I tried this morning and the confirmation wouldn't load. After a few hours I tried again and it seems to have worked. Wait a bit and try again, I guess.

Quote from: madelaide on January 08, 2011, 00:29
well, I am a mediocre seller, so i have only 1492 credits in 2010, slightly below the 1500 limit to move from 15 to 16%. The 16% wouldn't make me feel better anyway.

^ Exactly the same here! Thankfully doing better on the video side, though.

I didn't have any transactions reversed. Maybe affected accounts are on hold?

Just requested $50.50 payout via paypal and it seems to have worked. I hope support can sort out the issue.

What would you like me to enter if I'm half-exclusive to IS? I'm exclusive for video but otherwise independent.

Same here.

I have been uploading the release again as the e-mails come in. About 10-15 images from the same set. Most have since been approved, but I just had another e-mail before reading this post!

I thought I must have messed up, but maybe it isn't me?

BTW, I used deepmeta to upload w/release. Not sure if that's relevant.

When Shutterstock had HD clips at $199, I was exclusively uploading to them. Sales were actually not bad then, but soon they slashed prices dramatically. I was royally pissed. For a while I tried uploading across several sites, IS, StockXpert, P5, SS... but it just took so long to upload and maintain multiple galleries. iStock was by far my best performer at that point, so when they raised prices I was thrilled. I am now exclusive to iStock for video, and I just love it! My sales are now back where they were (in $$$) before SS's price cut, and rising.

My reasoning for only uploading to SS in the beginning was that by using multiple sites I would be competing against myself. After the price cut, that went out the window.

Also 1080 HD at iStock is 75 credits not $75.

Here's a link:
iStock "What is the alpha matte?"

Quote from: ErickN on July 26, 2008, 12:22
The few ones I've seen on IS include the plain footage followed by the alpha channel. So the video file is twice longer than the footage time.
The buyer then "selects" the second half of the footage and uses it as an alpha channel in video editing software.

Right. It's not technically an alpha channel. Rather a luma keyable version added to the end of the clip. A true alpha channel can be created by the buyer using this, or they may just use the luma key to composite the clip.

Just a bump. Still looking...

BTW, this is the weekend after the Double V'lypse in Toronto (2 hours away). So if anyone else is attending and feels like an extended vacation...

As far as I know, pocket wizards only communicate with other pocket wizards. So you would need a pair to do anything with them. To trigger two flashes with PWs, you could either:
-use three PW. one on camera and one per flash
-use two pocket wizards and trigger the other flash as an optical slave
or
-use two pocket wizards and wire both flashes to  the recieving PW.

Visit http://www.strobist.com for lots of information on using small flashes with (or without) pocket wizards.

The international versions are in beta.
http://www.dreamstime.com/thread_10206

Quote from: aremafoto on June 10, 2008, 15:29
Any other brand besides Canon worthy to be considered? Sony, maybe?

For SD, any of the offerings from Canon, Sony, Panasonic, or JVC should be good. I like the Pana PVGS-320 or PVGS-500 3CCD cams.

For HD, Canon and Sony have great HDV cameras.

Great idea Leaf! Sorry the other thread started to get off topic.

The HVxx Camcorders are the perfect first HD cam for a stock videographer!

The firewire cable should definately be included, but at least they are easy enough to find. Firewire has been the standard for consumer/prosumer camcorders since (I believe) the old Sony digital-8mm and the first mini-dv camcorders.

Thanks, I wasn't sure about that. Pity though. If it had manual I'd buy it tomorrow. Guess I'll keep saving for the A1.

There's a trick to controlling the gain by the way.  Tv -- 1/60 -- cover the lens with your hand -- press exposure -- dial it down to -11 (minus 11) -- uncover the lens -- adjust exposure as needed. This opens the Iris (aperture) all the way and keeps gain (ISO) to an absolute minimum. Use this in low light for cleaner images. It's as close to manual as I can get.

Leaf,

With the HV-30 can you controll Iris, Shutter and Gain at once (full manual)? Or does it only have Av, Tv, P, and exposure shift(EC) like the HV-10?

Any Mini-DV camera will do for SD video, as well as most DVD and hard disk cameras (JVC everio series, etc.). Compact photo cameras are generally not accepted by the micro-video sites, but you might be able to sneak a couple of clips through at 640x480 30FPS. You should be looking for either 480x720 30(29.97)FPS for NTSC or 576x720 25FPS for PAL.

If you're just now shopping for a camera for stock video, I would urge you to consider at least a consumer level HDV camera. With HDV cameras going for under $1000 USD, theres really no reason (aside from being on a very tight budget) not to future proof your video. I use the Canon HV-10, but the current HV-30 looks like a great cam. I'm saving up for the XH-A1 or a Sony XDCam next. (the cost of SxS cards may keep me away though)

If you do go the HD route, most recommend sticking with tape for now, the hard disk and dvd cameras use the AVC-HD codec which is considered lower quality than the tape based HDV cameras.


It's a bit strange switching from photo to video hardware. I'll try to make an analogy in terms of Canon's products:

Basic consumer level SD camcorders, like the Canon ZR series, are about equivelant to the Powershot ELPH series in terms of controll (point and shoot) and quality (good, but not spectacular).

High-end SD camcorders like the Canon XL-2 have interchangeable lenses and full contoll and connectivity like a DSLR.

Similarly on the HD front, the consumer level HV series are essentially point and shoot cameras, although their image quality is much closer to their more expensive counterparts, think Powershot A series.

The XH-A1 and XH-G1 would be your G series powershots. Great image quality and full controll with a fixed lens.

The XL-H1 is your DSLR, professional quality, interchangeable lenses and full controll and connectivity.

I hope this helps a bit.

Don't forget Pond5. Video only, no photos, but definately worth it. You can set your own price or let them set it for you! Sales aren't quite as frequent as SS or IS, but the 50% commission is nice.

P5 Footage Requirements

Referral Link

Non-referral Link

For the second year, I will have an opportunity to photograph an upcoming triathlon. If anyone is in the Western New York area (or will be in August), I will be looking for a second photographer to help cover the race. My 2nd from last year did a fantastic job, but has since moved to New Jersey, so he will not be available.

I really don't make much from these smaller events, so I can only offer $60 for the day. You will, however, maintain copyright to all of your photos. This could be a great stock opportunity as well as a chance to build a sports portfolio.

I only require that you have a DSLR with 6+ MP, and a moderate telephoto lens, 70-200 is ideal. If you have a Canon DSLR, I can provde lenses.

The triathlon will be August 9th, 6:00am - end (about noon). Rain or shine. I'll buy lunch after the race, and if you're interested (and up to it) I'd be happy to shoot over to Niagara Falls (10 min. away) or Buffalo/Niagara River after to shoot just for stock. I might even be able to arrange a model or two (no promises though).

If you're interested, or have any questions, you can post here or email me at: [email protected]

Photos from last year:
http://piccillophoto.smugmug.com/Sports/353040

Thanks,
-Nick

If you go with Premiere, it will handle everything from import to editing to export.  I use Streamclip if I just need to convert a file or a batch of files. It's great for that, and very quick. HDV Split didn't work for me, but I was having general Firewire problems when I tried it.

One more thing, I always turn off my anti-virus (Kaspersky) while capturing HDV in Premiere. I have had crashes with other programs running during capture (and only during capture).

Hmmm... From Adobe's site:

"Trials are currently unavailable
Product trials are unavailable until July 1. We apologize for any inconvenience. For additional details, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)."

...

Looks like they have it at download.com though:

http://www.download.com/Adobe-Premiere-Elements/3000-2193_4-10701416.html


ETA:
Arrgh... Nevermind...
"Note: The Download Now link will direct you to the developer's site where you must register before downloading the file."

Maybe someone who has both can comment. Sorry.

I use PE3 almost exclusively for editing 1080i from my Canon HV10. Works great for me so far.  I understand PE4 offers some nice features though, like motion tracking/image stabilization, not found in version 3. Just be sure to set the default project settings (on the startup menu) to HDV 50/60i . It's easy to miss.

Just a thought. You can probably download a trial of PE4 from Adobe's site. If it works well on your system ... go for it. If not ... give 3 a try.

You can add me as well. 868 images online.

Wouldn't shooting progressive give a little more flexibility in choosing exposure settings? 1080i is 60(half)fps or a minimum shutter speed of 1/60 whereas 1080p is 30fps or 1/30. Might be useful in lower light.

I'm no expert, and I don't know the intricacies of the HV30 ( I use the HV10 which doesn't offer 1080p), but just thought this might be significant in some situations.

There is a thread on this at Shutterstock.
http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34355