Hmmmm...I uploaded 11 illustrations today that were immediately accepted. Guess I'll have to go back later and see if they move to a different pile. Haven't uploaded to DT in ages and ages, so I was impressed by the fast acceptance. Will report back if things change.

I was going to say Dreamstime too.
I believe Adobe also does - they did when they were Fotolia.

I feel a bit of a luddite asking this, but I've been very comfortable using Photoshop CC2015 for so many years, I wonder if I need to update.  Can I leave the CC 2015 on my desktop and try the cloud version of Photoshop at the same time?
Thanks

I have been able to get through to Adobe when I've had issues, so I'd try to reach them by phone and ask. It's definitely worth upgrading IMHO.

FWIW, from my experience, when you update I think it will removes earlier versions unless you tell it not to but it's tricky - so back it up beforehand if you are uncertain. In had PSv6 but in looking at my Applications folder, it isn't there anymore and I'm not sure if that is by choice or not but I have folders labeled Photoshop 2019, 2020, the only things in them are presets, however, in addition to LR CC & LR Classic CC, I still have LR v5, so if you do it correctly you shouldn't lose the older version of PS & LR - I also think when you go to your Adobe Account, you can see the older versions that you bought there BUT I don't think they are supported anymore, so you might lose the updates if you rely on that. Best to backup and/or call Adobe Support for help.

In terms of whether it's worth upgrading: Honestly, I'd happily pay for CC if I didn't get it for free the past few years, even the earlier versions are so much better than PS6/LR5 - you can do things in LR Classic with adjustment brushes that you couldn't even do in PS RAW before - I only go into PS when I need more complicated cloning and other things that require layers. It makes your workflow much faster. And the sky replacement and neural filters and better masking etc. in the newer PS versions are really excellent. It's all pretty intuitive if you've been a longtime PS/LR user and Adobe has a ton of tutorials on their site.


Lots of creative options - the style neural filters are fun - though I'm mostly using them for fine art - but LR Classic speeds up all kinds of processing from stock to fine art.

 Good luck!

Similar experience. Stopped uploading years ago.

I remember some years ago a gallery I was showing at asked for my 500px account link - so much for the next big thing back then - disappointing. So much unrealized potential.

Rather than start a new thread...

I used the link above to try to opt in for 2021 and it keeps saying there is no Vendor for my SSN & Account # - they are definitely correct. Any thoughts? Just wait for it in the mail? Seems like others had this problem last year too. Any fixes expected?

My Adobe Account # is 9-digits. Copied and pasted from my Contributor ID on my Contributor Tab. Not sure if when I initially signed up with Fotolia I had a shorter/different account # - could that be the issue? I assume the current Contributor ID is the correct one to use.

Quote from: wordplanet on January 18, 2022, 17:45

Have had a handful of sales with Stockimo, mostly artsy but some editorial too. Most recently, two licenses in 2021, with 138 images, net ranges from $2.64-$25. One image has sold twice (artsy). Fun app. But easier to make $ on Alamy.

Pete, I find it tricky to find my pix on Alamy sometimes too, even when I search using the dropdown "mobile"  - I usually have to try different keyword combos. Not sure why.

Not getting any penny sales, so don't know how the shutterstock thing works. You can't opt out from distribution on Stockimo as far as I know, but who would want to opt out from US distributors, which is what you'd have to do?

Thank you, I did do some more searching and using specific title words, I did find my images on Alamy. I wasn't sure if Stockimo had it's own site, and it doesn't. That's what I wondered, they are there on Alamy and I suppose available for image packs and subscriptions?

Just funny that I think the image designation kind of says what I think it looks like?    Image ID: S1H1T5
and finding others, Image ID: S3JAGJ and Image ID: S384DW are also mine and it appears that the S is for Stockimo.

Personal use
$ 19.99
Presentation or newsletters
$ 19.99
Website
$ 49.99
Magazines and books
$ 69.99
(there are more)

Still I wonder where the cheap sales are coming from. Some examples of the pack pricing.

Presentation or newsletters
5 pack $16.80 per download
$83.99

10 pack $14.90 per download
$148.99
25 pack $13.96 per download
$348.99

Website
5 pack $42.40 per download
$211.99
10 pack $37.40 per download
$373.99
25 pack $34.96 per download
$873.99

Alamy prices for their big clients are sometimes lower than the calculator, they have bulk deals. When Stockimo started they were all $50, and Alamy contributors got 50%. Now most are lower - especially to newspapers. One of my Stockimo images appeared in about 10-15 newspapers around the country and online circa. 2020 - I netted $7.50 as if it was one license, since it went to a large group that owns local papers around the country.

But I enjoy playing with my phone pix and it's a fun creative outlet.

Have had a handful of sales with Stockimo, mostly artsy but some editorial too. Most recently, two licenses in 2021, with 138 images, net ranges from $2.64-$25. One image has sold twice (artsy). Fun app. But easier to make $ on Alamy.

Pete, I find it tricky to find my pix on Alamy sometimes too, even when I search using the dropdown "mobile"  - I usually have to try different keyword combos. Not sure why.

Not getting any penny sales, so don't know how the shutterstock thing works. You can't opt out from distribution on Stockimo as far as I know, but who would want to opt out from US distributors, which is what you'd have to do?

I only nominated 23 of 85 possibilities, they chose 2 so far, but many of the nominees were older autumn and Christmas-themed images that haven't sold in a while. Hoping more will be chosen by September. I didn't expect a big cash infusion since I chose so few. In retrospect, it would've made sense to choose a lot more if I wanted any kind of meaningful cash infusion.

I've seen a nice uptick in sales on Adobe the past couple of months, including more single sales in the $3-20 range rather than the more common 99 cents per download, so I was reluctant to settle for $5 for images I felt had potential. Only time will tell if I made the right choice but without nominating a large selection, the earnings are really nominal, so I'm thinking maybe I should have taken a chance with more of them.

Quote from: wordplanet on June 07, 2021, 14:26

I took a quick look and it appears that photographs downloaded between 1 and 3 times are eligible - is that correct? (I have one that was downloaded 4x but has the nominate button too - guess it may've been downloaded recently).

...

I have seen files in my port with 20 downloads that are eligible. My guess is it is probably a "download rate" thing. You asked several great questions btw!

Thanks.

I saw one with 14 when I looked again ... and another with 77 ...

...so thanks for the explanation Mat.

Thanks for sharing. Inspiring.

The past two years I've made more on FAA than on any one stock agency. For $30 I find it's more than worth it.

Some of what sells is similar to stock - travel tends to do well as framed prints. Illustrations work for products such as masks, pillows, etc. but also sell as prints fairly well.

I also sell a lot of images that I would not upload as stock.

And, as you can set your own prices, you can feel good about being paid fairly for your work.

Although I sell my images directly to local clients, depending on what someone is looking for and where they live, I sometimes send them there instead, since Fine Art America does a good job with printing, framing, etc.

I've been with them since 2010, so have had a chance to order various prints and products to check the quality and have used them at times for gallery printing since I am pleased with the quality, as all my clients have been. I suggested aluminum prints to a friend from Georgia recently. She ordered two and liked them so much, she ordered another the following month. In fact, right now, I have a large aluminum panoramic print I ordered from them in a gallery show here in NY.

I sent my daughter a puzzle, their latest product, for Christmas and she said the pieces were very nice. I also find the masks easier to breath through and more comfortable on my small face than cloth ones I've ordered from various other vendors this past year. Their greeting cards are good for marketing, nicely printed and they give the title of the image and your name on the back.

Most sales I've had are to strangers all over the US and less frequently, Europe. Most sales are framed prints or on aluminum. Most repeat sellers are prints, though I had one illustration that was a repeat seller on masks. I sell a few cards and pillows, occasionally other items, though I find I make more product sales via redbubble where I have a much smaller portfolio. 

With 784 images, I've been averaging a few sales a month despite these uncertain times, usually netting between $50-250 per print this past year. I found that in 2020 my number of sales increased over 2019, but prints tended to be smaller than before, reflecting the state of the economy I assume. 2021 has been pretty good so far.

In all, I've had about 120 sales, very few my first couple of years, but they became more regular once I had about 400-500 images. Early on I found sales dropped when I dropped my prices, the opposite of stock.

Here's a link to my images sold collection: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/marianne-campolongo?tab=artworkgalleries&artworkgalleryid=495197 It gives you a sense of the wide variety of what sells. I have only included images sold to others on the site, and not those I've sold in galleries, etc.

Most sales are from people who find the work online via the site. I don't send out a newsletter, but for some years I posted regularly on twitter, facebook, pinterest, (and G+ when it existed), though I'm not sure what effect it had; occasionally I'd find a link between a sale and my efforts. I came to instagram late and without being able to post a working link am not convinced of its efficacy.

Compared to stock I think a couple thousand USD a year for less than 800 images is pretty good and sales have been increasing. I've also been approached by outside clients who found my work there, so even as a place to host your work, $30 is a bargain. I pay many times that for my Photoshelter website, which of course allows for many more options.

Anyway, that's my two cents. Hope it's helpful.

I'd look forward to anyone here who has found success selling on FAA and Pixels and what kind of things are most likely to create some return? I don't ask for best sellers or specifics, just concepts and what the market actually is?

I've had 30 sales this year, 10 this month, mostly framed prints, welcome but unexpected given the Covid slump. Here's a recent one:

https://fineartamerica.com/saleannouncement.html?id=21d6c7bca338cbdda426e3cacb5cd9e3

Landscapes (color and black and white) tend to sell pretty well.

I also sold a greeting card: https://fineartamerica.com/saleannouncement.html?id=f68dc2022274614cbb857498c6c974a6

a couple of masks including this which sold for the third time this year: https://fineartamerica.com/saleannouncement.html?id=77ea5a01b0e7e999cf52405a549b845a

And a bunch of other nautical and landscape prints. So even in my portfolio there's a wide variety of what sells, but items like the top image sell most often.  Fortunately most of my sales are prints which net me anywhere from about $40 for a very small print to a few hundred for larger ones. I uploaded some card and mask-friendly designs since I figure cards and stocking stuffers are a safe bet this time of year, but I only make a buck or two on them, so it is not really worth the trouble, unless someone buys a box of cards. I think even small sales move you up in searches though, so maybe it's worth it.

I've been on Fine Art America since 2010 and have seen significant sales growth in recent years, with net income more than doubling each year starting in 2018, while my stock photography income took a big hit in that same time period. I spent time starting in 2017 sharing my work on twitter, pinterest, and G+ when it was around, but many of my recent sales were images that were uploaded fairly recently and which I had not shared on social media. I think it's worthwhile. The next two weeks (along with November) are peak selling times, but you can get sales year-round.