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Messages - zeljkok
101
« on: April 15, 2022, 15:21 »
It is very simple. If you look whole Alamy you will get overall trends, but there will be lots of data. I generally look at my own more. Consider attached file
Search Term tells you keywords customers were searching for. Important to note: Not ALL customers, only registered ones
Your Views tells you how many (my) images were returned for this search term
Sessions not really useful, you can ignore
Your Zooms Very important! Tells you that how many times customer actually clicked (zoomed) my image. If >0, it is good - means it picked their interest. This is potential sale; sometimes sales get reported some time after the zoom.
Your Sales Self explanatory
Your CTR - Click Through Rate - number of zooms / divided by number of views x 100. CTR brings up Alamy Rank - the more zooms, the higher the rank - means images are sorted higher in customer searches
Total Views Total number of images, including mine, that were returned for given Search Term. Basically tells how many images I was competing against for that search term
Total CTR Total CTR for given search term. If 0, it means customer really didn't find anything interesting
So for instance in my example, for search term "Kilimanjaro Summit" I had 2 images returned, 1 was zoomed, none sold, click-through was 50 (1 / 2 x 100), Total 100 images were returned across whole Alamy, of which 4 were zoomed with CTR of 4. So I did fairly well, customer zoomed at 4 images out of 100, and 1 was mine.
The most useful column by far is Search Term. You see what customers are looking for. Then you think "Wait, I have such photo - why was it not returned in search?" You go to Alamy Image Manager, find the photo and see that maybe you forgot some of words in Search Term. Of toggle it to super keyword, Etc.
Or, on the other hand, you can identify "False Positives" - your image was returned but it is not at all representative for search term. Naturally, it will not be zoomed, and thus bring down CTR and Alamy Rank. So you go to Image Manager and remove or at least adjust again the keywords.
102
« on: April 14, 2022, 15:38 »
Getting really smart around keyword use is a very important factor. i.e. knowing how to use drop down searches to find the most common buyer searches, or just shooting things a bit different.
I have little running joke with Uncle Pete regarding 'copy space'. Buyers love copy space and always complain that there isn't enough stock photos for that.
These are 3 super important points (keywording, unique angle/perspective, copy space) - and thanks for sharing. Keywording is not always obvious & this is why tools like Alamy measures are very useful. I wish Adobe would have something like that too. I will add 4th thing, specific to travel (my niche in addition to landscapes). It's called "Locals only". Example: Take San Diego, California. But ... not beaches, Torrey Pines, Seaworld, etc. Why? Because you are competing with 1000s of tourists. But if you go inland where tourists normally don't - just about everything I took photo of sold. Escondido, Poway .. you name it. Sold directly through personal website several Lake Hodges area photos. Had 4 digit sale of Iron Mountain trailhead in Poway on Alamy recently. USCD campus. List goes on. Every part of the world has something like that. So if you are in San Francisco, took breathtaking shot of Golden Gate bridge and think it will sell - think again. Same for Yosemite Valley, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon core tourist area. But if you can find "locals only" place, sale is almost guaranteed.
103
« on: April 12, 2022, 14:18 »
Thanks for the updated image ID. That ghost town image is now online in the Illustrative Editorial collection. This particular shot is in a bit of a gray area as far as branding is concerned, but you captioned it well so it's live. Everyone should keep in mind that the Illustrative Editorial Collection is not simply a place to upload your for unreleased content that doesn't qualify for the commercial collection. Just because there aren't people in it, doesn't make it eligible for IEC. Every submission should have a strong branding element.
thanks,
Mat Hayward
Thank you Mat; photo is online now indeed. I am not blowing Adobe horn, but this is what separates you from others - being reasonable, and actually listening online. Try something like this with Shutterstock AI rejections, good luck I think I have now solid grasp on what constitutes Adobe IEC material & in general will submit something from "gray area" only if I feel it has enough end customer potential. Thanks again
104
« on: April 11, 2022, 17:22 »
What's the image number on the ghost town image? It looks to me like it may be appropriate for IEC. I'll be happy to take a look.
-Mat
File ID: 492100473
Original name: virgin1.jpg
(Thanks a lot Mat. Again, not about the photo, but rather about figuring what is exactly illustrative editorial by AS criteria)
That file was rejected for lack of a property release. It seems you inadvertently missed clicking the "this is illustrative editorial" box and submitted the image for consideration in the commercial collection. Re-upload the file and submit it as IEC and I expect it will be approved.
Good luck,
Mat Hayward
Mat - it was actually rejected 1st time as IEC File ID: 491958046 Original name: virgin1.jpg (I posted ID from 2nd RF rejection, not realizing these were 2 separate IDs)
105
« on: April 11, 2022, 15:32 »
What's the image number on the ghost town image? It looks to me like it may be appropriate for IEC. I'll be happy to take a look.
-Mat
File ID: 492100473 Original name: virgin1.jpg (Thanks a lot Mat. Again, not about the photo, but rather about figuring what is exactly illustrative editorial by AS criteria)
106
« on: April 11, 2022, 14:08 »
I would never upload any image where I would not see any potential use for a customer.
Same here & I've been following this thread with great interest (see my post above with 2 image samples, one accepted one rejected) I think the problem is grey area about what qualifies as illustrative editorial, as there is no clear cut answer & it is, at least to an extent, subject to interpretation.
107
« on: April 11, 2022, 13:26 »
...
Thank you for great explanation as always Mat Can I please ask you to elaborate on this one though. This was rejected:  There are no logos/brands, but it is private property - replica of old west frontier town in Virgin, USA at doorstep of Zion National Park. It can be newsworthy - travel industry, cultural heritage, etc On the other had, this was accepted (and has several downloads, thank you very much):  Plaza De Las Artes in San Jose, Costarica. Conceptually I don't see any difference between these 2 images; which illustrative editorial aspect Costarica photo has that Zion doesn't? I am not trying to push Zion image through - I'd simply like to learn something in order not to waste time of your QA next time. Thanks
108
« on: April 10, 2022, 14:17 »
They were usually just shots of streets, buildings, factories, etc. that contained some small trademarks somewhere in the photo.
and this is in my experience exactly what they reject as editorial. As example, this is shot I really like & think could sell well, but was rejected:  I will say though, criteria is not quite clear (or maybe I am just dumb). For instance this was accepted as "illustrative editorial" (maybe because there is Adobe word in it  )  If the photo is really good, i.e. has sales potential, I'd suggest simply try cutting out "small trademark" in Photoshop, then submitting as RF. As far as people go, they are quite lenient what is "recognizable" (opposite to IS that consider silhouette of person 1km away as recognizable).
109
« on: April 10, 2022, 13:49 »
I'll say what I posted in other thread: First and foremost you must enjoy photography and not do it only for monetization purposes. Otherwise you will just end up frustrated. And yes, like others said, there is still $$ to be made; demand has not decreased. You only need different strategy; expecting "sales" from micros that pay 10 cents or 15% only means devaluing your own work.
110
« on: April 09, 2022, 16:53 »
What Uncle Pete said.
I was late to the party, started in 2016 & keep hearing these tales about "good old times". It makes sense, as smartphone/low cost camera revolution changed the market & caused saturation. Top it with wrong strategy micros addressed the issue (just look what SS did last yr) and this is why situation is the way it is.
There is still $$ that can be made in photography. Demand has not dropped, if anything increased. But expecting "sales" from SS or Getty IMHO means devaluing your work & can only bring frustration. There are other ways. It really starts though with quality and then ability to market your own work. And first and foremost you must enjoy photography, not just do it monetization purposes.
Just my 5 cents
111
« on: April 08, 2022, 14:13 »
Actually my experience is they don't accept residential houses as "illustrative editorial". Public landmark architecture is ok, but private property not This one ok This one not ok ("Unfortunately, during our review we found that this file does not meet the Adobe Stocks Illustrative Editorial Guidelines") 
112
« on: April 07, 2022, 21:37 »
New minimum payment - 5 cents
Other 5 needed for upgrade of AI reviewer, so there can be even more fair contributor opportunities
113
« on: April 07, 2022, 18:19 »
Oh I forgot that part. If there was one feature I'd like it's easy access to our own work, so we can verify, edit and revise. The whole find it, copy then go somewhere else and paste to edit is beyond functional or easy to use.
Yes. See, that's exactly my point - photo search, editing of keywords etc. - bare bones, but very clunky and user unfriendly. Why put the effort for something ultra sleek, when it doesn't really bring any profit. [btw, dumb elephant - you know which one - got 4.50 on Dreamstime today. Still original one, lol]
114
« on: April 07, 2022, 13:20 »
All nice to discuss things of what Adobe could improve and I am sure Mat will be listening in, but does anyone have one example of an idea that was posted here that has been implemented by Adobe, because we would like to have it?
If so, I'll rest my case, but I think they are just listening and nothing else.
Totally agree. You can tell from lots of small things they never intended to put too much effort in contributor interface. Example is search for photo, if you want to update keywords for instance. One of most requested features. They figured workaround (search for photo as customer would, note ID, then search by that ID in contributor portal), end of story. I can understand that philosophy, as contributor interface is not profitable & thus not worth investing time/effort, so I'm fine as long as functionality is there, even if it needs clunky workaround. But functionality is still lacking in other parts, and that is the problem
115
« on: April 07, 2022, 00:07 »
My April RPD so far (Apr 6) on SS is, believe or not, 0.144, with 0 DLs last 2 days, which never happened before in midweek even with only tiny tiny port
I have written them off, but it does make me sad as I still remember getting excited about first couple of downloads, then ELs (Samsung high-res monitors), etc. Alamy fire continuing from March into April & I feel much more positive about them on all fronts. It usually works that way
116
« on: April 06, 2022, 12:28 »
I'm strongly against any "modern" redising because it usually means slow loading, animations to drop down lists, more clicking, etc... and by that slowing the submission process, which at the moment (for me) is very fast on Adobe Stock.
+1000 "modern" on Internet often goes way over the top, embedded videos that play automatically, pages that refresh 10 times during load, etc etc. Adobe in their UI philosophy is known for "less is more" and redundant parts, even if part of general UI standard are often ignored (i.e. why put small button at end of edit box to submit some text, when hitting "Enter" key will do the job). For me functionality always far outweighs the appearance. My suggestions for improvement would be: - Insights page defaults to last 3 months and reloads itself to that setting. It is very annoying to specify over and over period you are interested in, ie "Activity" (not top sellers), and since begging of month or today etc.
- Editing keywords for accepted asset should have same edit box with comma separated words that is available during first time submission. Manipulate locally in text editor to any way you like then just copy&paste
- Provide customer search keyword(s) that led to download / sale. Most agencies do it and it is tremendous help
Other than that things look fine to me
117
« on: April 04, 2022, 15:11 »
My RPD on Shutterstock has taken nosedive since I stopped uploading, although number of downloads has remained constant. It would be interesting to see if there is connection? I doubt as it would need some fine algorithm adjustments which I don't think they can be bothered with. It is more likely related to overall large sub packages policy shift
118
« on: April 02, 2022, 16:25 »
Firstly, since Ive begun reporting I have never seen an average return per downloads at Shutterstock below 40cents, with March at just 36cents SS is total waste of time. My March RPD there is 0.214. Coupled with senseless AI rejection policy I can't honestly figure any good reason to keep uploading or expect anything there anymore On Alamy I had BME with RPD 193.94 net & they are, besides Adobe, IMHO only agency out there worth working with
119
« on: April 01, 2022, 22:21 »
there are several Alamy threads floating around, so I'll post here. Want to share a tip
Last 6 months or so I've been updating keywords, mostly for my older images when I didn't know how to do it properly. As result my CTR (click through rate) has gone considerably up. It is believed CTR impacts Alamy rank; and lately I've been getting way more sales. Today, April 1, just got 1st sale of Month, nothing to get excited 19.99 gross, but still
Tip is: Pay attention to Alamy measures. These are real search terms, real customers, not AI generated suggestions they serve in other Micros. Proper keywording is essential tool of the trade, but I have strong feeling for Alamy more important than elsewhere. And pay special attention to title / super tags; these have the heaviest weight, similar to first 10 at Adobe - just that with Alamy you have way more freedom than with Adobe
120
« on: March 31, 2022, 22:48 »
Just a reminder: the ability to opt out of all Distributor sales, or specific countries, is now open.
April is the only time we can opt out.
Thank you for reminder lizworld Just opted out of Novel and Distro for Africa/Asia/South America
121
« on: March 29, 2022, 21:53 »
My personal philosophy is ....
-Mat Hayward
Excellent stuff as always. I will add 2 things: 1) Never automatically accept AI keyword suggestions. Some will always be inaccurate. Not such obvious banana/apple example, but more subtle. Example: I live in Canada Banff National Park and shoot lots of landscapes. Adobe AI will frequently suggest "alps". It recognizes mountains but naturally can not geographic affinity and mistake happens. Big deal some might say. It can be a big deal, if you are customer sitting in France and want some nice shot of Euro Alps but are served Canadian Rockies instead 2) Adobe specific: It would be great if we could get customer search keyword(s) that led to sale. Other agencies support this. Alamy has Measures tool, Dreamstime directly tells you "Customer was searching for ...", even Shutterstock has "Insights" where such info is available. This is great help; since I started adjusting keywords on Alamy based on Measures, my CTR has gone up which impacted my Alamy rank and I am getting more sales. Just an idea that would benefit everyone, incl. Adobe itself
122
« on: March 29, 2022, 21:41 »
By the way, last time we were discussing this, I started a test on AL for Description, Keyword and Supertags. I used a nonsense word on some images, to see how it affects rank. Well, I have to admit, I've searched and I didn't write down the word, so I don't remember what it was?  (being old can be difficult?) I checked all kinds of images, I can't remember which ones I tagged
How about "etepelcnu" ("uncle pete" in reverse, one word). Nobody is going to search for it  and you can't forget Re IS managed concept; it is not that poorly envisioned - indirect phrase concept that expands internally into several indexable keywords. Problem is that people blindly copy and paste to other agencies, where such phrase won't have any value. But largest problem with IS to me by far is inability to edit keywords after submission. This is just dumb, conditions/knowledge evolves and often you'd like to modify something. Everyone else allows it, only IS doesn't. Why??? If the intention was to prevent keyword spamming, they should actually QA accurate keywords during submission which of course they don't. To me IS interface from design standpoint is by margin worst in industry, period
123
« on: March 29, 2022, 13:09 »
I think this is general issue - what is the lowest price you are willing to accept? It makes little sense to try to block Novel, Distro etc on Alamy, but accept 10 cent on SS, or penny fractions on IS for same asset. If the threshold is say 1 dollar, it leaves Alamy only (assuming it is possible to block penny sales). If the threshold is 30 cents, then pull your port only from IS and SS. Etc etc
I got one of these nano DLs on Alamy yesterday too -- 0.23 gross. Makes for quite a wild month there, 0.23 - 1850.00. But as long as there are large sales, even if occasional, it is more than worth supporting Alamy, also making high quality shots exclusive to them
124
« on: March 28, 2022, 17:09 »
No tricks or secrets, describe your image and add keywords that are relevant.
Best advice one could get It is also why clunky IS managed dictionary concept is hugely flawed. Nobody in their sane mind is going to search for "light - natural phenomenon" "looking at view" "wave - water" etc. But there are many photos with such IS Generated phrases at other sites, where they will be completely useless
125
« on: March 28, 2022, 14:58 »
This penny avalanche might not be Novel, but large subscription deal with someone. After landing on single image, they went through whole port and picked up what they were interested in.
My Alamy experience this month is totally opposite: (Gross amounts, 2K port size)
75.00
1850.00
14.75
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