While browsing some files on stock agencies, especially on Shutterstock, I noticed that many contributors have "Sample text" or "Your text here" text in their images... which I presume means that I am supposed to be able to modify that text after downloading the file. But I am downloading a JPEG - how does the text layer get preserved there?? I thought JPEGs were supposed to be flat... Can someone please enlighten me? :-)

I think the habit of putting in sample text was just to give the buyer an idea of how the design would look. Nothing complicated or clever

Can you give us some examples? Sometimes I forget and upload a jpg version of my illustrations with text on them, and they're rejected because the text is too hard to remove. I'm not sure there's any way to make a jpg with a separate text layer.

This one: http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-93251311/stock-photo-holiday-card-heart-from-paper-valentines-day-look-through-my-portfolio-to-find-more-images-of.html?src=8wOPX4iQrkMGhn9ssicisA-8-58

That doesn't actually look too hard to remove using clone stamp and patch tool. Or you could just use content aware fill if you have a newer version of PS.

(edit to add image)

it is absurd IMO, there are contributors having the two versions approved, maybe they are looking to have a bigger portfolio because I don't see other reason, I tried this once and I do have sales on both versions but I don't think I would have more sales if I had "duplicates" in my portfolio, anyway I am not going to test it

4

I did a test a few years back.  Put up an image with no text (and no additional white space for any text).  It sold X amount of times.  I then tried to replace it with an identical image except with white copy space added and no text.  Image rejected for too much unnecessary space,  customer can add whatever he needs.  So I put up a third image with copy space and added text.  That was accepted and has sold more than 10X the original image.  I've never submitted an image with text over any part of the image except empty space for the reason noted above ... too difficult to remove.

For those sites that refuse to accept text with an image, I comply with their requirement.  But those images never seem to sell as well as those with the added text.  Keep in mind this is only my personal experience and may not be the same for others with different types of images.

When I put text on my images (where appropriate), they usually sell much better. In the case of the heart visual linked to above, people may want to download it to use as a Valentine's greeting card, and in that case they don't have to do a thing to it because the text is already there. But because the text is also on a flat color, it's easy to remove and replace, for those who have the wherewithall to do it.

Professional designers download our work, but so do a lot of non-designers, and it helps the latter to visualize what an ad or poster or card can look like when you place text on it...even if it's placeholder text. That's my theory, anyway.

what do you mean by appropriate? on white space?

With vectors, I put text on top of my illustration in whatever would be considered copy space. It's not necessarily white or even a solid color. For jpgs I either omit the text or use it over a flat color so the sample text can be easily erased. Of course, the majority of my illustrations don't have copy space, so I don't put text on most of them.

aah vectors sure!

Quote from: Elenathewise on November 15, 2013, 19:32

...But I am downloading a JPEG - how does the text layer get preserved there?? I thought JPEGs were supposed to be flat... Can someone please enlighten me? :-)

JPEGs can have clipping paths - and I think most agencies preserve those for buyers in the files they download. I just did an experiment to add a path - made from the selection of a text phrase I added to a photo - and that gets saved in the JPEG. So, I guess we could fairly easily give buyers a vector outline of text to go with the visible sample if we wanted to:

http://www.digitalbristles.com/temp/Vector-text-outlines.jpg

I didn't edit the path in any way - just used Photoshop's built in selection to path conversion.

Ah... now the mystery is getting solved... I should try that - thanks Jo Ann!