I'm assuming that you have IPTC data embedded into all of your images. If so, the FTP process is fairly painless. If not, you should be doing so (a great piece of software for this is Photo Mechanic by Camera Bits for PC or Mac) since all of the sites automatically read that data and populate the title, description and keywords fields.

When I first started in micro, I didn't know about IPTC data and my post-production time was significantly increased as a result. Now, I keyword once for each photo, then upload. A huge time-saver!

Hope that helps.

gejam, you didn't explain to us why you think the keywording process on BigStock is tiresome? If you upload images using FTP and you have IPTC data on all your images, than I don't know why you find it tiresome to upload there? BigStock even chooses categories for you automatically, and you just have to check if they are OK.

Quote from: gejam on September 19, 2009, 05:41

Hi guys,

I have a portfolio of about 1000 pictures and I would like to upload these to Bigstockphoto.com but honestly it is a pain in the ass. The keywording system etc. keeps ennoying me. Also can you only submit 15 a day?
Any advice on the tiresome process at BigStock?
Cheers!

I've stopped uploading to BigStock. My beef is the 7 needed keywords to describe something. I find it too much extra work for the money.

You mean seven WORDS to describe your image. I find that to be absolutely simple. A big round red apple sitting on the table. Whoops ..... I could have quit two words ago.
-Larry

If you upload images using FTP and you have IPTC data on all your images, than I don't know why you find it tiresome to upload there? BigStock even chooses categories for you automatically, and you just have to check if they are OK.

You will be thanking BigStockPhoto for their upload system after you try uploading to IStock

Ditto both of the above! 

Keyword your images in photoshop or some other program that allows you to add IPTC data.  Then just upload via FTP to all sites (except istock).  Your keywords will be there waiting for you.

Then you only have to add releases if necessary, and submit. 

Sorry, yes I do use the IPTC.

The thing about the uploading is the category selection, the Model Release section etc. It is as if they have tried to make it user friendly with an epic fail. 123RF or StockXpert is much easier!

Also, I am an experienced submitter, with portfolios on all the big 5

Categories are automatic on BigStock, you only have to check is BigStock choose the right categories, and maybe you would have to correct them sometimes. About MR...I don't find it complicated on BigStock, in fact it's very simple. Now, if you are bored to do that stuff, I think the only solution for you is to pay someone to do it for you.

Quote from: Whitechild on September 20, 2009, 06:46

Categories are automatic on BigStock,

Really?  Is it a new feature?  I don't remember that... Or are you making a confusion with CanStockPhoto?

It's a new feature. It guesses categories based on, I believe, the title.

Quote from: Whitechild on September 20, 2009, 06:46

Categories are automatic on BigStock,

Really?  Is it a new feature?  I don't remember that... Or are you making a confusion with CanStockPhoto?

It's a new feature, yes. And it works pretty good. I don't say it doesn't make mistakes, but everything is better than assigning categories manually.

CV doesn't impede spam.  I have seen images of blue or yellow materials tagged "red" and of jeans tagged "silk".

A 'controlled vocabulary' that can't be expanded as needed is ridiculous and prevents perfectly good images from being submitted.   

I feel that pain.  I have already sent them several emails with keywords and their dictionary definition, but they don't change the CV.

One classic example is "real", they don't include "Brazilian currency" as a meaning.  Ok, someone may type "brazilian currency", but it's more likely they will type "brazilian real" or "real banknotes" - many buyers found my images in DT using simply "real".  Yes, my images were of real (=not forged) banknotes or coins, but I am sure this was not the sense they used the word!

I do sell those images at IS too, but someone must search for "Brazilian money" or something like that.  I am sure people prefer to type "yen" than "Japanese money".

Quote from: Lcjtripod on September 19, 2009, 13:37

Quote from: Zeus on September 19, 2009, 09:06

Quote from: gejam on September 19, 2009, 05:41

Hi guys,

I have a portfolio of about 1000 pictures and I would like to upload these to Bigstockphoto.com but honestly it is a pain in the ass. The keywording system etc. keeps ennoying me. Also can you only submit 15 a day?
Any advice on the tiresome process at BigStock?
Cheers!

I've stopped uploading to BigStock. My beef is the 7 needed keywords to describe something. I find it too much extra work for the money.

You mean seven WORDS to describe your image. I find that to be absolutely simple. A big round red apple sitting on the table. Whoops ..... I could have quit two words ago.
-Larry

Sure Larry, I guess we could write an entire novel based on the caption but it is just a Red Apple after all, the fact it is on a table should be infinitely obvious to the viewer who found it by searching on "red, apple, table" which were all keywords that were assigned to the image. Having to pad a caption to satisfy a 7 word rule, in my opinion, is a waste of time. Writing 7 works for 10,000 images is 70,000 words, a good size novel.

Peter

With BigStock when someone searches using a keyword and the word is in the title, description, and the keyword list, it will be the first found with the search. If used only once in the keyword list it will come up further back in the search.
So the description helps you sell your image.

-Larry

With BigStock when someone searches using a keyword and the word is in the title, description, and the keyword list, it will be the first found with the search. If used only once in the keyword list it will come up further back in the search.
So the description helps you sell your image.

-Larry

Excellent information Larry. Thank you. It still leaves me wondering of the necessity of it. I mean to say that i have to provide 7 words and this is a tedious process for me at times. Some images just don't need it. The whole uploading process for microstock is hugely unsavory. Every time I see a place where a programmer has inserted a need to do a click when it was not necessary  angers me because it is my time he has chosen to waste.

Peter

How do you see the non Getty sites building out effective and contextual multilingual search unless they ultimately build their databases around a hierarchy based on a structured vocabulary ?

A tough problem and I'm no expert.  But I think some degree of 'structure' can be achieved without the rigid sort of 'control' IS is trying to enforce. Hnest contributors are by far the best source of keywords because they're motivated and they know their subjects.  But the microstocks need ways to weed out the junk dumped into their system by contributors who don't play fair. 

Maybe some sort of incentive plan that rewards buyers for their feedback on which keywords really describe the image or concept.  Maybe a random-sample spot check of keyword relevance, and search ranking penalties for contributors who are obviously spamming.   Or some other brilliant idea for a system that can evolve in a positive direction.

I'm not sure how the sites that have large numbers of international buyers manage the translations, but they certainly seem to bring in the sales.  At SS more than 60% of my sales are from Non US buyers and the vast majority of my sales from Fotolia are European. 

My istock sales, OTOH, mostly seem to come during the North American business day and drop precipitously on US holidays, so I assume they are still mostly from the US. 

Not that I care where my sales come from as long as they come, but clearly istock's CV is not the only game in town for translating to international markets.

In case someone doesn't believe CV has a purpose, here are IS results.

keyword	US	PT	DE	FR	IT	ES
sudoku	77	77	77	77	77	77
africa/afrika/afrique	49750	49750(*)	49750	49750	49750	49750
internet	61807	61807	61807(+)	61807	61807	61807
airport/aeroporto/flughafen/aeroport/aeropuerto	11691	11691	11691(*)	11691	11691	11691

(*) had some problems with this search
(+) required disambiguation