Free Rainbow Pictures: 15 Photos of Real Rainbows

15 free rainbow pictures from the BigFoto library. The first ones are real rainbows, photographed when the sun broke through after a shower: a double rainbow over a lake, rainbows over Lake Zug and other Swiss lakes, over a town, above the trees and over the green countryside. The last few are rainbow colours made by people: a pinwheel, a peace flag, a colour wheel and a sign. Use them for posts about the weather and hope, school projects on light and colour, and cheerful backgrounds.

How to download: click a photo to see it large, then use Download. The originals are about 1200 × 800 pixels: right for blog posts, slides, social media, school projects and video call backgrounds.

Rainbows over lakes

Rainbows over Swiss lakes, among them Lake Zug, in the day and in the evening light, some standing straight up from the water like a pillar of colour.

Rainbows over towns and hills

A full arc over a town under dark clouds, a rainbow above the treetops, a faint bow over green hills and a bright band in a grey sky.

Rainbow colours

The seven colours of the rainbow on a spinning pinwheel, a peace flag, a colour wheel and a shop sign.

More free photos

Questions about these rainbow pictures

Can I use these rainbow pictures for free?

Yes, for personal and commercial projects. All we ask is a link back to BigFoto.com; the box at the top of the page has a credit link you can copy.

How does a rainbow form?

Sunlight enters raindrops, bends, reflects off the back of each drop and splits into its colours. You see a rainbow when the sun is behind you and rain is falling in front of you, most often after a shower late in the day.

Why is there sometimes a double rainbow?

The second, fainter bow comes from light that reflects twice inside the raindrops. Its colours are in the opposite order, with red on the inside.