Default Lightbox collection. Your images are safely collected for you while you continue to make your way around 123RF.com .

Once in your 123RF.com Default Lightbox you have the option of creating a new Lightbox, renaming the existing one, or e-mailing it. You may also make it public or keep it private. If you have more than one Lightbox, you may add a description to make recognition easier. These options are all clearly labeled in the navigation panel at the left within the Lightbox. Another feature to make it simpler to make your way around 123RF.com is that a download feature is installed inside each Lightbox, and it is located at the lower left in the navigation panel. This download feature allows your select your image resolution and size and to download your entire Lightbox. Let me repeat that: It downloads your entire Lightbox. If you wish to download specific selections within your 123RF.com Lightbox, simply click the image and you will be taken to the image management page. This concludes this part of How to Make Your Way Around 123RF.com.