Good question.

IIRC, clipping paths are only retained on large file sizes on the agency's sites. Just wondered if anyone knew if clipping paths are retained on all sizes, large only, or ??

Test it out on your preview pic I'm curious

Not on preview pic, no.

Then do a test-download (that uses a simpler method since no watermarking is involved) and let me know if there is one there.

Sure, I can do that. I was just hoping that someone else before me knows the answer already.

The answer to the question is no. I downloaded a bloggee size and a large size, and the clipping path was not retained. I will assume it was not on the other two sizes either. The path layer still shows in photoshop, but the actual path is gone.

I have some isolated images with clipping paths that might be useful to a buyer. Maybe this could be fixed for the next big upgrade?

Not good.  I have many isolated images with clipping paths and have noted this in my descriptions and keywords.  Guess I'll have to make some changes. 

I was curious about this as well, but I think I remember a discussion here where it was said that clipping paths are only retained on the "native" sized images on the agencies as well, so the "resized" versions somehow lost the clipping path.

At Istock a message by Sean Locke says "The clipping path is only included in the largest version available. This is a point of contention here at times. "

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=340191

I guess I could go back and revise my descriptions to show that a clipping path is not included with the file, but is available upon request for free. 

Question - isn't clipping path stripped in resize in general? Or do most agencies retain the clipping path after resize?
Just to verify - are you saying that the main (large) file does not keep its clipping path, for sure? Because that file does not actually get edited.

I'm glad you questioned me. My original image on my hard drive had a clipping path. But for some reason, when I re-saved, it did not save the clipping path, which is the image I uploaded. I never thought to check that. Now I have to go back and see why it did not save the clipping path on a re-save. Maybe re-saving a jpg to a jpg doesn't save clipping paths?

But I'm glad you verified that the large size does not get resized. So that means I should expect that images with clipping paths should work the same on SY as they did at the agencies. That would work OK, because I can just make a note in my description that the path is only on the large size.

I will do another test and report back, just to confirm. Thanks Leo.

Now that I've seen a little more in depth how that "extra" info works, its hard to see how a clipping path could be scalable and maintain its accuracy. But keep experimenting. The IPTC library I'm using opts to keep as much info as possible.

Just for completeness, I tested a purchase from my own site with a medium size image and the clipping path was included. The image processing was done by Image Magick, not GD, so that may be why this works now but didn't then.