Pure Reviews

Large announcement on various news items over at iStock.  To of the biggest subjects are the Google deal and Microsoft deal.  Microsoft deal is done and the images are being removed while they are still working with Google Drive.  Read all the important news below. IP Wiki The iStock and Getty Images teams are very happy to announce the relaunch of a new and improved IP Wiki . This is a guide for contributors (and customers as well!) to some of the legal issues that can affect what you shoot and what we can accept at each site. High Fives to Shaun Lombard, Benoit Beauregard and Jeff Feltmate for all your hard work! We will update this regularly so bookmark it and visit often! Forum Shuffle It’s been over 10 years since the forums launched and it’s high time we did some spring cleaning. In early March, we will be making some significant changes to our current format that we hope will make it easier to find the latest news and updates fro...

iStock continues to upset their core contributors by devaluing their work and opening their images up for possible free use on Google drive.  This whole ordeal spurred a massive movement of removing images to their site.  This action has spurred a response from the corporation owned by Getty images.  See the report below that basically says they are just working on it, but don't plan on providing changes right away.  Will you close your portfolio on iStock ? Google Drive You may have already read our last update in the forums but once again, we'd like to thank you for your continued patience. To reiterate from previous posts, royalties have been paid in connection with the Google Drive usage based on all consideration received by Getty Images under the licensing agreement. We understand your concerns relating to the deal and we are making progress in a productive dialogue with Google about these concerns and potential solutions. As many...

iStock announcement for their 2013 royalty rates.  Very few changes, so read all about it below! Royalty Rates for 2013 First, we wanted to say thanks to those of you participating in or following the continuing dialog of the past few weeks. We'll never be able to answer every question or address every issue as quickly or as completely as we wish we could, but we're working to improve in this area and will continue these efforts. As Rebecca has explained in her recent comments, the increased communication is something we're dedicated to and plan to continue. There will be no changes for the Redeemed Credit targets for 2013, the targets will remain at the same levels as 2012. To review where these targets stand, please see: http://www.istockphoto.com/help/sell-stock/rate-schedule Several key topics have surfaced through this dialog, there are specific conversations happening on many of these elsewhere in the forum and we hope you will continue to participate. One topi...

iStock has some updates this month talking about its technology upgrades, updates to digital model releases and editorial images.  Check out all the info below. September Performance Despite downtime related to the launch of our new way to pay, iStock's performance in the month of September matched our overall expectations. Early trends show that we are attracting more new customers with the option to download without purchasing credits. On the other hand, the calendar meant this September had fewer working days than recent years, which partially offset those gains. Regarding individual contributor results, we've been seeing mixed reports in the September sales thread and other sources. We do know that technical issues are making it difficult right now for contributors to clearly track their performance. We are looking into the underlying numbers to see what other factors may be at play in the September results. Technology Update Today we released a fix ...

Below is the layout of iStock's 2013 Royalty rates.  Overall there are very few changes from last year.  All the percentages are the same, but some of the redeemed credit categories have dropped.  For example for non exclusive last year the credits where 2,000 and are now 1,500.  Where do you fall on the chart below? 2012 Redeemed Credit Targets Below are the 2012 Redeemed Credit targets for iStockphoto contributors. We know that this news is behind schedule and we apologize for the long wait. Other projects and factors, both at iStockphoto and within the wider Getty Images business, have delayed our ability to definitively publish these numbers. We are happy to announce that there is no increase in any of the RC targets over the previous year — all redeemed credit targets for all file types will stay the same for 2012. These targets will determine your starting/minimum royalty rate for 2013. If you reach a new target during the remainder of ...

Getty ( and iStockphoto ) is sold to new investors, but contributors should notice very little change from the transaction.  See below for the official writeup. About the Sale of Getty Images: Since they acquired us in 2008, Hellman & Friedman have been committed to our business. Their goal has always been to grow and strengthen Getty Images and then sell the company, when the time is right. We and Hellman & Friedman have identified a new owner to take the business into its next phase. We’ve now formed a new partnership between The Carlyle Group, the Getty family and Getty Images management to acquire Getty Images from H & F. We believe this new partnership is in the best interest of our Company as a whole, our employees and our contributors and image partners. This new ownership is a positive move in the continued growth and success of Getty Images. Carlyle has an investment philosophy that is very similar to Hellman & Friedman, and we are conf...

The Getty family (includes iStock ) will be reviewing portfolios to remove any images of Le Corbusier furniture after a lawsuit was filed in France against Getty images on copy-write violation.  See their notice below on the items in question and its best to check your portfolios on all your sites for any of these furniture items.  These pieces can be found in several public buildings that you might have worked in and could just be in the background and not the center of focus.  Recently we have had to take stricter action regarding images of designer furniture in creative imagery coming in to both iStockphoto and Getty Images, specifically the furniture of french designer Le Corbusier. The owners of these designs are extremely protective of their intellectual property and we need to take a hard line on turning away images that contain this kind of furniture. We will not accept Creative images containing furniture from Le Corbusier. We may also deactivate e...

Stock photography sites continue to race to the bottom when it comes to royalty rates.  Fotolia has announced they are working hard to lower your earnings by dropping the royalty rates.  They are now aligning themselves with iStock , which had a large number of complaints when they lowered their royalties and became one of the more hates sites.  However iStock did not see the large fallout that was talked about and it appears that Fotolia has noticed that.  The biggest hit was to vectors, who royalties dropped almost 80%.  This also marks the second time in one year for contributors to drop in royalties at Fotolia , as they changed their ranking settings in the spring, which dropped several users down on earnings. We've been hard at work for the last few months adding features to make the site more convenient for both contributors and artists. With this latest release, we're also revising our subscription plans to align with what's happening in the marketplac...

iStock is revamping their referral program in the very near future.  Currently they have given us a little taste of what is to come by bumped the reward from $10 to $20 for new buyers if they make a 26 credit purchase in 30 days.  To help convince the buyer to join they are also giving them 15 free credits to use.  There newsletter shows a third box about winning a trip, which goes to the two top users that refer the most new customers by August 31st..  Stay tune for the latest update.  Join iStock here In a couple of months, we're going to be launching a completely redesigned and rebuilt referral program. We've already made several improvements to streamline things, but most importantly we're doubling the referral bonus effective immediately. That means you can earn $20 (USD) for each and every new customer you refer to us, and as long as they make a purchase of 26 credits or more within 30 days of signing up, you're in the money. We'll even help you mo...

iStock did some minor tweaking to their site and added some new features.  First up you can now search by price range.  The fewer the dots the cheaper the images and this will make it easier for buyer to get exactly what they need for the price point they have in their mind.  Second you can now filter out editorial images or creative images...allowing you more tailored licensed content.  Final features, you can refine your searches by color, copyspace and image orientation.  So go checkout the new features and happy searching.  Join iStock here .

So I am not sure if this is really good news for the average stock photographer, but iStock will be expanding their editorial collection to include all current photos from Getty Images.  Getty is a power house when it comes to editorial images, so to help lessen this blow they are putting a 6 month (180 days) delay on new images by Getty.  This will give all of iStock users a upper edge on their site for breaking news photos.  Also part of the deal iStock will help you get placed as a Getty photographer for editorial if that is something you like and have a talent for.  Check out the press release below for all the details. Join iStock here New Editorial Collection It's been an exciting few months since we added editorial photos to our library of images. We've been working hard to both grow the collection and tell the world about it. Your editorial photos have been a big success so far — especially tech and product shots. But we've been learning some lessons...

Here is the chart for January 2011.  Overall the month was down quite a bit compared to a year ago.  Lets hope this is not a trend. iStock , Shutterstock , and 123RF where the top players this month.  Dreamstime had strong referral sales, glad someone was selling some images.  Click the image below to enlarge.

iStockphoto officially is accepting editorial images as of today.  So open the flood gates and start uploading your best content.  If you have not signed up for iStock then sign up here . iStock is gearing up to offer files for Editorial Use later this month – so hurry and submit your work. Uploads will be accepted starting today, and inspections will start soon (we'll let you know when). Just upload like normal and click the box that says "Editorial Use Only." Make sure you know how to write a good caption. You can learn more about writing them here . In a few weeks it'll be out there for all the world to search and download.

iStock has finally announced that they are going to start accepting editorial images into their collection.  This is great news, as they have been one of the largest stock site not to accept any editorial images.  The announcement date is still to come, but they are vamping up to open those flood gates.  Be sure to read over there list of types of editorial images that they will be taking.  Lots of product images are in...sports for example is out. http://www.istockphoto.com/article_view.php?ID=939&utm_source=Jan2711&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ArtistCS

     The wrap up of 2010 is complete and the sales numbers are in, see charts below.  I started off 2010 with a total of 22 sites.  I personally added 2 new sites, but dropped 5 sites who either performed poorly or closed their doors.  We will start the 2011 year of with a total list of 19 sites...which have links off to the right.  Over all I would say that 2010 was a successful year with an increase in revenue by 78%.  Top earner goes to my powerhouse Dreamstime , then iStockphoto , Shutterstock , and 123RF .  Click on the charts below if you wish to increase the size.  If I can do another 75% jump in 2011 I will then be ecstatic, so here is to hoping. December Sales Chart: Year End Chart: Current Image Count per Site:

iStock announced last week changes to their contributor royalty percentage break downs.  I did not immediately post this as I was waiting to see what kind of reaction would come out of their heavy users.  I myself have small sales numbers at iStock , so any changes are considered minor for me personally.  After this announcement though several of their big exclusive contributors have announced they will be leaving iStock as its a slap in the face to their earnings.  iStock how ever states that this will increase earning on several accounts.  I am no math expert, but starting at ground zero every year vs a built up over time does not seem it will have a increase in earnings.  This all takes place on January 2011 and your 2011 credit number will be set as of a few days ago.  Here is a link to take you to the percentage breakdown.  They are also adding another category like Vetta.  See the full write up below. We are adding a new premium co...

So the F5 has officially launched over at iStock .  The new look is nice, much cleaner when you log in and they don't clutter things with links and buttons.  As for speed, everything seems to load a little faster, but it just might be me thinking it does...hahahahaha.  Can't wait to see the other phases as they roll out.  Below is the link to the new guide and a coupon code for 25% off a credit package.  Well what are you waiting for, go check it out. Coupon Code: iLOVEF5 Guide

iStock Photo has been working on a major overhaul called "F5" of their site, starting in late August as mentioned in a previous post.  Here is some additional information that has sense come out. The project well come out in several phases, phase 1 will be for Contributors.  Colors, layout, etc will all be changed with some special real estate for just contributors.  A new contributor lounge will be made grouping together information, resources, and functionality for artist.  A important item in the background of phase 1 is programing that will allow iStock to grow and redevelop as needed.  Most of these changes are coming from the feedback that contributors have been giving over the years. Stay tune to more information I will post as its released.  Meanwhile iStock hit their 7 millionth image mark. Preview of F5 by nicolesy:

Fresh of the digital printing press, iStockphoto has been working on a top secret project called F5...get it...F5...oh never mind.  Anyways, you can expect to see the flashy design and features this coming August.  I will let you know when we get a sneak peek. For the last few months we’ve been working on a secret project at iStock HQ. We codenamed it “F5”. What is F5? It’s the complete redesign of iStockphoto and we’ve decided it’s time to let you in on the secret. As you can imagine, it’s a pretty big job redesigning a site the size of iStock. We’ve interviewed a multitude of clients and contributors and compiled an obscenely large amount of research leading to an even larger list of requirements. We tested and refined countless design variations. We added features. We removed features. We drank a lot of coffee. And, as you read this, we are putting the finishing touches on a totally revamped and streamlined site we think you’re going to love. Our exhaus...

Calling all stock photography users, iStock launched a new Microsoft Office plug-in that lets you insert iStock images directly into your documents.  This is also a great feature for contributors as it makes all your images available at a touch of a few buttons. If you're a Microsoft Office user (and there's a few of you out there), then we're sending iStock straight to your desktop. The FREE iStock Ribbon plug-in lets you search for and insert iStock images directly into your PowerPoint presentations and Word documents, straight from inside the applications themselves. The iStock Ribbon is currently available for Windows-based computers and is compatible with Microsoft Office 2007 or later. Download the plug-in here and install it on your machine to get started. You'll be able to search directly from PowerPoint or Word, using your existing iStock account .