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Author Topic: Workflow Advice  (Read 5700 times)

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« on: November 21, 2012, 02:30 »
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Hi guys,

I'm new to the forum and also to micro. I've been stuck on how to proceed with building a portfolio on microstock sites, so I'm wondering if some of you vets can help guide me a little.

I signed up on the top few agencies like:

- istock
- shutterstock
- 123Rf
- dreamstime


I'm just wondering how you guys manage to submit your photos to all the agencies when each of their requirement differ so much? I've been reading up about how some agencies prefer people and some others prefer isolation etc.

Do you submit each batch of photos to all the agencies in one go? Some of the photos I submitted were rejected by one agency but picked up by the next. Should I bother fixing the half-reject or focus on just adding more photos?

Also, here's a big one. How do you guys categorize which images were accepted by which agencies and rejected by which? I initially started with Lightroom for this by using color labels but I've signed up with some smaller agencies now and I've run outta color labels :)

Hope someone can shed some light here. Thanks I'm advance.



« Reply #1 on: November 21, 2012, 04:39 »
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I don't bother keeping track which images get accepted by which site.  In the end, it doesn't make a difference.  If an image is rejected on one site and accepted on another and I think it is an image that's going to be a big seller I'll see if I can fix the problem, otherwise I'll just continue on with the next image.

I often create folders of 'batches' of images.   Once I have a new batch ready (I use batches of 50), I copy those images into an 'upload' folder for each site (so I have 10 copies of the same image on my hard drive - one in each folder for each site).  Then after I upload the image, I delete it from the corresponding folder.

« Reply #2 on: November 21, 2012, 05:36 »
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I don't bother keeping track which images get accepted by which site.  In the end, it doesn't make a difference.  If an image is rejected on one site and accepted on another and I think it is an image that's going to be a big seller I'll see if I can fix the problem, otherwise I'll just continue on with the next image.

I often create folders of 'batches' of images.   Once I have a new batch ready (I use batches of 50), I copy those images into an 'upload' folder for each site (so I have 10 copies of the same image on my hard drive - one in each folder for each site).  Then after I upload the image, I delete it from the corresponding folder.
That is exactly what I do.  Works for me. If an image gets rejected that I think will be a good seller I put it back into my folder for that agency I wait and see how well it sells at the other agencies. If it turns out to be a good seller then I fix it and reupload it.  I rarely do that though.

« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2012, 06:09 »
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I don't bother keeping track which images get accepted by which site.  In the end, it doesn't make a difference.  If an image is rejected on one site and accepted on another and I think it is an image that's going to be a big seller I'll see if I can fix the problem, otherwise I'll just continue on with the next image.

I often create folders of 'batches' of images.   Once I have a new batch ready (I use batches of 50), I copy those images into an 'upload' folder for each site (so I have 10 copies of the same image on my hard drive - one in each folder for each site).  Then after I upload the image, I delete it from the corresponding folder.


Isn't that going to exponentially chock up your HD space though? There has to be another way?

« Reply #4 on: November 21, 2012, 06:15 »
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I don't bother keeping track which images get accepted by which site.  In the end, it doesn't make a difference.  If an image is rejected on one site and accepted on another and I think it is an image that's going to be a big seller I'll see if I can fix the problem, otherwise I'll just continue on with the next image.

I often create folders of 'batches' of images.   Once I have a new batch ready (I use batches of 50), I copy those images into an 'upload' folder for each site (so I have 10 copies of the same image on my hard drive - one in each folder for each site).  Then after I upload the image, I delete it from the corresponding folder.


Isn't that going to exponentially chock up your HD space though? There has to be another way?

JPG's don't eat up that much room and since the files get uploaded relatively soon it doesn't take up that much space.  But yes, I do save space by actually just copying shortcuts to the files, then delete the shortcuts when the file is uploaded.  I left out that step for simplicity when explaining.

« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2012, 07:36 »
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Thanks a lot Leaf!

rubyroo

« Reply #6 on: November 21, 2012, 07:50 »
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I was confused about different preferences by agencies at the beginning, but eventually figured out that the big earners were Shutterstock and iStock - so I pitch my work to suit both those agencies and in general they're accepted everywhere (not so much at Fotolia, but I've given up trying to fathom their idiosyncracies).  The only concession I make to any other agencies is that I only produce sufficient 'similars' to fit in with Dreamstime's strict policy on those.

I think my workflow is similar to Leaf's.

Save final JPG's to 'Work Completed' folder.
Upload from there to all agencies.
Move uploaded files to 'Uploaded JPGs' folder.

That leaves 'Work Completed' empty for the next batch.  If there are any glitches during upload process at any agency, I just leave those images in 'Work Completed' and make a note to re-try those agencies later.

« Reply #7 on: November 21, 2012, 08:33 »
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Fotolia is crazy. They rejected everything of mine that got into istock. And here I was thinking istock was tough!

« Reply #8 on: November 21, 2012, 08:53 »
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Fotolia is crazy. They rejected everything of mine that got into istock. And here I was thinking istock was tough!

Simply put, they have different requirements, or are picky about different things.  A great stock image will be accepted everywhere, a borderline image will have a tough time on some sites.  Which site it struggles to get accepted depends on what is wrong with it.

« Reply #9 on: November 21, 2012, 14:29 »
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I don't bother keeping track which images get accepted by which site.  In the end, it doesn't make a difference.  If an image is rejected on one site and accepted on another and I think it is an image that's going to be a big seller I'll see if I can fix the problem, otherwise I'll just continue on with the next image.

I often create folders of 'batches' of images.   Once I have a new batch ready (I use batches of 50), I copy those images into an 'upload' folder for each site (so I have 10 copies of the same image on my hard drive - one in each folder for each site).  Then after I upload the image, I delete it from the corresponding folder.


Isn't that going to exponentially chock up your HD space though? There has to be another way?

only momentarily -- i save each  batch to a temp archive along with indiv folders for each agency, then delete after uploading, so no big deal on space.  the temp archive later gets transferred to my permanent archives on external HD

when i started i did try to track which images were accepted, but it really makes no difference.  and agencies make it impossible to track which images are sold since they dont keep my original file names. 

« Reply #10 on: November 21, 2012, 18:06 »
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I don't bother keeping track which images get accepted by which site.  In the end, it doesn't make a difference.  If an image is rejected on one site and accepted on another and I think it is an image that's going to be a big seller I'll see if I can fix the problem, otherwise I'll just continue on with the next image.

I often create folders of 'batches' of images.   Once I have a new batch ready (I use batches of 50), I copy those images into an 'upload' folder for each site (so I have 10 copies of the same image on my hard drive - one in each folder for each site).  Then after I upload the image, I delete it from the corresponding folder.


Isn't that going to exponentially chock up your HD space though? There has to be another way?

only momentarily -- i save each  batch to a temp archive along with indiv folders for each agency, then delete after uploading, so no big deal on space.  the temp archive later gets transferred to my permanent archives on external HD

when i started i did try to track which images were accepted, but it really makes no difference.  and agencies make it impossible to track which images are sold since they dont keep my original file names.

What do you do if the image is rejected? Do you leave it in the archive or delete it as well?

steheap

  • Author of best selling "Get Started in Stock"

« Reply #11 on: November 21, 2012, 19:20 »
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I wrote a pretty comprehensive workflow about 12 months ago - you may find it helpful.

Steve
http://www.backyardsilver.com/2011/03/my-work-flow-for-stock-photography/

« Reply #12 on: November 21, 2012, 19:32 »
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I wrote a pretty comprehensive workflow about 12 months ago - you may find it helpful.

Steve
http://www.backyardsilver.com/2011/03/my-work-flow-for-stock-photography/


Thanks a lot man. Checking it out now. I really appreciate all your help guys! Keep the tips coming in.

« Reply #13 on: November 22, 2012, 17:04 »
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I don't bother keeping track which images get accepted by which site.  In the end, it doesn't make a difference.  If an image is rejected on one site and accepted on another and I think it is an image that's going to be a big seller I'll see if I can fix the problem, otherwise I'll just continue on with the next image.

I often create folders of 'batches' of images.   Once I have a new batch ready (I use batches of 50), I copy those images into an 'upload' folder for each site (so I have 10 copies of the same image on my hard drive - one in each folder for each site).  Then after I upload the image, I delete it from the corresponding folder.


Isn't that going to exponentially chock up your HD space though? There has to be another way?

only momentarily -- i save each  batch to a temp archive along with indiv folders for each agency, then delete after uploading, so no big deal on space.  the temp archive later gets transferred to my permanent archives on external HD

when i started i did try to track which images were accepted, but it really makes no difference.  and agencies make it impossible to track which images are sold since they dont keep my original file names.

What do you do if the image is rejected? Do you leave it in the archive or delete it as well?

the archive is the first stage of my backup - i only delete technically poor images.  anything else may find a use in the future and disk space is cheap.

each site will reject different images, but none of that affects my archives

gillian vann

  • *Gillian*
« Reply #14 on: November 25, 2012, 01:40 »
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i have my files names alphabetically and sorted in folders.
I have a TO do folder with raw files awaiting processing (that have been copied over from their home where all RAW originals live)
I have a WIP (work in progress) folder that stores all my .psd versions (now broken into folders as there were too many images to scroll through, and i'm only at 300!)
I have a spreadsheet with all files listed and whether it's accepted rejected sold etc.
i don't keep track of individual sales diligently, I tend to update it sporadically when I;m in the mood
one HD per year is enough so far for storage. have used just over half a TB this year so far.

Even though I'm a newbie (my first real year) I also don't bother resubmitting rejected files.
(Except last week iStock rejected a xmas file for 'sensor dust' that no other agency had noticed, and the file is already selling on SS. Buggar me, they were right, 2 spots! So I fixed it and reuploaded.  I just rename the file with R on the end.

« Reply #15 on: November 25, 2012, 02:03 »
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Thanks for all your input guys. I've started creating archive folders with multiple folders within for each agency and copying all the jpgs to be submitted to each of them. When I upload each one, ill delete them from the corresponding folder. I like that workflow tip the most!

Poncke

« Reply #16 on: November 25, 2012, 06:11 »
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Thanks for all your input guys. I've started creating archive folders with multiple folders within for each agency and copying all the jpgs to be submitted to each of them. When I upload each one, ill delete them from the corresponding folder. I like that workflow tip the most!
Pfff, that sounds like a lot of unnecessary work. If you want to keep track,  just use a spreadsheet. No need to create folders per agency adding and deleting photos. Cumbersome. In a spreadsheet you can make columns per agency and mark when an image is submitted accepted and rejected. Working with folders at some point you have no idea which photos are where. But a spreadsheet is also not be all end all. Pick whatever works for you.
« Last Edit: November 25, 2012, 06:14 by Poncke »


« Reply #17 on: November 25, 2012, 12:36 »
+1
I thought I'd start organizing using the folders for each agency method but I gave up on that quickly.  It was cumbersome and easily grew out of control.

I now use a spreadsheet with the file names along the side,  agencies along the top and a Y, N, or P for yes, no, and pending. Blank spots mean it hasn't been submitted yet and a / for "I'm not going to submit this image there".    If the file sells anywhere I place  * by it's name in the spreadsheet.   

And since I do vectors I keep them all in one folder with sub-folders for EPS8, EPS10, AI, and Jpeg. I use bridge to view all the files at once and do keywords there.   I'm sure you could do something similar with Raw Jpeg and re-sized.

I'm only at around 75-80 (vector) images now but I seem to have found my flow when it comes to organizing. 

You'll have to try a few methods and see what works best for you. 

« Last Edit: November 25, 2012, 17:19 by Starzipan »

tab62

« Reply #18 on: November 25, 2012, 12:54 »
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On a side note- be prepared to work 18 hour days, one shower per week, one meal a day (of course while your processing your pics at the computer), and no non-working vacations. By following these rules you should hit $50 per day... :P



« Reply #19 on: November 25, 2012, 15:51 »
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Folders a lot of work... no way.

spreadsheets are a lot of work.

Take this example of preparing 500 images.

Spreadsheet
1. type in 500 image names into spreadsheet (an hour or two??)
2. upload random set of 50 images (to reduce similar rejections) and find all those images in the 500 and put a little Upload mark on them
3. wait for review and mark those images rejected or accepted
4. pick next set of 50 random images... but make sure to double check the spreadsheet to make sure they aren't uploaded already (**sigh**)

Folders
1. copy and past 500 image shortcuts into 6 different folders (a minute or two)
2. select 50 images... drag them to ftp (wait for upload) then press delete key
3. .. which images still need uploading?  The images left in the folders.. no need for laboursome marks and checks in a eye crossing spreadsheet.
4. repeat

Poncke

« Reply #20 on: November 25, 2012, 16:00 »
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Folders a lot of work... no way.

spreadsheets are a lot of work.

Take this example of preparing 500 images.

Spreadsheet
1. type in 500 image names into spreadsheet (an hour or two??)
2. upload random set of 50 images (to reduce similar rejections) and find all those images in the 500 and put a little Upload mark on them
3. wait for review and mark those images rejected or accepted
4. pick next set of 50 random images... but make sure to double check the spreadsheet to make sure they aren't uploaded already (**sigh**)

Folders
1. copy and past 500 image shortcuts into 6 different folders (a minute or two)
2. select 50 images... drag them to ftp (wait for upload) then press delete key
3. .. which images still need uploading?  The images left in the folders.. no need for laboursome marks and checks in a eye crossing spreadsheet.
4. repeat

Copying file names: 2 seconds tops. copyfilenames31.exe

The OP asked for categorizing accepted and rejected photos, in your workflow there is none of that.

The only way to track stuff is with a tracker (spreadsheet)

If he doesnt want to track his photos, then your workflow is sufficient.

gillian vann

  • *Gillian*
« Reply #21 on: November 25, 2012, 17:50 »
+1


I now use a spreadsheet with the file names along the side,  agencies along the top and a Y, N, or P for yes, no, and pending. Blank spots mean it hasn't been submitted yet and a / for "I'm not going to submit this image there".    If the file sells anywhere I place  * by it's name in the spreadsheet.   

You'll have to try a few methods and see what works best for you.
love a good spreadsheet.  :)
I use colours to indicate whether they've sold (green), pending (yellow) or gray for "don't bother" (notably: similars at DT, and another agency doesn't take ppl shots, or for DT exclusives)

I also track monthly uploads, dl and sales which can be converted into pretty charts to make me feel good. :)



« Reply #22 on: January 02, 2013, 01:35 »
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I'm still new so this might end up being unwieldy, but as you mentioned using Lightroom.  I use Collections in Lightroom to categorise my images and track what's going where.  Each site has its own collection, with sub collections for accepted, pending, or rejected.  Easy to move images about between the collections or have the same image in multiple collections etc.  I like knowing what's been accepted where, and for now I think it's helping me get a feel for what different agencies want.

When I'm at a point where I've submitted all my backlog to all the sites I'm interested in, then I might collapse the individual site collections into one, but for now I need to know what I have and haven't submitted to any one site.

Just a thought, anyway! :)

« Reply #23 on: January 02, 2013, 13:35 »
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I am just getting started, and this thread helps a lot.  The idea of a spread sheet is great, but transfering / entering file names gets old really fast.  Does anyone know of a easy/quick way to do this on a Mac?  I use Lightroom, and Photoshop.

Thanks

Poncke

« Reply #24 on: January 02, 2013, 13:53 »
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I am just getting started, and this thread helps a lot.  The idea of a spread sheet is great, but transfering / entering file names gets old really fast.  Does anyone know of a easy/quick way to do this on a Mac?  I use Lightroom, and Photoshop.

Thanks

Yes, as mentioned before, use a copy filename copy  program. You can copy 100 file names into a spreadsheet in 2 seconds.

gillian vann

  • *Gillian*
« Reply #25 on: January 02, 2013, 20:12 »
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I am just getting started, and this thread helps a lot.  The idea of a spread sheet is great, but transfering / entering file names gets old really fast.  Does anyone know of a easy/quick way to do this on a Mac?  I use Lightroom, and Photoshop.

Thanks

outsource it to a 12year old in exchange for a bottle of coke.
works a treat in my house :D


 

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