Providing a better customer experience:
https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/93889-removing-watermarks-from-image-search-results/

I don't think they care one bit about contributors at this point. I wish there was an opt-out button.

maybe SS follows the steps of ishitty... putting images at risk being stolen and then sue anybody found using them. SS gets the (money) prize for winning the lawsuit. Contributors get none. Double win for SS.

not sure what they are trying to do. Putting a squeeze on small companies who don't have big corporate accounts and trying to run them out of business? "Improving the customer experience". It would be funny if outright lies didn't annoy me so much. Did any of them have a mom when they were growing up telling them that lying is bad? Decided, they are lizards from space. Really perplexing what goes on behind those doors.

Tracers of my vectors will be pleased
Thank you SS!   

Not a good idea.
SS should ask every contributor on survey first before implementing it.

Quote from: angelawaye on May 07, 2018, 14:59
I don't think they care one bit about contributors at this point. I wish there was an opt-out button.

That got a plus and a question. Opt out of what? Just close your account, that's an opt out choice, I did at most, but I admit I still work SS for the money. That's a personal sell out, not an opt out. 

I just went to do a search on Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, Getty Images and iStock. None of them have watermarks in the search results.

I don't remember when this changed (I'm sure at one point all of them watermarked search thumbs) but as they're all doing the same thing, why target just Shutterstock with complaints?

The best thing all the big agencies could do is actively police misuse (which in spite of their "we take this very seriously" emails they don't appear to). That would net us more than putting back watermarks on the search thumbs on only one agency.

The way things seem to be going we just might make more money if the agencies pursued the thieves and shared the proceeds with contributors.

The agencies will not pursue thieves. They want to provide a better experience.

Quote from: emjaysmith on May 08, 2018, 06:13
The way things seem to be going we just might make more money if the agencies pursued the thieves and shared the proceeds with contributors.

They won't, though.
International legal actions are expensive and many of the serious infringers are from countries with a 'more relaxed attitude to copyright/IP' than e.g. the US or the EU.

At what image resolution do we lose our rights as contributing artists?

Quote from: ravens on May 08, 2018, 11:08
They want to provide a better experience.

If they sell experience they should open a chain of massage parlors instead.

Well there are browser plugins and internet sites that allow people to download anything they want off SS for free.  They've been around over a year now and still no action so i guess SS dont actually care.  So removing watermarks is of no consequence to them.

Is this one of those 'exiting opportunities' just the changes to the EL's, God I hope not!

Istock shutterstock fotolia there is no watermark anywhere

Yes and size of the photos is usable for blogs articles, small printed ads for example. Not surprised that again sales are fallen overnight.