I must have missed something. I though people were saying that they were opting out.

Thanks for the info.

I'm brand new to Fotolia and just uploaded (still keywording) my first batch of images. I can't seem to find very much info on the sub sales. How do you "opt out"?

I've seen an uncropped version of that image on t-shirts at Hot Topics. I can't find an image on the web to link to for it though.

The cat's were most likely isolated from this image. http://bp1.blogger.com/_bS346TZfR38/RtRhoxUIZyI/AAAAAAAAAVA/S36wyV_GZ50/s1600-h/20050216-emily_the_strange.png

I found it on a blog site using google image search. Tineye is down right now so I can't use that to find the other image.

Video exclusive is separate from images/vector/illustration exclusive although the same rules apply. If your a video exclusive then you can only sell RF video at IS but you can still sell everything else anywhere.

There are 2 programs written by IS members currently available for bulk uploading. Both are free but request donations to help keep them in production. They both have quirks. The biggest downside with these is any time that IS makes a major change to the site it takes a while for the program developers to catch up.

I find it interesting that IS mentioned that they had the highest level of rejections. But it fits the "we are elite" mindset that plagues several of the admins.

This has come up before on the site. IS had a library sign up as a contributor. All of the archived images that they hold were added to the collection. I can't remember the name of the group but it created quite a stir on the site.

The admin eventually came in to say that as long as you can prove that no one else has the copyright then you can use the image. Since then there have been  conflicting opinions by both inspectors and admins and most queries on the subject go unanswered.

According to admin there was a policy update regarding the NASA images but I don't know what thread title to look under for the information. Here is the link to the announcement that the policy will be updated. http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=62000&page=1

It seems the referral system is creating a cottage industry. There's one gal who is hotlinking to watermarked images on IS and SS for her website. The images then link back to the copyright holders portfolio but with her referral link.

So you might get a 20 cent sale she's getting the $20 referral bonus.

IS had to do something. Between the price hikes every 6 months and the searches coming up with spammed images before relevant ones, many buyers are looking elsewhere.

I don't know about the best match for sure. There is a lot of speculation about the best match and a lot of people who are more interested in spending time trying to figure out how to rig the system rather than figure out how to take good images.

Knowing that "Ratings Gangs" (rigging the ratings) and "Download Gangs" (dl'ing each others images to boost best match placement) have both been dealt with. IS admin has also stated that the best match algorithm has been changed based on these gangs. It's not that far fetched to think that a group may be trying to use views to influence best match. If it works no one knows but that wouldn't mean someone isn't trying.

My understanding is that views are only registered if the image screen is brought up and that you can't affect your own views. (ie I look at my image on the image screen and it doesn't register as a "view")

I just canceled my account at Scoopt last month. I had signed up with them before they were taken over by Getty. I could only get 4 images through QC there but none of them ever sold. I can tell you this. All of my images of celebrities interacting with local political leaders were rejected. It's hard to know what they want because they don't spell it out very well. You'll also want to read the fine print. Image exclusive for a year and after that they can sell it through whoever they want. 

Number of views is part of the secret best match formula. Some believe that high views with few downloads will push your images farther back in the results.