I just wanted to post an update to those of you who have considered migrating some of your microstock portfolios to the Getty Flickr collection.  Basically, you have to remove the RF image from other sites and get it approved by the Getty editors for use in their RF Getty Flickr collection.  This was a change from when they originally launched and initially weren't taking anything that had been sold RF elsewhere.  And getting them approved is harder now (2010) than it was in 2009.

I know this was hotly debated when the collection launched mid-year, but I've not seen much in the way of conversation since then.

My own experience has been very positive.  I was invited to post about 60 images in their collection by one of the Getty editors last April and have slowly been adding more images every month or two - first through their nomination process where you sent them a link to a set with images you thought might be approved, and then lately through their "Artist Picks" group on Flickr.  I've now gotten almost 400 images approved and up for sale and have been averaging $500 plus in commissions the last couple of months.

They do the keywording, and the lag between approval and keywording can take upwards of 2 months - but I'm particularly pleased that they have so many foreign buyers.  About 80% of my sales come from Europe, Japan, and Australia.

If you've been considering dipping your toe into the Getty Flickr collection....I'd suggest you do so.  The earnings are significantly more than via any of the microstock sites on revenue per image per month.

I apologize if this has been asked before, but can anyone tell me if any of the microstock sites accept photo art conversions (original photos converted to pseudo artwork using software)....? 

Here's an example of what I'm inquiring about.