I couldn't agree more with Cobalt.

Josephine.... let me ask your question from another perspective: is it fair with the technology we have today to have to take days or years to create a work of art?

I still like using the old methods but I think it's unfair that I can't use the best that technology has to offer.

Therefore what stops you as an illustrator from using this technology to create 100 coloring books instead of just 1 coloring book?
Isn't selling 100 books on Amazon better than 1? 

The feeling of loss of power when faced with new things is understandable, but the fear of new things is easily overcome by learning new tools. During my academic career I was trained to be open-minded, that things are always changing and that is why training and learning are a lifetime experience instead a partial time of our lives.

Tutorials, E-learning, Workshops, Seminars, Senior Universities are some of the new ways to keep training and learning. I hope you consider some of the new learning methods.

Quote from: Josephine on November 22, 2023, 13:56

Many talk about selling AI images. For private use is�t o.k. but not for the purpose of making money on other peoples intellectual property.

I will never use AI. Anybody else on this forum? If I would do so, I am no longer myself but a thief.

What if there was at some point some AI that you could train on only your own photos?

Thank you for raising that question. You can!
Actually before midjourney or dall-e was a thing we could already do it with via github/huggin face, or stable diffusion. At the time the results were not the best if we consider the output and user interface of the big companies. Since last 2 years a lot of people trained several type models and it's free.

It's hard to understand Generative AI is stealing which in fact is learning. Algorithms learn color, lines, shapes and dimension of things. Pretty similar like humans do. In a way since Art begin all artists have learn (stolen) styles from others. They have learned and developed a unique combination of that preview styles. We call it influences of an Artist which outputs a way of human experience. But if a machine can train and learn the same way some people call it steal.

If we consider machine learning to be stealing, perhaps computers shouldn't exist. Let me remind that copy/paste function is more enabled to be stealing someone's work than an unique generative AI image made from output learning.

Hello guys,

I have created a GPT to generate meta data for our stock images:
https://chat.openai.com/g/g-RlTKUHzlr-image-metadata-guru

You can upload your image and it will give you Title, Keywords in the order of importance, description, category and it will also notify you if there is any visible trademark or logo related issue with the image. It is not supporting editorial content.

You will need a subscription to use it. Let me know what you think about it.

It sounds great but I can't upgrade at the moment to test it. When i push the button to upgrade plus it says  "Due to High demand,  we've temporarily paused the upgrades".

The only choice is sign up for waiting list... I hope it doesn't take too long... 

Quote from: Evaristo tenscadisto on November 01, 2023, 09:25

I only stayed for one (wix) and it works as a kind of presentation of who I am with some promotional videos showing the diversity of work i can do. In the videos I leave a link where you can buy those and other clips or 2d/3d animations.

Could you share your website? Where those links point to? Microstocks?

On the website I only promote microstock work videos with buttons linked to microstock sites. And I only have a small bio, which in this case is more focused on work done solely in the visual arts. Everything is more or less linked between the website, microstock sites and social networks
 
I kind of structured it this way:

.promotional videos of some of my work on a Vimeo account linked to my website;
.promotional videos of microstock work on another Vimeo and YouTube account linked to my website
.social networks* where I promote some AI work or animations linked to my website
.Opensea account (Nft's) linked to the website and vice versa

. Microstock sites also linked to the website and social networks


*Note:linkedin, insta, x, tiktok and FB are the ones I use more...

Quote from: Evaristo tenscadisto on October 31, 2023, 03:13

Quote from: wds on October 29, 2023, 16:11

If you use "remove background" in PS does the image get tagged as AI and therefore create problems if you submit as Stock?

I think its just if you use generative AI. Unless you shoot in old cameras the new ones already have AI features like they can recognize and track objects, adjust settings based on the scene, and improve image quality through noise reduction and enhanced sharpness.

Almost everything has AI nowadays... And to be honest, I can't wait for my stove and pan to cook MasterChef recipes for me. 

I am not aware of any new cameras having AI features (yet).

Some people keep confusing AI with the broad term of technology and automation, but it is not the same.

AI can deal with conceptual ideas and uncertainty, and can analyze and apply new information to react to new situations.

Automation technology follows rules to handle straightforward tasks, and can�t react to new situations. This includes things like noise reduction, object tracking or sharpness enhancement.

In terms of what an AI camera is, it is a type of computational photography. It consists of the real-time processing of data to make decisions.
It's not automation technology, but maybe you're right for some of the new cameras that have incorporated the AI label into their cameras.
Anyway i google it for AI Cameras and here is the list of cameras that comes to me in search:

    Nikon: Z8 & Z9 all compression including HE* compression.
    Canon: R6 Mk II, R50, R8.
    Sony: A7R V, ZV-1M2, ZV-E1.
    Olympus: OM-5.
    Fujifilm: X-H2, X-T5, X-S20.
    Hasselblad: X2D, Stellar.
    Leica: Q3.
    Google: Pixel 7 Pro, 7a.

In Sony youtube channel they present sony A7R V  like that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s34OGZtgc3U

"In addition to the advanced image processing engine, the α7R V features a new AI processing unit that is dedicated to artificial intelligence processing, including deep learning. State-of-the-art AI processing uses detailed information about human skeleton forms and poses to dramatically improve the camera�s subject recognition accuracy and make full use of its potential resolution AI subject recognition has been expanded to include a number of new subject types, including vehicles and insects"

Also with google search i found interesting this article about AI cameras: https://expertphotography.com/ai-camera/

Quote from: Evaristo tenscadisto on October 26, 2023, 02:05

It's no big secret sauce but to keep it simple I made a template

This is interesting!
May I ask you more details about this? How a template can be adapted to many different images (or clips)?
Is it necessary to have the pay version or it can also be done with the free chatGPT?
Thanks

I use the free version. you don't need to pay.
The template is not about code or anything programmed. 

Although these days requesting tasks on chatgpt is a kind of programming the template that i created is just a set of tasks followed by considerations that I ask  chat GPT to take into account before performing the work. Then I add to that the list of 50-100 clips with the names I rendered. Clip names are simply basic descriptions of what the clip contains.

If you are going to create one keep in mind simple tasks with direct instructions. Don't use to much "Considerations" to perform the work. One for technical aspects and one for behavior/subjective aspects is enough. If you put more you start making entropy for chatgpt and you start getting redundancy in the feedback of your keywords. Less is more accurate if well defined at the begin.

In short the template structure is:
1 - Purpose of task
2 - Simple tasks with direct instructions (i only use 5 tasks)
3 - Considerations/work performance (How the work will be done by chatgpt in terms of Form and Content)
4 - List (list of names described. i use 50 or 100)

Hope it helps you. 
 

Probably I'm going to say what we all already know...

Content is king regardless of the format or type of capture and in many cases even with technical errors and without a tripod it sells better than other more perfect "candy" ones.

I have nearly 30K of footage and 2D/3D animation clips involving a range of formats from HD to 16K.
 
Close to 95% sales is HD, the rest distributed across the remaining formats. For me, I don't think it's even worth uploading 4K anymore or at least in next few years, something I've been thinking about abandoning because it takes up a lot of space on my hard drives (more than 40TB) between renders and raw files.

Also definitely thinking of abandoning timelapses. Although i sell some it simply does not pay me the costs.
I rather press button for "real time" footage, edit a little and preferably upload HD. Maybe leave a note in the clip description that I have other resolutions and get in touch if there is interest.

It's easy to ask all community than actually use a tool called search for it first isn't it? eheheh
i give you a clue. use it.

Topic: ChatGPT AI Actually creates good keywords

Quote from: Evaristo tenscadisto on September 11, 2023, 15:26

In short, if an P5 exclusive Contributor upload to SS he will be held hostage to the prices SS wants on both platforms despite being exclusive in P5 and will receive much less in terms of RPD.

Actually that does not appear to be the case.  The P5 Contributor agreement section for Exclusives specifically excludes SS and its companies as Other Marketplaces subject to the P5 price matching.

I PCDMedia i think you're right!

I am reading both Agreements now (old and new) and i find no difference in article "3. Pricing and Your Share of Net License Revenue", section 3a, V.  "notwithstanding anything to the contrary provided in this Section 3.a., you shall not set the price for an item of Content that is higher than the lowest price for which the same (or substantially the same) Content item is offered by or on any other media marketplace, agency or other redistribution arrangement (each an "Other Marketplace"), and if we discover that the Content item is offered at a lower price by or on any Other Marketplace, we may lower the price in our marketplace to match or beat that price."

Although i find something NEW in article 4 "Exclusivity Program for Video", f) :  "Unless and until the Exclusive Period is terminated under the prior paragraph e., you will not offer, market, license or provide any video Content or any Similar Footage to, on or through any Other Marketplace; provided, that for purposes of this Section 4.f neither Shutterstock, Inc. nor any member of the Shutterstock group of companies shall be deemed included in the term "Other Marketplace".

So as far as i understand it means you can upload SS or SS group of companies and we don't have Match pricing going on for exclusive P5 with SS  because its not consider other marketplace. Nevertheless i think this should be clarified in article 3a V and not just in 4.f

If the price that SS puts is lower, and it is always lower, I think customers will buy the clip wherever they find it cheaper because that's what I always do and I don't consider myself smarter than others. It's just very easy to search for the image on Google or with price shop devices and see which one has the cheapest price.

As exciting as the news is, I will not upload to SS. I think I'll leave everything as it is, wait and see 





 


 

Quote from: Evaristo tenscadisto on August 16, 2023, 17:40

"FLEX 10 Annual Subscription, Monthly. By signing up for a free trial of an annual subscription plan, you agree that Shutterstock will automatically charge the monthly subscription fee �29 to your payment method every month for 12 months until your subscription has expired, unless you cancel before the end of your free trial.By purchasing you agree to the Shutterstock License Agreement, or a separate written agreement in effect with Shutterstock."

The scam is in the wording. It's deliberately ambiguous. The bolded part makes it sound as if someone will be charged monthly, not the full annual price up front.

OK thanks I understand now. I also got the idea that it would be billed monthly and not a one off annual payment.

So if I understood correctly in this case it is a matter of purchasing a subscription service valid for 12 months and not a 1 month subscription service with automatic revalidation for 12 months although they present the idea that it is the second through so-called "dirty" marketing.

Normally when we press the "proceed to checkout" button we are taken to a page where the total amount to be paid appears to validate with a code sent to smartphone before the payment is actually made. It is at this time of payment that the total value and VAT for the purchase must appear, which differs greatly from �29 to �348. Anyway, the total amount to be paid should  appear on the page where we entered the card data.

It sounds like a desperate move by SS to sell subscriptions. I'm curious to see the company's next report as the shares fall in the last 6 months from $76 to $42.

Quote from: stoker2014 on June 03, 2023, 08:23

Quote from: baihocvien on May 31, 2023, 03:52

I'm reaching out because I recently joined Pond 5 as a contributor, and I could use some advice. Despite having 900 videos in my portfolio, I haven't made any sales yet. It's been a bit discouraging, to be honest.
If you have any suggestions or tips on improving my chances of making sales on Pond 5, I would greatly appreciate it. Perhaps you've been in a similar situation before and found some strategies that worked for you. Any insights you can offer would be invaluable to me.
Here is my portfolio : https://www.pond5.com/artist/just_necessary

1. There will be very few sales on such a portfolio. Although Venice is promising, it will take a year or more to wait for sales.
2. Video amateur.
3. Buy a tripod and a gimbal, everything is not stable in your frame.
4. Venice is all editorial, and editorial is rarely bought. Understand that stocks are work, you don�t need to shoot only the editorial. Or you need post-processing, to blur trademarks, people's faces.
5. Before you shoot something, look at the same Pond5 to see how others have similar shots. Sorting by popular will show you the videos that get the most buys.
6. As a start, it will do. Other sites may have more sales.
7. In your case, 900 videos is about nothing. Bring your portfolio to at least 6,000 videos.
8. Your videos don't have enough tags, add up to 50.

And raise your prices!   $27 USD for a 4K clip is way too low.  Low/lowering footage prices has never been conclusively shown to be effective in attracting/boosting sales.

i do agree with  suggestions however in my case I only buy Video Amateur specially with no gimbal or tripod. It's more authentic and less "candy" for what i need which is documentary footage. Sometimes it's better to make a difference in a niche like video amateur rather than go for pro videos although the potential for sales it seems superior if you invest in such equipment.

Also it's important to be aware of the other side of the coin: what it might seem trash for you can be gold to others.




 

Who is the greater killer and criminal, then who directly kills or the one who stands, looks at the process, has every opportunity to stop and eliminate the killer, but at the same time either does nothing or gives the victim some items so that the victim is not killed very quickly?

Sorry to be so upfront. I'm not trying to offend you but confront you with the reality of things because what you write shows little appreciation for the GIANT help that the West is giving Ukraine. I think you should stop doing childish rhetoric. It looks ridiculous, ofensive and of poor character content.

Maybe we shouldn't really help that much if we compare other factors:

The volume of aid is three times greater than the estimates that the UN makes about the resources needed to deal with hunger in the world each year...

Military aid for Ukraine is still more than twice the volume of resources that humanitarian agencies request so that, in 2023, they can come to the rescue of 230 million people in 69 countries that are experiencing deep social, natural and armed conflict problems, including Haiti and Venezuela...

Both in Europe and in the US, pressure is growing from a section of society and political leaders in view of the price that the populations of these two parts of the world would be suffering due to the sanctions against Moscow and support for the Ukrainians. Not coincidentally, both Biden and European leaders used the latest speeches to frame the involvement in Ukraine as a �struggle for democracy�.

Advice for healthy, empathetic communication: deep breath, listen more and talk less.

Ukraine is not a beggar who should say thanks to the US and the EU, but a full partner, whom the US and the EU should listen to and do what Ukraine says.

I entirely agree with Big Toe on this. US and EU are helping Ukraine to fight this injustice war. Unfortunately Ukraine is not in NATO or in EU therefore not yet a full partner although I agree that this war brought our peoples even closer together.

As you may know, in democracies there needs to be consensus. There is no consensus among Member States when Ukraine will join NATO or the EU. The only consensus that exists is that the entry of Ukraine will only be discussed after the end of the war and in the meantime help Ukraine to fight and win this unjust war with Russia.

There is a huge and complicated path to achieve consensus with member states either in EU or NATO. In my humble opinion I think it will take less time for Ukraine to join the EU (maybe 8-12 years) than NATO (maybe decades). For example Finland had decades of simulations and training with NATO before join this year. On the other hand Turkey, which is a NATO member, have been in accession negotiations to EU since 2005 (almost 20 years).

Either way do not assume just because NATO and EU are committed in helping Ukraine it makes it a full partner. It's not.
To be one the answer will be fulfill all the requirements to apply for it. I am very positive that Ukraine could achieve this in a fair timeline.