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Microstock Photography Forum - General => General Photography Discussion => Topic started by: ribtoks on January 02, 2023, 06:15
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Hi all
There's a new take on how to sell better using some post-processing with changed skies and added sun: https://xpiksapp.com/blog/sky-replacement-for-microstocks/ (https://xpiksapp.com/blog/sky-replacement-for-microstocks/)
Is anybody doing it? If so, very curious how was your experience?
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I remember two contributors who occasionally posted on Shutterstock forums who edited their outdoor scenic landscape landmark photos with spectacular skies and colours without them looking like overdone HDR and those guys were making plenty of good sales every month. Granted I recall one of them had a port of over 40,000 images. But that large photography portfolio combined with his post processing embellishments delivered very rewarding results, at least at that time.
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I remember two contributors who occasionally posted on Shutterstock forums who edited their outdoor scenic landscape landmark photos with spectacular skies and colours without them looking like overdone HDR and those guys were making plenty of good sales every month. Granted I recall one of them had a port of over 40,000 images. But that large photography portfolio combined with his post processing embellishments delivered very rewarding results, at least at that time.
Interesting. Would be wonderful to collect experiences like that to help others. People who do not have 40k portfolios still need to start somewhere and having good pictures is the way to go.
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I wouldn't be happy to be dropping in someone else's skies. Most sites require you to own the copyright to all elements you use.
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You can also double your uploads by uploading an image with the original sky and an edited version with a different sky. Never had an issue nit having both accepted. Changing a sky takes seconds on Luminar. You can use their stock skies or just use your own sky, handy to have a collections of your own skies for this.
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In the meantime, I have reworked several hundred images that were lying around unsold at the agencies, in particular replacing unattractive skies, and have thus produced significantly more sales and even some bestsellers in direct comparison.
In my experience, this definitely makes sense and noticeably increases the chances of sales.
For example second one no sales in 3 years, first one several sales per week
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I wouldn't be happy to be dropping in someone else's skies. Most sites require you to own the copyright to all elements you use.
Drop in your own!
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I wouldn't be happy to be dropping in someone else's skies. Most sites require you to own the copyright to all elements you use.
Drop in your own!
PS has skies you can use freely & i've added my own
i use it when i have overcast skies, sometimes just to add a bluer sky, others for a dramatic effect. and they do sell more than the drap shots in same sequence
https://cascoly-images.com/join-a-safari-in-tanzania-and-kenya/ (https://cascoly-images.com/join-a-safari-in-tanzania-and-kenya/) was a white sky
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/square-towers-12th-c-citadel-above-2057924234 (https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/square-towers-12th-c-citadel-above-2057924234)
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cannon-on-outer-walls-mehrengarh-fort-1824957773 (https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cannon-on-outer-walls-mehrengarh-fort-1824957773)
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/silhouette-beach-walkers-sunset-battery-point-2055062963 (https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/silhouette-beach-walkers-sunset-battery-point-2055062963)
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I wouldn't be happy to be dropping in someone else's skies. Most sites require you to own the copyright to all elements you use.
Drop in your own!
Correct. I keep a folder of my own skies and cloudscapes and, in some cases I use them. Just depends. But I use my own is the point.
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I’ve done sky replacement on some gray sky images in Photoshop and had some success there, but I’m very intrigued about this idea of adding lens flares. I go out of my way to avoid lens flares when taking photos, because I always felt like they’d be less likely to sell. Adding them artificially AND getting sales from that? Wow.
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I wouldn't be happy to be dropping in someone else's skies. Most sites require you to own the copyright to all elements you use.
Drop in your own!
Correct. I keep a folder of my own skies and cloudscapes and, in some cases I use them. Just depends. But I use my own is the point.
Yes, that's exactly what I do if needed. I have a whole file full of skies that I've been collecting over the years. I certainly wouldn't want to risk having my portfolio shut down by using someone else's photos.
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You don't have to stop once a sky is changed, you can then add some birds, aeroplane.......
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You don't have to stop once a sky is changed, you can then add some birds, aeroplane.......
one of my best selling i images is a Utah mountainside overlaid w hot air balloons (desc says it's a composite)
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hot-air-balloons-against-dramatic-mountain-1087267904 (https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hot-air-balloons-against-dramatic-mountain-1087267904)
another with a rainbow in the original + HAB
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hot-air-balloons-against-dramatic-mountain-209952799 (https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hot-air-balloons-against-dramatic-mountain-209952799)
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Added grad sky and placed sunburst in hand of Buddha...sells consistently on AS and SS. Would it have sold less without? Dunno but it was produced from an original 35mm slide and I considered that I had to make the shot 'more attractive' to get through inspection.
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/buddha-statue-po-lin-monastery-lantau-288024989 (https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/buddha-statue-po-lin-monastery-lantau-288024989)
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To flare or not to flare.....that is the question! This one is quite funny....I sell/sold lots of this one at SS without flare but very few at AS:
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/green-apples-composition-water-droplets-103878812 (https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/green-apples-composition-water-droplets-103878812)
At a later date I added flare and submitted to both SS and Fotolia/AS at around the same time. The flare sells well at AS whereas it sells hardly at all at SS (despite the fact that SS says it has 'high usage'). I think that luck has a lot to do with it....a client uses it when it's new and you're off to a good start!