QuoteAs a non-illustrator I'm just curious are those illustrations with various variations produced by automated software in some way?

I don't know of any automated software option but if you have some experience you can organize your workflow so that you can easily produce variations (e.g. have the color & shading in separate layers so that you have variations by just changing the color). Again in my experience if the theme sells and it is well done variations just slightly enhance or refresh sales if it doesn't you just waste time you could put in a new illustration. The best use of variations is when a theme is proven its sale-ability.

My experience as an illustrator is that the higher the quality the least easy to have your subject successfully copied and therefore "replaced" in sales. Subjects are more or less fixed and rarely something completely new comes to surface. Style is also very important - sometimes style equals niche - but a recognizable and desirable style is also high quality...

So my verdict for illustrations and vectors is that Quality is King!!!

Quote from: jamiehooper on February 26, 2017, 19:32
Now, if I could just unlock the "magic formula" for that, I'd only have to submit a few images if each one sold really well. The holy grail of microstock!

If you find "magic potion" I give you half -NO- all of my Kingdom, for just a drop!!! I'll make it all back and then more the next month!

I'm a vector illustrator and I make something like $0.35 per vector per month.
I guess vectors work different than photos...
Are there any other illustrators here? what are your numbers??

It used to come on the 7th of each month like clockwork but lately it gets further and further away towards their "official" deadline on the 15th...

Please Shutterstock Kenobi you are our only hope (to enjoy some stability in this mickrostock environment... so don't f*** it up!)

I just got in with my old u/n & p/w...

Quote from: Canonbabe on February 06, 2017, 09:24
Between February 1st and 3rd, you will be receiving an email from us with your ESP username... On the 6th nothing arrived yet.
According to Deep Meta V3 the info will be send out in the first week of february, that gives them ONE extra day to get their @#$% ready.

We are in the second week of February and as far as their @#$% goes, it is beyond recovery...

Quote from: Artist on February 06, 2017, 05:45
Yes, I have received. Yet, I think it is still updating. There is nothing in there currently.

Did they give you u/n and p/w as they said they would "untill Feb. 3"??

Hi

It is 06-Feb and I haven't got any mail from iStock/Getty. Have you..?

Thanks

What is CR???

Hey

I guess everybody got the latest e-mail from IStock concerning ESP.
For now it has settled many peripheral concerns except one:

Will we get payed in ~25 February?

How much??

If we haven't passed the $100 threshold with IS sales alone,
how will we know if we got there with partner and subs???

If anyone is in the know I would appreciate their input...

Thanks!

Quote from: Pauws99 on January 02, 2017, 08:43

Quote from: nazlisart on January 02, 2017, 08:27

Quote from: KuriousKat on January 01, 2017, 19:18
I can get into the Getty Forum using my usual Istock login details. Perhaps you have something wrong?

The forums there appear to indicate that this is a temporary problem, and support provided this link to view stats for the time being: http://www.istockphoto.com/user_stats.php?id=000000&Offset=-1&DownloadsGraphFileType

Hope it helps you until the site mess is sorted out.

Contributors should know at any moment what is their balance. It is common sense and essential when having any kind of business partnership. You can't exactly know where you're at with this info...

Whatever the case with this crap a self-respecting company should have communicated in clear manner well in advance what's going on and DEFINITELY should have a spokesperson in this forum!!!

"Business Partnership" ha ha you are a supplier in no meaningful sense a partner.

"ANY KIND" Being a supplier is one kind of a business partnership regardless of how small...

Quote from: KuriousKat on January 01, 2017, 19:18
I can get into the Getty Forum using my usual Istock login details. Perhaps you have something wrong?

The forums there appear to indicate that this is a temporary problem, and support provided this link to view stats for the time being: http://www.istockphoto.com/user_stats.php?id=000000&Offset=-1&DownloadsGraphFileType

Hope it helps you until the site mess is sorted out.

Contributors should know at any moment what is their balance. It is common sense and essential when having any kind of business partnership. You can't exactly know where you're at with this info...

Whatever the case with this crap a self-respecting company should have communicated in clear manner well in advance what's going on and DEFINITELY should have a spokesperson in this forum!!!

Quote from: Justanotherphotographer on January 01, 2017, 11:59
Drop IStock, you will have a lot less things to worry about.

For me IStock is the second biggest earner after SS consistently since I started with microstock. FT and 123RF got closer lately but still not there yet.

Easy to say such things when IStock is down the list...

Today all financial data were disappeared!!! I hope this is temporary but still we shouldn't HOPE about such things, we should have been notified in a clear manner well in advance...

Does iStock have a spokesman in this forum???

I'd say this kind of sites are mostly for illustrators and less so for photographers...

What we really need is a "Shopify" like platform for mikrostockers, and it needs to be from serious, dedicated and committed intrapreneurs. The rest is bla bla bla...

"Credit Line" doesn't mean anything to artists and users/buyers of artwork but means a ton to bankers and financiers...
THIS IS SCARY!!!

Thank you all for your input!

Hi

I wander what is the deal with SS Followers, the number you see under "Earnings". Does it work and How?

I used to have this number climbing as time went by but for some time now it's stack at 44...
Have SS frozen this feature?

Also I was wandering if anyone knows what does "followers" mean in SS and how important are for sales?

Thanks

Quote from: MichaelJayFoto on December 16, 2015, 08:42

Quote from: nazlisart on December 16, 2015, 08:36
November's Partner Program and Subscription commissions on IS started as usual in the beginning of this month. Subscriptions are still counting toward the end of November but PP stopped at the 10th of the month. I checked to see if I accidentally opt out of PP (very unlikely) but I can't find the link.

Does anyone knows if IS still have PP, does it count your commissions past November 10???

Thank you

It's not one single report, it's a bunch of files they need to import into their systems. And sometimes the order of the files gets screwed up, that's what probably has happened again. No panic needed, I guess now the subscription sales will finish showing and then they will pick up importing the rest of the PP downloads.

Thank you for your reply!!!

November's Partner Program and Subscription commissions on IS started as usual in the beginning of this month. Subscriptions are still counting toward the end of November but PP stopped at the 10th of the month. I checked to see if I accidentally opt out of PP (very unlikely) but I can't find the link.

Does anyone knows if IS still have PP, does it count your commissions past November 10???

Thank you

Hi Everybody!

I'm not exclusive in IS and I was really wandering if as an exclusive I would have more DL than I have right now. IS right now covers 21% of my income while SS covers 30% and the rest comes mostly from Graphic River, 123RF & Fotolia. But seeing the table on the right of this forum I wander if by turning exclusive I would achieve 150+% of what I make right now by just becoming exclusive.

Can anyone help me with this??

Thanks!