Author Topic: How reliant are you on microstock income? (Read 3412 times)

cascoly · « **Reply #25 on:** September 02, 2024, 17:52 »

Quote from: cobalt on September 02, 2024, 00:29

...

in previous shitsstorms agencies lost a serious percentage of content, often very very good content. it is not about losing a few sunsets and hotdogs.

which agencies lost such large amounts? SS is doing fine despite feeble attempts to 'take them down' by a few dozen artists

Quote

that ai content you like was probably created by a good ai designer. and it also requires the vision to know what exactly you want.

thanks - the ai i was referencing was my own work

Quote

editorial itself is a different market, it cannot be affected by ai.
...

you're missing the point - on SS we need to mark as editorial if it shows people. with ai, i can produce similar shots that aren't so restrictive - eg, someone can use my generic ai of a couple (or crowd) in a cafe for an advertisement - they couldn't do that w editorial.

another example is non-commerical use of editorial (textbooks, magazines, etc) where there's still some risk. ai again provides those images with no problems

so ai has the potential to knock out much editorial & model released work (and less expensive to produce)

cobalt · « **Reply #26 on:** September 02, 2024, 23:03 »

Fotolia, they lost a huge percentage in 4 weeks, customers were livid. That was when they took our content without asking us and put it into their 1 dollar store, including all the Fotolia exclusive content. You can read up on that history on msg. But they did reach out to us, gave people an opt in or opt out and those keeping their files on 1 dollar then got an additional royalty as compensation.

Shortly afterwards they were bought by Adobe and we never had any problems like that again. Adobe really goes above and beyond in having a team that talks to us.

I am sure Shutterstock had a similar experience, but since customer complaints probably bother them as much as producer complaints, they just went ahead into their demise.

So customers started switching to Adobe and SS keeps losing client contracts even if they buy entire agencies...how do you even do that?

There well also some other shitstorms. Port deactivations or removing content has been the small producers tool that is more effective than years in court. It really annoys customers if they finalise their projects and suddenly content is missing. It is an extreme measure, but actually happens naturally when producers lose all trust and feel ripped off.

Which is why so many agencies introduced rules that now make it difficult to deactivate files.

---

- ai competing with commercial/editorial

There has always been limits on editorial, so if someone came along and took a street scene with a cute couple in the foreground model released, it would probably outsell the normal editorial image.

ai can produce images with people yes, but even if you tell it to create cute couple in paris" it will not be in Paris anyone who knows Paris will see the difference.

In principle ai can produce people from anywhere. I am trying to do some content with elderly people from around the world and I don't have to fly to different locations to hire models. However...they still need to sell...and I think that is because if you want something authentic you will always prefer the real photo.

So you are saying you have new competition not just from people doing a model released shooting at your favorite editorial location, but now there are ai images, simulating that location with fake people, did I get that right?

If customers don't care about reality for advertising, then I can see that as fresh competition.

There are producers with images in malls, contcert venues, cinema, who obtained a model release for their shootings which gave them a distinct advantage because few people have that.

Now anyone can produce images with people in a fake cinema.

So yes, exactly those areas face competition from ai.

The question that I would ask myself - is it worth doing this kind of ai yourself?

Because you know the locations in reality, you can produce better ai because you will know the details.

This also translates to normal photos.

- If you do a search on Adobe for "breakfast germany" you get all kinds of German food stuff, lots of sausages...but on the first page of my page search only a premium image from Westend61 had a real German vibe to it.

I have to admit I was suprised, it really is not difficult to systematically decorate your table, your balcony, your office desk and make a nice looking very german breakfast, even with all the regional variations. With or without people.

But I couldn't find a producer who did that.

So now I have a new project, just make a nice breakfast table once a week and take photos and videos. No ai.

Once I get into that breakfast theme, I might start to expand with ai images. First from different regions on Europe or the Middle east that I know, maybe a little from the US, the places I have been to, but I might also try breakfast from vietnam or india, once I have done some research. Including ai people.

But I wouldn't just rely on the prompt, I would actually look it up what a breakfast in vietnam really looks like. Maybe find some vietnam cooking blog or youtube channel for inspiration or a documentary about daily family life.

Then with that in mind, I would try to produce content.

This would be my way of working for a project with ai if I had no personal knowledge of the genre.

Ai will allow people to create competing content while not having to travel and without paying models.

However working with real models you can produce a huge coherent series.

With ai it is just single images. Perhaps one day we can license avatars to create our own stories with avatar people, but right now that is not possible.

Personally I believe the answer to the threat of ai, is to make your own ai and get your royalties for the content that was stolen for ai training like this.

All my greeting cards are part of their system. Now I make new cards with ai for compensation. And because I know my genre well, I will get better sales than people who just prompt "beautiful easter card".

We will have our own answers to the challenge of ai. Personally I believe it is an interesting creative tool and opportunity.

lappland_sun · « **Reply #27 on:** September 03, 2024, 15:18 »

Quote from: cobalt on September 02, 2024, 23:03

So now I have a new project, just make a nice breakfast table once a week and take photos and videos. No ai.

Once I get into that breakfast theme, I might start to expand with ai images. First from different regions on Europe or the Middle east that I know, maybe a little from the US, the places I have been to, but I might also try breakfast from vietnam or india, once I have done some research. Including ai people.

that's what I kind of do. it is sunday mostly

but what else similar to this works for me - is when I order food from any restaurant - I take those 5 minutes and take photos before we start eating. And those photos sell pretty well.
The daily stuff are still missing on adobe. I mean high quality daily stuff. One of the first videos that I sold on adobe it was a close up of my hand putting nutella on the bread. and it is still a video that I sell at least once a month.

cobalt · « **Reply #28 on:** September 03, 2024, 16:37 »

Quote from: lappland_sun on September 03, 2024, 15:18

Quote from: cobalt on September 02, 2024, 23:03
The daily stuff are still missing on adobe. I mean high quality daily stuff. One of the first videos that I sold on adobe it was a close up of my hand putting nutella on the bread. and it is still a video that I sell at least once a month.

Yes, hands doing something, especially with food is an endkess and useful subject. I also keep taking pictures of nice food when we go to cafes. My friends are always bemused but very patient.

f8 · « **Reply #29 on:** September 04, 2024, 13:03 »

Quote from: cobalt on September 01, 2024, 12:25

I don't think Adobe wants a huge shitstorm of angry graphic designers and photographers badmouthing Adobe all over the internet and recommending a switch to affinity photos. They are not stupid.

Keeping us happy is good for their business, Adobe is the only agency where we are also users and customers. Plus many of us have the client contacts to keep recommending Adobe to buyers.

Look at how Shutterstock lost clients after their disaster.

They even bought several agencies and client contracts for over 500 million dollars...and still the volume of customers and downloads has gone down.

How do you even do that???

And imagine if they had kept their royalty system and invested 500 million into marketing and a deeper connection with the buyer/client groups?

I am quite sure Adobe likes us happy. We are a great marketing tool and like to bring people to buy from our Adobe ports.

Affinity Photos, what a joke that was. It was a sinking ship before it even got started. It was nothing more than a bunch of egos.

TonyD · « **Reply #30 on:** September 05, 2024, 15:02 »

Quote from: mike123 on September 01, 2024, 12:37

@cobalt:

Also microstock contributors are such a small minority of Photoshop users, that Adobe likely doesn't even care about making them angry.

Theres a whooping 23 million Photoshop users per month

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #31 on:** September 06, 2024, 11:00 »

Quote from: Pacesetter on August 31, 2024, 04:29

I have become partially reliant on microstock in recent years.

It has helped me to do some things in life I would not be able to do without it and I have a full time job - and I'm not talking about splurging on indulgences here. Rising costs and cost-of-living pressures has eroded my day-job discretionary income quite significantly.

Some people still make a living from microstock and I have to say you have my sincere respect. Clearly you have worked hard and smart to achieve this.

Others, like myself, have microstock as a supplementary albeit necessary side-income. Others have microstock simply as a hobby and making a bit of extra income, at whatever amounts, is like a small reward.

Was side income, spare spending money for more photo toys and tools. Now it's a hobby with small rewards. But there are the residual aspects and income from years of work. NOT what I had hope for or expected when I started.

The whole market has changed from what it was in 2009.

I like your question. Enough to steal it in a way, for a poll.

PokemonMaster · « **Reply #32 on:** September 06, 2024, 11:09 »

Quote from: SuperPhoto on September 01, 2024, 20:02

One big thing it would be nice for people to call "AI" for what it really is "S.T" - "sophisticated theft". "AI" (aka "ST" machines) simply steal & 'blend' images/videos/etc into "models" that they then "re-blend" into new items). But its basically just theft

They are not. They learn just like human and create from scratch (filtering from the noise, not sampling or something), just like human. That's why it called training

alan b traehern · « **Reply #33 on:** September 07, 2024, 08:38 »

Quote from: cobalt on September 01, 2024, 12:25

I don't think Adobe wants a huge shitstorm of angry graphic designers and photographers badmouthing Adobe all over the internet and recommending a switch to affinity photos. They are not stupid.

Keeping us happy is good for their business, Adobe is the only agency where we are also users and customers. Plus many of us have the client contacts to keep recommending Adobe to buyers.

Look at how Shutterstock lost clients after their disaster.

They even bought several agencies and client contracts for over 500 million dollars...and still the volume of customers and downloads has gone down.

How do you even do that???

And imagine if they had kept their royalty system and invested 500 million into marketing and a deeper connection with the buyer/client groups?

I am quite sure Adobe likes us happy. We are a great marketing tool and like to bring people to buy from our Adobe ports.

You are imagining that agencies or buyers care about you or your opinion. You are right that Adobe uses us as a marketing tool.

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #34 on:** September 07, 2024, 11:04 »

Quote from: cascoly on September 02, 2024, 17:52

Quote from: cobalt on September 02, 2024, 00:29
...

in previous shitsstorms agencies lost a serious percentage of content, often very very good content. it is not about losing a few sunsets and hotdogs.
which agencies lost such large amounts? SS is doing fine despite feeble attempts to 'take them down' by a few dozen artists

SS, FT, IS, any of them are not moved or swayed by big or small or highly popular content providers, leaving. Yuri went exclusive with IS for some time. Other than that, Agencies do not have back door deals, in normal operations, to keep or pay big producers. They don't get anything different from the rest of us. Africa Studio deactivated their account on SS, nothing changed. They came back. So much for protests.

Was it really that many? A few dozen? Maybe people clicked on a petition, but the actual group that was serious, wasn't many people.

They didn't lose cheeseburger king. I can't speak for hot dogs?