Search tips
To maximize the benefits of your enhanced search, here are a few helpful tips and tricks to remember.
Find what you need faster with conversational language
- Our enhanced search can make sense of longer and more natural searches, like “3D popup icon of a notification sign on a smartphone”.
- You can easily turn off the enhanced search feature when you want to see only exact keyword matches.
Hone in on popular illustration styles
Use the following keywords to find the exact art style you want to get the right illustration or vector for your project: 3D, hand‑drawn, isometric, retro, silhouettes, texture, abstract, background, icon set, pixel art, frame.
Bookmark your results
Easily return to any search results page by bookmarking it in your browser.
Streamline your search
Use Boolean terms like " and," "or," and "no," to convey your search criteria.
Find more from your favorite contributors
Click the credit link on the content detail page to find more work from the same contributor. If you want to keep up with their latest work, filter that page by "Newest" and bookmark the link to revisit their portfolio whenever you like.
- No/Not: exclude items with this keyword (Dog playing NO ball )
- Or: include either of the keywords (Active Woman on Beach OR Trail)
- And/commas/dash: whether you use “and”, a comma, a dash/minus sign, or a space between two terms, you’ll get the same search results. (Sky and Clouds = "Sky Clouds" = "Sky ‑ Clouds" = "Sky, Clouds")
Find more from your favorite contributors
Click the credit link on the content detail page to find more work from the same contributor. If you want to keep up with their latest work, filter that page by "Newest" and bookmark the link to revisit their portfolio whenever you like.
Exploring the search results page
From here, you can select different options to narrow down your results to quickly find what you’re looking for.
#1. Select from vectors or illustrations* to refine search by content type.
#2. By default, "enhanced search" will be enabled to give you more results based on natural language. This can be turned off to narrow your search and pinpoint your exact keywords by clicking "Turn off enhanced search".
#3. Filter content by collection type based on quality, price, and more.
#4. Choose a different display style when viewing search results.
#5. Explore related search terms to spark further inspiration.
#6. Hover over the image to show options to save to a Board or view similar photos.
#7. Click the photo to view a larger size and see all details.
#8. Another way to start your search, use our powerful Search by Image tool to upload an image and find visually similar content.
*Vectors are digital images you can make bigger or smaller without losing resolution. However, they require design software like Adobe Illustrator, while illustrations are any image drawn or created on a computer.
#1. Select from vectors or illustrations* to refine search by content type.
#2. By default, "enhanced search" will be enabled to give you more results based on natural language. This can be turned off to narrow your search and pinpoint your exact keywords by clicking "Turn off enhanced search".
#3. Filter content by collection type based on quality, price, and more.
#4. Choose a different display style when viewing search results.
#5. Explore related search terms to spark further inspiration.
#6. Hover over the image to show options to save to a Board or view similar photos.
#7. Click the photo to view a larger size and see all details.
#8. Another way to start your search, use our powerful Search by Image tool to upload an image and find visually similar content.
*Vectors are digital images you can make bigger or smaller without losing resolution. However, they require design software like Adobe Illustrator, while illustrations are any image drawn or created on a computer.
Filter your results
Add or remove filters by clicking on your chosen filter and toggling it on or off.
#1. Open the Refine panel on the top left of the screen to explore all the ways you can refine your results.
#2. Sort by “Best match” to see content most relevant to your search phrase, or “Most popular” to see top illustrations and vectors others love. Sort by “Newest” to see to see the newest additions to our library.
#3. Select "Only from iStock" to see illustrations and vectors that aren’t available on other stock sites.
#4. See creative or editorial content*.
#5. Filter by orientation, number of people, color, image size, upload date, and more.
#6. Filter based on attributes such as age and ethnicity to find more diverse content.
#7. By default, images with nudity are excluded from results—toggle this setting to include or exclude this content.
#8. By default, enhanced search results are enabled, which do not require all keywords to match—toggle this setting to require or relax exact keyword matching.
*All creative content can be used for all projects. Any content labeled as editorial is intended for use in connection with topics that are newsworthy (news articles, book interiors, blogs, etc.), because we don’t have model or property releases for what’s featured within this content. For more information on releases please visit this page.
#1. Open the Refine panel on the top left of the screen to explore all the ways you can refine your results.
#2. Sort by “Best match” to see content most relevant to your search phrase, or “Most popular” to see top illustrations and vectors others love. Sort by “Newest” to see to see the newest additions to our library.
#3. Select "Only from iStock" to see illustrations and vectors that aren’t available on other stock sites.
#4. See creative or editorial content*.
#5. Filter by orientation, number of people, color, image size, upload date, and more.
#6. Filter based on attributes such as age and ethnicity to find more diverse content.
#7. By default, images with nudity are excluded from results—toggle this setting to include or exclude this content.
#8. By default, enhanced search results are enabled, which do not require all keywords to match—toggle this setting to require or relax exact keyword matching.
*All creative content can be used for all projects. Any content labeled as editorial is intended for use in connection with topics that are newsworthy (news articles, book interiors, blogs, etc.), because we don’t have model or property releases for what’s featured within this content. For more information on releases please visit this page.
Filter by collection
We make it easy for you to elevate your visual storytelling with two collections that feature millions of stunning illustrations and vectors.
Building blocks for creativity with the Essentials Collection
The Essentials Collection offers versatile, high‑quality visuals for everyday projects, bringing your creative visions to life.
Exclusive illustrations and vectors with the Signature Collection
The Signature Collection is the ultimate destination for unparalleled, exclusive imagery sourced from our exceptional contributors.
Get familiar with the content detail page
Open the details page for any illustration or vector to see pricing, similar photos, related keywords, and more.
#1. Click "Save" to add this image to a Board. Click "Try" to download a watermarked version of the image. Click “Edit” to edit your chosen photo in the iStock Editor.
#2. Choose how you want to license, including options to save with our subscriptions.
#3. Click on the contributor’s name to search within their portfolio.
#4. Use the Stock illustration ID to quickly find your illustration or vector again and to properly credit the asset.
#5. View similar illustrations, vectors, or content from the same series, if available.
#6. Click on these keywords to explore additional content.
Using Boards
Easily save favorite content to Boards and share with your team.
#1. Hover over the Boards icon to create new Boards or to view existing ones.
#2. Search within your Board by typing keywords or an illustration ID into the search bar.
#3. Edit the names of your Boards to better organize them, and edit the description as a reminder of why you’ve saved these illustrations and vectors.
#4. Click “Download all items” to download content from your Boards.
#5. Click “Share” to share your Boards with your team.
#6. Click the speech bubble icon in the bottom left of the thumbnail to add comments about individual assets on a Board.
#7. Click these boxes in the bottom right of the thumbnail to select photos to copy or move to other Boards, or to select multiple assets for downloading.
#8. Reorder the photos on your Board by simply dragging and dropping content from one slot to another.
#1. Hover over the Boards icon to create new Boards or to view existing ones.
#2. Search within your Board by typing keywords or an illustration ID into the search bar.
#3. Edit the names of your Boards to better organize them, and edit the description as a reminder of why you’ve saved these illustrations and vectors.
#4. Click “Download all items” to download content from your Boards.
#5. Click “Share” to share your Boards with your team.
#6. Click the speech bubble icon in the bottom left of the thumbnail to add comments about individual assets on a Board.
#7. Click these boxes in the bottom right of the thumbnail to select photos to copy or move to other Boards, or to select multiple assets for downloading.
#8. Reorder the photos on your Board by simply dragging and dropping content from one slot to another.
Keyword inspiration
Explore the following examples of keywords that describe the characteristics of creative content. Find inspiration by looking at the keywords associated with illustrations and vectors you like.
