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Messages - increasingdifficulty
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 [6] 7 8 9 10 11 ... 74
126
« on: June 11, 2019, 03:03 »
...not fixed for me. They go up or down $50, $100, $200.
It's funny how many posts about bad sales we're getting when sales are fixed.  You'd think all months would be the same then, i.e., no bad sales.
I don't say anything about your sales or anyone elses 
Read what I said about MY sales. Within $1 per month for the last 5 months
Yes, I don't doubt YOUR sales were like that. But why did they choose to fix YOUR sales? How many images do you have? It's quite natural that the demand for certain content stays consistent. Travel to London isn't 1 million people one month, 25,000 the next, 4 million the month after that. No, it stays quite consistent, with gradual change over time.
127
« on: June 11, 2019, 02:53 »
...not fixed for me. They go up or down $50, $100, $200. It's funny how many posts about bad sales we're getting when sales are fixed. You'd think all months would be the same then, i.e., no bad sales.
128
« on: June 07, 2019, 04:07 »
IncreasingDifficulty, you justify your nickname!  Premiere blurring automated masking on moving subject also do the job (perhaps) with less resources needed than AE
Well, I suppose everything is difficult at first.  I absolutely can't stand Premiere, and it crashes frequently (where After Effects pretty much never crashes). And while Premiere certainly can do many of the things AE can do, AE was built for this kind of stuff. I will admit that when I first opened AE, it was very confusing and overwhelming. Now I find it to be easier than Premiere to use. But yes, probably slower...
129
« on: June 07, 2019, 02:09 »
Is there a software that can or can be trained to automatic remove logos in photos or video? I assume no, but thought I'd ask anyway. Because who knows.
Well, there is software that can blur faces and license plates, so I'm sure it can be trained to blur logos too. But I'm not sure it's accessible to us mere mortals... Best thing is to learn how to do it manually, like most things. I mean, not even "Auto Contrast" or "Auto White Balance" really works... For photos it shouldn't take more than a few seconds, but of course video is much trickier, and can be frustrating, especially if your camera moves. After Effects does the trick though, and it's worth learning if you're serious about video.
130
« on: June 05, 2019, 09:52 »
Time is money, thus an enormous amount of money saved.
No, good files with ACCURATE, RELEVANT, keywords is money. Getting 10,000 images up with crappy keywords is pointless, which is why we hear so many complaints from people with big portfolios and no sales. AI can't even come close to an average human brain, BUT, it could be useful as an idea generator - one quick look at the suggested keywords, and then pick out a few that are relevant. This wouldn't save time though, but might be a little bit of help. I would never ever just go with the suggestion because it will in about 100% of the cases contain errors and miss out on important keywords.
131
« on: June 04, 2019, 01:15 »
I can't see any filter for "exclusive". The exclusive files have the "E" watermark right? they aren't all listed first, so that's also not giving any advantage to exclusive files, Well, they said Exclusive files wouldn't rank higher, so no surprise there. They also said a filter might come later on. a quick few searches reveals that the top line of "popular" is often very low price points.
Popular sorts files by the number of sales, so that is quite expected. There are about zero regular people who would ever pay $150 for one clip, only businesses. However, Best match (default for me at least) sorts by revenue (with a touch of newness + some other factors), so a $199 sale will rank higher than five $25 sales.
132
« on: June 02, 2019, 15:30 »
I think its the content which is most important, not whether it is exclusive or not.
No, no, no, you've got it all wrong. If a clip is exclusive the buyer just MUST have it. It turns into a diamond. Imagine the feeling of being the only one in the world having access to this exclusive clip. Just like the Mona Lisa. Imagine the awe from colleagues and friends. Most would probably pay four figures for a chance at an exclusive item like that. They could even write in the ad or corporate video they make - "Made with only the finest exclusive clips". The boss wanted an amazing sunset aerial of New York? Forget it. An exclusive clip of New Jersey in dull lighting is much better. After all, it's exclusive.
133
« on: June 02, 2019, 11:53 »
Time doesn't improve search rankings.
How much a clip has sold for improves search rankings.
It often takes time to get that first sale because a very specific search is required without much competition to find a clip that has made $0. But time in itself is not something that improves the search ranking. Unless we're talking about lack of time, where you get a small window (a week or so depending on the subject of course) where you will be visible when sorting by "New".
And, in general, a newer clip with the same earnings as an older clip will rank higher. With a bit of mixing and randomness. And there could be reason to believe that curator ratings affect search placement as well.
134
« on: June 02, 2019, 10:10 »
With half day commissioned shooting I earn equivalent of 6 months of SS earnings.
Have you sold 1 image at Shutterstock the last 6 months or a million?
135
« on: May 31, 2019, 03:56 »
FYI... got a reply from P5 support yesterday saying they had removed the account. Only got around to checking it today, and it's still there. Can get to their profile page with all my items still listed and they're still showing up in searches. Have emailed them to double check... although it could be a caching issue. Time will tell.
"My search returned no results", so probably just a caching issue. That was for photos. Videos still there, probably just a question of time.
136
« on: May 30, 2019, 09:46 »
Another perspective is that music industry died after napster appearance There's plenty of money in music, I know because I get a nice chunk of it every month, and I am almost completely unknown, just making music at home. No touring, no t-shirt sales. There are more opportunities today than ever before, you just have to be creative and look for them. Be open to anything, and care about the business side as much as the music itself. and there was an actual turn in mainstream music with computer generated music There's a BIG difference between making music with computers and "computer generated music" (as in AI). I come from a rock/metal background and play several instruments, and I find it much harder to make good electronic music, but it's fun and very rewarding when it all comes together. (name a famous (new) human executed guitar riffle of this generation) Well, there are quite a few, but the main change is the change of what popular music is. Van Halen riffs (as much as I love them) died out long before Napster. Young people constantly want new music, something that sounds different from what their parents listen to. That drives constant change, which is a great thing! ...etc and reducing actual production time and costs. Reduced production cost (don't know about time necessarily...) is a great thing, don't you think? Today, it is available to so many people, unlike in the 80s/90s and before that, where you had to have contacts to even dream of recording anything professional. I think the music climate is great today.
137
« on: May 30, 2019, 00:54 »
Anyway, what tips can you guys share with taking some useable stock footage with my gopro camera?
My best tip is to use it for what it's made for - action and difficult angles. Under a car, on your head while mountain climbing, on a surfboard, on a ski helmet, on a ski, etc. If a big, better camera can be used instead, the footage will not be too impressive because the quality isn't there, and there's usually too much wide angle... Get close, lots of movement, action, difficult angles. That's where these cameras shine.
138
« on: May 29, 2019, 05:45 »
UK - I assume National Security is the same as National Insurance (covers NHS and pensions but... this is pittance really). It's also compulsory in the UK.
I'm talking about what people are investing in for when they retire. Stocks? Bonds? Crypto? Housing? or just cash?
I feel it's important and yet not spoken about really?
Also can you see our portfolios still bringing in money in 20 or 30 years time? My best seller is now 8 years old and still brings in a decent amount each year? I find it all fascinating...
Well, as for pension, just like with any regular job, where I live I have to pay into my pension. No difference. As for investing, diversify! No one can see the future so I actually do pretty much all of the above. Enough cash or quickly liquidated assets to survive a few years with 0 income. Some other long-term investments. Some high risk investments that, if successful, would mean earning lots of money, and if they fail, not a catastrophe, just a bit sad. Also can you see our portfolios still bringing in money in 20 or 30 years time? My best seller is now 8 years old and still brings in a decent amount each year? I find it all fascinating...
Well, if you keep up with the times and are open to new ideas and ways of selling, absolutely. If you stick to the same type of still images only at Shutterstock and Adobe, I wouldn't count on making money for 30 years... But be aware of new opportunities, new technology, what people want to buy, etc. etc., learn simple motion graphics, 360 imagery, whatever else will be popular within the next 30 years. By the way, what is this "retire"? I don't ever see myself doing just nothing. But I suppose that's because I don't work in a factory, counting the days until retirement - my hobbies are my work. In a way, I'm already retired and have been since my 20s.
139
« on: May 27, 2019, 09:39 »
I've got some AE templates on AS, which I like, because they're "compiled" into .mogrt format. On the other sites, you actually sell an AE file, right? What's to stop anyone from stealing some of the underlying expression code or anything else?
Same as what's stopping people from stealing your photos, or anything else on the internet. Nothing. .mogrt files are very limited, and useful for simpler stuff like titles. For the advanced AE projects, yes, you get a project file, or sometimes even a plug-in that you can install. Many of the top selling items are floating around on pirate sites, and yet they still sell for $15k per month.
140
« on: May 27, 2019, 08:27 »
Not trolling....just a silly oversight on my part...thanks!
No worries, happy searching! And feel free to share interesting findings.
141
« on: May 27, 2019, 08:19 »
chappel, harbour, etc...
It's "chapel". I see that "chappel" can sometimes be accepted as an alternate spelling, but in general, it's "chapel".
142
« on: May 27, 2019, 08:02 »
I question the search results on P5 using those parameters, unless perhaps I am using them incorrectly.
You indeed are. There can't be any spaces between salegt: and the number. It's all one word, very important. Otherwise 100 and 50 are just seen as keywords, which is why you are getting the results you are getting.
To the search engine, a space means "OK, done looking at that thing, let's look at the next", so in your search, the "salegt:" has no effect at all.
Still not working for me. I performed the following two searches
manhattan salesgt:1
manhattan salesgt:10000
Both searches returned the same 84262 results...what am I doing wrong?
Don't know if you're trolling but I'll be nice. It's salegt:1 NOT salesgt:1, NOT salegt: 1, NOT salesgt: 10000 --- manhattan salegt:1 manhattan salegt:10000 --- Exactly like that. Nothing else will work. By the way, there are no video clips with sales higher than 420, so you can stop there.
143
« on: May 27, 2019, 00:46 »
I question the search results on P5 using those parameters, unless perhaps I am using them incorrectly.
You indeed are. There can't be any spaces between salegt: and the number. It's all one word, very important. Otherwise 100 and 50 are just seen as keywords, which is why you are getting the results you are getting. To the search engine, a space means "OK, done looking at that thing, let's look at the next", so in your search, the "salegt:" has no effect at all.
144
« on: May 25, 2019, 13:30 »
Every week a bunch of people complain about some sales drop, and every week a bunch of people threaten to leave the site... for the ten years or so they've had the forums. Some do, some don't... but all the while Envato has got bigger and bigger, bringing in more and more revenue.
Exactly. These forums (including this one) don't reflect anything even close to reality. Negative results create anger and frustration, which results in forum posts. Positive results just create a lack of forum posts. People are incredibly more likely to whine about bad sales than write about normal or above average sales. Furthermore, it seems most posters don't have even the slightest analytical ability and logical reasoning (you are a nice exception SSF, and although I disagree on some points, I agree on many). Even the basics like averages and actually looking at numbers seems to be too much. Including this forum. Then we have the "back in my day" folks who think that everything new is bad. They sold some $5k licenses in the 80s and in their mind, we are still there... Better find a DeLorean and jump back. And then of course the people without any self-awareness whatsoever, who constantly complain, every single day... One look at their portfolio and it's obvious why. Unfortunately not to them... And like you say, not many see the big picture. It's generally not enough to just grow your portfolio to increase sales. You have to grow it in relation to everyone else. Which is why everyone will reach a plateau sooner or later.
145
« on: May 25, 2019, 12:18 »
...and just because I was curious, I also compared projects uploaded since May 2018, so we get a bigger picture. VH: 8,091 items. Out of those, the number of items with 39 sales or more (High and Top Sellers): 1,080. 13.3%. P5: 3,634 items. Out of those, 39 sales or more: 1 (one). Percentage not visible on radar.
146
« on: May 25, 2019, 11:43 »
I'll let you interpret those numbers.
Ok you convinced me 
Can I ask you where do you get access to those stats?
Yes, you can. And I will tell you. At VideoHive it's easy as you probably know, just a bit of clicking. At Pond5, there are some great search tools you can use. itemgt:"any number" shows you items newer than an item with that number. I know that items above 108000000 were uploaded the last 10 days (based on my own uploads). salegt:"any number" shows you items with sales ABOVE that number. salegt:0 shows items with 1 sale or above. --- So, in the search bar with After Effects selected, you type itemgt:108000000 salegt:0 to get the AE templates uploaded in the last 10 days with at least one sale. Remove the salegt:0 and you see all the templates that were approved. --- edit: I just need to make a small correction. I originally wrote "items approved", but the item number is for "items uploaded", but generally, approvals at Pond5 are very fast, so the 10 days there should be comparable to the 7 days at VH.
147
« on: May 25, 2019, 11:26 »
Want some more statistics? Of course you do. In the last 10 days, 111 new AE templates were added to Pond5. Their total number of sales? 0. Zero. --- In the last week, 144 new items were added to VH. Their total number of sales? 85. --- I'll let you interpret those numbers. --- ...OK, I'll give it a try. Some possible conclusions that can be true or false: You are too late to the party. New items at VH sell MUCH, MUCH better than at Pond5. You need to improve your skills. You need to make something there isn't already an abundance of. --- When the smell of money reaches a large number of people, and the barrier to entry is relatively small (not easy to make GOOD AE templates, but anyone is allowed a try), one thing is sure to happen: Dilution of earnings. Looking at the top sellers lists does not give a realistic image of the chances for a newcomer. Neither does looking at statistics from a year ago, or two years ago.
148
« on: May 25, 2019, 11:10 »
Now YOU might do better at Pond5, who knows...
BUT, Pond5 is a small ant in comparison to the VideoHive elephant.
There are 1,716 AE templates with 400+ sales at VideoHive.
Over at Pond5? 3. Yup, three. And they are priced minimally.
---
What you are experiencing is what is happening everywhere, at every agency everywhere. More authors. More competition. The number of authors is growing faster than what customers can keep up with. It's really that simple.
They can't promote every new project when there are so many. It's more likely that customers want to buy a proven seller. If they want a new project they sort by new. Heavily promote new items, and the authors who have worked hard for years and helped build the site get upset. Promote bestsellers, and newbies get upset... They can't win.
Pond5 is probably the absolute worst website of them all for new items by the way.
Of course, there is less competition at Pond5 (along with a fraction of the customers). The best strategy for someone without bestsellers might be to seek out the smaller sites where you have a chance of more visibility. They might grow to a big giant some day.
149
« on: May 24, 2019, 08:46 »
...and they have had 13 sales they owe you (or someone else).
None of my clips in there thankfully.
How do you know they've had 13 sales?
artist:jennibillys salegt:0 shows 12 clips = at least 12 sales. artist:jennibillys salegt:1 shows 1 clip = at least 13 sales. artist:jennibillys salegt:2 shows 0 clips = exactly 13 sales. Those were footage sales by the way.
150
« on: May 24, 2019, 08:44 »
I looked through about 20 pages of photos, and didnt see any of mine. As far as I got, they were all food/drink related (the way of scrolling through photos sux). These thieves MUST have a way to tap into a database and siphon huge amounts of content at once. Its ridiculous.
Search artist:jennibillys in Photos and it's much faster. 120 items per page and only 5 pages. https://www.pond5.com/photos/1/artist%3Ajennibillys.html
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