Quote from: Thomas-Luc on March 31, 2026, 15:40
I appreciate your feedback regarding the unlimited plan.
During the 2020s I managed to make around $700/$800 by month (around 1000 downloads) on Shutterstock, after the 10 cent episode $400 (600 downloads) and now I can't even get past $100 (150/200 downloads)...
That's why I feel completely invisible.

There's something beyond us and our downloads. SSTK has lost business and customers and has been losing money for the last three years. When they lose, then we lose. I'm not defending the dime downloads, but just pointing out, this isn't all about us. The whole agency has gone down the drain.

Quote from: Uncle Pete on April 01, 2026, 16:25

Quote from: Thomas-Luc on March 31, 2026, 15:40
I appreciate your feedback regarding the unlimited plan.
During the 2020s I managed to make around $700/$800 by month (around 1000 downloads) on Shutterstock, after the 10 cent episode $400 (600 downloads) and now I can't even get past $100 (150/200 downloads)...
That's why I feel completely invisible.

There's something beyond us and our downloads. SSTK has lost business and customers and has been losing money for the last three years. When they lose, then we lose. I'm not defending the dime downloads, but just pointing out, this isn't all about us. The whole agency has gone down the drain.

Uncle Pete, do you have portfolios with Adobe and iStock, even Pond5 for video? My concern with the merger is that whatever Shutterstock touches they break. But that said, Pond5 has picked back up again this year (so far). Adobe is way better earner than all others. iStock can be pretty good too but most earnings come from video rather than still images. I'm even delighted to see Storyblocks has picked up for me quite well in March but whether that continues or no.   

Quote from: Pacesetter on April 01, 2026, 22:29

Quote from: Uncle Pete on April 01, 2026, 16:25

Quote from: Thomas-Luc on March 31, 2026, 15:40
I appreciate your feedback regarding the unlimited plan.
During the 2020s I managed to make around $700/$800 by month (around 1000 downloads) on Shutterstock, after the 10 cent episode $400 (600 downloads) and now I can't even get past $100 (150/200 downloads)...
That's why I feel completely invisible.

There's something beyond us and our downloads. SSTK has lost business and customers and has been losing money for the last three years. When they lose, then we lose. I'm not defending the dime downloads, but just pointing out, this isn't all about us. The whole agency has gone down the drain.

Uncle Pete, do you have portfolios with Adobe and iStock, even Pond5 for video? My concern with the merger is that whatever Shutterstock touches they break. But that said, Pond5 has picked back up again this year (so far). Adobe is way better earner than all others. iStock can be pretty good too but most earnings come from video rather than still images. I'm even delighted to see Storyblocks has picked up for me quite well in March but whether that continues or no.   

My sales on pond5 have also picked up lately

Quote from: Her Ugliness on April 01, 2026, 07:28
That's strange. Did you possibly use any kind of tool that includes AI in your editing process, like upscaling?

So far I never had any image rejected for AI on SS, but it happened to me recently with an image on Getty. No idea why. It was just a "boring" photo of a spring flower, it wasn't even edited at all. Since it's a nice enough photo, but nothing unique and probably wouldn't sell anyways, I just let it go, but I would still like to know why getty thought it was an AI image or edited with Ai just to prevent things like this from happening in the future.

Nope.  Editorial literally direct from my R6 or R7 into lightroom, possibly a slight crop and straight out (its editorial).

RF the same, im doing it in bulk for work so its nothing more than a crop and sometimes level.

Id never had a rejection for AI at all until this week and now i have quite a few (in the 2000 or so approved in last 2 months).  I think they're introducing new tools/algorithms to help speed their increasing slow, backlogged, growing review queue.

Quote from: Pacesetter on April 01, 2026, 22:29

Quote from: Uncle Pete on April 01, 2026, 16:25

Quote from: Thomas-Luc on March 31, 2026, 15:40
I appreciate your feedback regarding the unlimited plan.
During the 2020s I managed to make around $700/$800 by month (around 1000 downloads) on Shutterstock, after the 10 cent episode $400 (600 downloads) and now I can't even get past $100 (150/200 downloads)...
That's why I feel completely invisible.

There's something beyond us and our downloads. SSTK has lost business and customers and has been losing money for the last three years. When they lose, then we lose. I'm not defending the dime downloads, but just pointing out, this isn't all about us. The whole agency has gone down the drain.

Uncle Pete, do you have portfolios with Adobe and iStock, even Pond5 for video? My concern with the merger is that whatever Shutterstock touches they break. But that said, Pond5 has picked back up again this year (so far). Adobe is way better earner than all others. iStock can be pretty good too but most earnings come from video rather than still images. I'm even delighted to see Storyblocks has picked up for me quite well in March but whether that continues or no.   

P5 exclusive for video which is dead and deader. I'm moving back to the others. SSTK, iStock, Adobe are virtually photo only. I just started uploading video to SSTK. I'm moving whatever passes to another folder and I'll be uploading to Adobe and iStock. Mine aren't a good indicator of what others videos are doing.

For some reason most of the concerns about the merger are about Editorial. Maybe not for us, but for the regulators. As far as what SSTK touches, gets broken, yes. This isn't really a merger, except on paper. Getty is taking over SSTK. I'd expect everything to be running by iStock/Getty standards within a year, and everything SSTK becoming obsolete.

Getty is taking over.

Quote from: Uncle Pete on April 02, 2026, 19:58
Getty is taking over.

Part of me thinks thats better than the other way around given what SS do to aquisitions.
The other part of me thinks "I really hope the god-awful keyword disambiguation crap doesnt come in".

Quote from: gnirtS on April 03, 2026, 12:44

Quote from: Uncle Pete on April 02, 2026, 19:58
Getty is taking over.

Part of me thinks thats better than the other way around given what SS do to aquisitions.
The other part of me thinks "I really hope the god-awful keyword disambiguation crap doesnt come in".

I expect that your worst fears about the CV, will be coming true, if there is a merger. On my end, if Getty does the same as they did to IS, I will be losing 90% of my SSTK images, which are Editorial News / Sports.

The point of this merger is that Getty is taking over. Anyone can hope all they want but SSTK is broken, losing money and being sold to Getty. The only reason it's not a straight sale is, because Getty can't afford the stock buyout. The alternative is, offering shares of GETY for the SSTK shares and call it a merger.

This is a take-over. Shutterstock is history.

Here are the terms. SSTK will be no more. Anyone who things SSTK will be managing or controlling anything, isn't reading the basic terms and facts of the take-over.

If the deal is approved, Shutterstock shareholders will receive a mix of cash and Getty Images stock, with three options available at closing:

    All-cash option: $28.85 per share in cash
    All-stock option: 13.67237 shares of Getty Images stock per SSTK share
    Mixed option: $9.50 in cash plus 9.17 shares of Getty Images stock per SSTK share

Note, no more SSTK shares will exist. Shutterstock will be gone. Getty will be running the business.

That makes me hope that the dime downloads will be gone forever. While that program has fake percentage promises, we were still getting dines at the highest level. How could that happen? Because the value and prices were so low, that 35% of pennies is still only a dime for us. Of course for the negative view, we'll be getting 15%, no levels, no changes for images. Maybe 20% for video and Illustrations. I'm ignoring exclusives, that's a different story)


If this was today, the price paid per share, based on GETY being around 80 cents, would be $13 a share for each SSTK. But there's also a clause for pro-rated payment. I don't know if that changes things too much. But anyone being offered $28 instead of $13 would want to take the cash deal! 

Incredible slow half a month on SS compared with March, 50% less earnings compared with March until 15th. On the other side Adobe is doing very well, almost like they flipped sides, for me SS always performed double than AS.

Quote from: gnirtS on April 03, 2026, 12:44

Quote from: Uncle Pete on April 02, 2026, 19:58
Getty is taking over.

Part of me thinks thats better than the other way around given what SS do to aquisitions.

Just a note:  Full Year 2024 vs. 2023, Net income: $35.9M (down from $110.3M) There's something pretty negative in that, while I'm ignoring all the progress, future, promising, BS, Etc. They lost 66% of their income. They increased their income in 2025 by improving dataset sales. The stock photo business is responsible for 80% of the revenue for SSTK.

So for all the acquisitions, (and you're right) the majority of the revenue still comes from stock images, and that business is struggling.

Quote from: Uncle Pete on April 15, 2026, 18:43

Quote from: gnirtS on April 03, 2026, 12:44

Quote from: Uncle Pete on April 02, 2026, 19:58
Getty is taking over.

Part of me thinks thats better than the other way around given what SS do to aquisitions.

Just a note:  Full Year 2024 vs. 2023, Net income: $35.9M (down from $110.3M) There's something pretty negative in that, while I'm ignoring all the progress, future, promising, BS, Etc. They lost 66% of their income. They increased their income in 2025 by improving dataset sales. The stock photo business is about 80% of the revenue for SSTK.

So for all the acquisitions, (and you're right) the majority of the revenue still comes from stock images, and that business is struggling.

I think Shutterstock is pretty much done.

Quote from: DaLiu on April 15, 2026, 16:40
Incredible slow half a month on SS compared with March, 50% less earnings compared with March until 15th. On the other side Adobe is doing very well, almost like they flipped sides, for me SS always performed double than AS.

Very similar here. On Shutterstock, March was okay ... not great but okay. April has been terrible so far and I'm about 50% down on downloads and income is worse. Adobe in March was pretty good. A bit slower in April but nothing like as bad as Shutterstock.
Modify message

Quote from: Jaggy on April 15, 2026, 19:45

Quote from: Uncle Pete on April 15, 2026, 18:43

Quote from: gnirtS on April 03, 2026, 12:44

Quote from: Uncle Pete on April 02, 2026, 19:58
Getty is taking over.

Part of me thinks thats better than the other way around given what SS do to aquisitions.

Just a note:  Full Year 2024 vs. 2023, Net income: $35.9M (down from $110.3M) There's something pretty negative in that, while I'm ignoring all the progress, future, promising, BS, Etc. They lost 66% of their income. They increased their income in 2025 by improving dataset sales. The stock photo business is about 80% of the revenue for SSTK.

So for all the acquisitions, (and you're right) the majority of the revenue still comes from stock images, and that business is struggling.

I think Shutterstock is pretty much done.

Exactly how I see it, too.

I was also pretty discouraged with my January-February and March sales on Shutterstock, but just yesterday sold two images for $52.82 each. Quite ordinary photos too. I've noticed that over the years, Shutterstock is the only agency that does have those high-value sales for photos.

Interestingly, April has seen a major turnaround; sales this month have already surpassed the combined total of January, February, and March.

Im showing the same as above, March was decent (by the "new" low standards).  April is 50% that.  Even allowing for large scale holidays it pretty bad.

15K videos, daily uploads. March 90$ - April 28$   

January:     $25.73
February:    $74.22
March:        $54.45
April:          $48.89

Compared to 2023 with average of $473 per month.

Meh.

Quote from: Pacesetter on April 17, 2026, 11:49
January:     $25.73
February:    $74.22
March:        $54.45
April:          $48.89

Compared to 2023 with average of $473 per month.

Meh.

That's not good. I hope having your portfolio on storyblocks makes up for that loss in income.


Not being part of the unlimited plan renders one's portfolio invisible especially for video contributors.

Quote from: danielvisuals on April 17, 2026, 12:55

Quote from: Pacesetter on April 17, 2026, 11:49
January:     $25.73
February:    $74.22
March:        $54.45
April:          $48.89

Compared to 2023 with average of $473 per month.

Meh.

That's not good. I hope having your portfolio on storyblocks makes up for that loss in income.


Not being part of the unlimited plan renders one's portfolio invisible especially for video contributors.

Thanks Danielvisuals funny you mention that as Story blocks picked up last month and I earned almost 3x the $$$ than on Shutterstock. This month not quite like March but sitting about 2x SB vs SS. Hopefully the uptick on SB continues. '

April 2023: 550$
April 2024: 471$
April 2025: 312$
April 2026: 9$

Whoop whoop

Quote from: Blammo on April 18, 2026, 23:40
April 2023: 550$
April 2024: 471$
April 2025: 312$
April 2026: 9$

Whoop whoop

That's deep.

Indeed, for me too, these are the lowest sales figures I've had since I started (in 2010), and they're dropping month after month...

There's not much left to say about this industry.

April 2015: $ 791,15
April 2016: $ 508,16
April 2017: $ 418,02
April 2018: $ 396,35
April 2019: $ 350,53
April 2020: $ 307,63
April 2021: $ 392,98
_________________
New revenue structure
________________
April 2022: $ 141,81
April 2023: $ 151,29
April 2024: $ 159,97
April 2025: $   36,89
April 2026: $   23,31

April 2023 445$
April 2024 481$
April 2025 424$
April 2026  38$

Sadly my income is decreasing on all agencies due to AI, but it's not as drastic anywhere else as it is on Shutterstock. And the development is not just because of AI, but because of different pricing. I used to get a lot of "on demand" sales for around 2.5$ and "singe and others" for 1-10$. Now almost everything is just 0.10-0.17$, no matter in what category. The categories don't even make sense, because there really isn't any difference in pricing anymore.

Quote from: Her Ugliness on April 20, 2026, 08:38
April 2023 445$
April 2024 481$
April 2025 424$
April 2026  38$

Sadly my income is decreasing on all agencies due to AI, but it's not as drastic anywhere else as it is on Shutterstock. And the development is not just because of AI, but because of different pricing. I used to get a lot of "on demand" sales for around 2.5$ and "singe and others" for 1-10$. Now almost everything is just 0.10-0.17$, no matter in what category. The categories don't even make sense, because there really isn't any difference in pricing anymore.

Outside of SS, have you seen the rate of year over year decrease take a visible downturn after the introduction of AI...or is it just continuing the same year over year decrease that existed before AI?