A) 50p, maybe 25p for low light situations (never use 50i, it is old. Some agencies even don't accept it)
B) 30 sec (Shoot at least 30, send around 15-20)
C) PhotoJPEG (Evey agency accept it and said to be the highest quality)
D) Yes (I use it Photoshop Premiere Elements for it. But you should use it max %3 to keep the quality.)

To add to these excellent suggestions you might consider shooting with a 4K dslr if you can swing it because it Is not only easy to crop with zero loss of quality but you can build in panning and zooming when converting a 4K to 1080p because the file is much larger than the working space of HD allowing you to create a subtle motion path.

Very hard to make it these days and I would say that the angle to have any degree of reasonable success beyond just quality (sharpness, noise, etc) is commercial viability with differentiation.  You have to supply work that is commercially in demand, unique and hard to copy.  There are some really good artists in this forum and not who are simply amazing at what they do. Many are Photoshop experts who can effectively combine imagery with PS manipulation, some like Sandralaise who is quite amazing at her light from a window shots.

Do not think you can get into stock by shooting snappies around town and make any money. I also believe you need to establish what financial goals are acceptable to you. $250 a month? $500 a month? Set your expectations low, but your goals high. There's a balance there. 

Quote from: Mantis on January 06, 2016, 11:55

Quote from: Herg on January 06, 2016, 10:45

I keep getting emails from them updating me on the latest files of mine they have deleted from the catalogue. Mmmmm. Lovely.

Really? If this is true then they are culling the collection and taking the 4-year no sales thing further. I can expect a good chunk of files to be canned. DT really lost any ounce of respect I had for them whe they did their income redistribution thing six months ago. It cut my earnings in half.

Nothings changed for me. I still get emails giving me thirty days notice regarding non-sellers over 4 years old. I can either keep online or donate to their free section. If you do not respond to the email your chosen default action happens (keep on line in my case). You just preset this option on your account. If you do click the link on the email you get the two options there and then to choose from.
I always keep on line for the very good reason that I often get sales on older images that have never sold before (probaly more relevant to editorial images than, say, a sliced tomato on white). Regards, David.

I get those too but I was referencing Herg saying that they are deleting his images from the catalogue. To me that means they are deleting some of his approved images from the DT collection.

I keep getting emails from them updating me on the latest files of mine they have deleted from the catalogue. Mmmmm. Lovely.

Really? If this is true then they are culling the collection and taking the 4-year no sales thing further. I can expect a good chunk of files to be canned. DT really lost any ounce of respect I had for them whe they did their income redistribution thing six months ago. It cut my earnings in half.

Thanks Pixart.  Good explanation.   Unfortunately I average several hundred a month payout from Envato.   Adds up to 2-3k per year.  Its a lot to give up.  I would rather find a way to work out the tax issue with my accountant if possible.

It is a hassle indeed but I think as long as you can write off on a 1 for 1 basis the "fees" then it's a little extra work on record keeping, at least in the USA. The real effort is record keeping, but your net taxable income should be the same, just managed differently by your accountant as a business expense. I don't make much with Envanto so I may close my account. I've already closed three accounts in the last few weeks. What's one more?

I just believe that the character of the owner is a strong indication of how the site will be managed. I'm out for that reason alone. Sounds like he works for FOTOLIA.

It's a tad soft at 100% and there are trademark issues all over the place. I would even question the gold tower and the blue disc things as "needs property release". So Cesar is right about it being editorial.

The hard truth is that agencies have PLENTY of images to keep them going for years. Fresh images probably fill such a small area of consumption when compared to the millions they already have that it would be inconsequential to the agency's success.  They have so darn many images from contributors who pay no attention to what's really happening in this business that sustainability from those contributors alone is huge.  They pump in new content as well, giving the agencies a gigantic advantage over those few (like me) who are fed up. I can leave, bitch, moan, complain (I do a lot of that, I'll admit), whatever, and they could care less. This is the reality of this business. I know two big names personally who have left and I can tell you that their work is amazing.  One made it big in fashion.

I am sure there are those of you (like mentioned in here already) also know people who have defected. And it has made ZERO difference for the agencies. They will NEVER rescind their greedy ways, why should they? They have it all and those few defectors have perhaps in some cases had to start over, had income stripped (Sean L for example) and livelihoods greatly impacted.  I don't blame ANYONE from leaving this business and would myself if I had another place to satisfactorily place my work. It is one of the key reasons I am shooting far less images and learning video. In a year I produced 1,000 videos. In 2016 I plan on hitting 2000 more. 

For me it is about a week.  I just had 250 submitted and reviewed within a week.

Another BS mind fk knowing that nearly no downloads happen on Christmas Day.

The very obvious decline in activity on MSG reflects an accelerating loss of interest in microstock.  This should be a red flag to the agencies - except all their execs are in meetings discussing either their stock price, or who might buy their companies and how to claw back more from contributors.

I think he moved on from microstock, but may be here as a lurker.

Quote from: cathyslife on December 21, 2015, 13:34

Quote from: weathernewsonline.com on December 21, 2015, 12:54

Quote from: Microstockphoto on December 19, 2015, 03:32

whats wrong with a company looking after their employees?

Hear! hear!  Nothing wrong with it at all.  Wish more companies would take care of employees not just financially but those little things like treating professionals with respect and not micromanaging their every single move and treating them like five year olds.  Some companies like Google and others have these perks and they sure seem productive, probably a lot more than the workplaces where the supervisor stands over everyone and no matter what they did they did it wrong.

One of the TV stations I worked at had pass card locks on the bathrooms, why? well....it was linked to their productivity software and they timed how long you were in there, same software that monitored the computers for activity and nailed you if you didn't type on your keyboard constantly during the work day except when in meetings.

Well, but you and I are the ones paying for all those wonderful perks, at our own expense! We get the shaft on royalties so the shareholders can make billions, but then the employees get all kinds of sweet things, too. Nothing wrong with company perks as long as it isn't at the expense of someone else, and in this instance, it is. And as far as the pecking order goes, I personally think it should be contributors, then investors, then management, then employee perks. I will remove my rose-colored glasses now. 

One of the best Posts for 2015.

I got a very Nice expensive Handwritten Card today from Adobe/Fotolia.

I got my Christmas wish from FT when we parted ways. Such a great feeling to not be associated with such crooked management and self serving, cheating practices they levy on contributors. I don't miss the $60 a month that's for sure.