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iStockphoto Guide Index
  • 6,260,000 images
  • 2 MP minimum size (1600 x 1200)
  • ID Check - need to send scanned ID
  • 15 photos / week (this rate varies frequently) 20 photos /week if you have more than 500 downloads
  • 20% share of the selling price for non-exclusives
  • accept eps graphics but need to apply VERY FUSSY still haven't been accepted
  • subscription sales
  • The price of an illustration depends on their rating of complexity so may be sold for $1 so you will only receive 20c
  • Extended license $5 - $20
  • No FTP upload - but stand alone program called Imagemanager

 

Size  and prices

Non-exclusive maximum payout per download

 Minimum amount needed to convert
  300 x 400 600 x 800 2mp 8mp 11.7mp 15mp Chq

US$

 PayPal Money

bookers

  
iStock Photo 30c 90c $1.50  $3.00 $4.50 $6.00   $100 $100 
Photographers not images can be exclusive with iStock when they have 250 downloads

For non-exclusive photographers you are stuck at a 20% payout,

The only thing that changes with increased number of downloads is increased upload limits.

If you have over 25,000 downloads at iStock and they make over 50% of your microstock income then going exclusive makes sense. Otherwise it doesn't           

  * Please note to save space I have only noted the maximum payment for each size if the buyer has bought a large amount of credits at a discount you will be receiving your percentage of the discounted credit price

The following earnings are approximate assuming one credit = $1.50
  Credit price Non-Exclusive 20% Credit price Exclusive 25%

500-2,499 downloads

 Exclusive 30%

2,500-4,999 downloads

Exclusive 35%

5,000-24,999 downloads

 Exclusive 40%

25,000+ downloads
XS

300 X 400

 1 30c * 275c 90c $1.05 $1.20
Small

600 x 800

 3 90c 5$1.88 $2.25 $2.63 $3.00
Medium

2 mp

 6 $1.40 10$3.75 $4.50 $5.25 $6.00
large

8 mp

 10 $3.00 15$5.63 $6.75 $7.88 $9.00
X Large

11.7 mp

 15 $4.50 20$7.50 $9 $10.50 $12.00
XX Large

16 mp

 20 $6.00 25$9.38 $11.25 $13.13 $15

Advantages of Istock
  • The first and biggest micro stock agency
  • Detailed rejections and opportunity to resubmit without re-entering keywords
  • (resubmissions have a good chance of being accepted if you done what they asked)
  • Image manager spell checks and checks for duplicate keywords when it works though very RAM hungry
  • separate e-mail for each accepted/rejected photo
  • Can edit keywords after an image is accepted

 

Disadvantages of iStock
  • 20% payout the lowest
  • Toughest review process
  • Uploading 15-20 photos per week for newbies is a joke for anyone trying to build a portfolio quickly you have to wait 168 hours before uploading again
  • Need to disambiguate keywords and add compound keywords such as "St Andrews" otherwise won't show up in searches
  • 3 photo sample to apply
  • Cumbersome categories
  • Multiple language keywords has made the keywords cumbersome - disambiguation - wait for the photo to be accepted
  • Model release is required for people even if they are not facing the camera
  • No FTP
  • subscription sales
  • high rejection rate

Extra bits

The limits are always low currently 15 week for newbies, 20/week if you have had 500 downloads

Can resubmit photos after a minor correction without entering keywords again. There is a special link in the rejection e-mail and the rejected photos page, very useful.

 

FTP UPLOAD ? No
Imagemanager will read IPTC data