Free pictures for designers – 123 Royalty Free

Copyright : Stelian Ion / 123RF

Free! Free! Free! 123RoyaltyFree present it World of Free Images. These images are free for you to download and won’t be counted towards your credit download nor would it affect your subscription download quota for the day.

You may download and use the web resolution images under a Free Image Licensing Agreement (limited to 10,000 copies usage) from 123RF.

Mostphotos

Mostphotos – the democratic stock agency – challenges major stock agencies with an entirely new and innovative concept. The Swedish based picture agency Mostphotos is taking advantage of the digital revolution in photography. By combining amateur as well as professional material, the company is investing in an unconventional model from which both the image buyer and the photographer benefit. The agency’s website offers free membership and is run and administered by the photographers themselves.

All photographers, professional as well as true amateurs can, without any fees, offer their pictures for sale worldwide and always receive up to 70% commission. The photo-selling web site is called the democratic stock agency by its users, as everybody is welcome to upload their images for sale as long as Mostphotos‘ simple rules are being followed.

Buyers have access to an exclusive and extensive collection of royalty free and editorial images. The images can be used freely in all media at a tenth of the cost at major stock agencies.

At 25 euros per image and with straightforward and easy-to-use features for both sellers and buyers, Mostphotos has all the right features to become one of the most successful stock agencies in the world.

Selling images and photos

There are many advantages to uploading pictures for sale at Mostphotos compared to selling them on your own commercial web site.

At Mostphotos:

- You benefit from advice and tips about what kind of photos sell through the Photographers’ Forum and the upcoming Photo Guide.
- You may sell you royalty free images with us AND at any other site – it’s perfectly fine with us!
- You decide how much you want to charge for each picture.
- You get the advantages of secure payments and can be certain of getting paid before the image is released, regardless of where in the world your buyer is located.
- You have unlimited storage and free back up.
- You have access to a fast and user-friendly upload function (batch, multi upload and FTP) with automatic retrieval of your tags and IPTC (the metadata embedded in your image file) as well as an easy-to-use drag-and-drop-function to help you sort your images!
- You become a part of a terrific community of colleagues and friends that can help you improve and become a better photographer.
In exchange we split the price on your royalty free images 50/50.
- By selling your pictures as “Exclusive” you can even earn a 70% commission. – We have marketing strategies in place and a marketing budget geared toward corporate image buyers.

We encourage the costumer to add the byline:

“mostphotos/photographer’s MP nickname” when publishing images, thus making it easy for anyone who sees your pictures to access your personal portfolio at Mostphotos.

Straightforward and easy-to-use

It is easy to sell photos at Mostphotos.
The membership is free and comes with a number of straightforward features, making it easy for you to sell you photos around the globe. The intuitive search function ranks the result according to image appeal. The highest rated images, with the most views and comments end up at the top of the search while the less appealing images come further back. This self-regulating system allows buyers to easily find the best images.

Quality

Mostphotos’s members are anything from true amateurs to professional photographers — all with a digital camera and an interested in photography. We do not reject any images as long as they abide by the site’s ethical rules. The only technical requirement is that the images are high resolution — at least 4 mega pixels.

Two image categories

–Royalty Free
As Royalty Free, an image is offered for sale at a fixed price to an unlimited number of buyers that are free to use the image according to the rules stipulated in the contract of sales, regardless of the edition or the media.

–Exclusive
As exclusive, an image is only offered for sale once. As soon as the transaction is completed, the exclusive image will no longer be offered for sale and will be removed from the website. Images offered for sale as exclusive cannot be offered for sale elsewhere or through other means of distribution.
The photographer always retains the copyright of his or her work regardless of under which type of image category the images are being offered for sale.

Safe and secure payments for both sellers and buyers

Mostphotos guarantees that all transactions are secure. These are handled by MyPay AB who also verifies all credit cards. All communication between Mostphotos, MyPay AB and the consumer is protected by a sophisticated encryption preventing unauthorized data access. Purchases are easily made using any of the leading credit cards. The photographers receive their commission either by direct deposit to their bank account or through Paypal/Moneybookers — regardless of where in the world the buyer is located.

Shutterstock FAQ

  

Shutterstock Frequently Asked Questions

Statistics

Will I know which of my photos are downloaded?

Yes. Detailed statistics are kept automatically. You can login to the member’s area and see real time statistics at any time. Each photo that is downloaded is logged into the detail section in your account.

One of my photos has a lot of downloads but it does not show up in Most Popular…

The “most popular” search algorithm on www.shutterstock.com returns the photos that register the highest number of downloads after adjusting for how long they have been available to subscribers. However, we use an adjustment factor to prevent a photo that has had a quick 5 or 10 downloads in the first day from showing up in the search results. It would take extremely heavy downloading in the first few days for a photo to overcome this adjustment and show up high on the “most popular” list. As time goes by, the weights become exactly proportional to elapsed time. By including a brief period of under-weighting, the “most popular” results can be relied on to return the images that are popular in a sustained way, rather than photos that have been on the site the longest, or photos that were popular for their first few days but had no staying power.

Submitting Photos

Do you protect my photos from theft?

We watermark all images on our public server. Surfers and guests view comp images until they pay to download the actual photo – at which point your account is credited for the download.

My photo was rejected, what can I do?

Unfortunately we cannot provide details on why a photo was rejected unless we did in the rejection email you received. Since we receive thousands of photos a day, your best bet is to check the Top 100 Downloads to see what we would like, or visit our forums to discuss your photo with other people. We only provide a rejection reason if the photo can be changed and resubmitted.

What is the method that I use to submit?

Shutterstock have 3 different methods. FTP Upload, ActiveX Upload, and HTML Upload. After you create an account, instructions are provided inside your account for each meth

Can I upload any photo I want?

Shutterstock have very strict guidelines that determine what photos you can upload into our system for sale. Visit Guidelines page for more information.

Can I upload a photo or illustration that I didn’t create?

The short answer is ‘No.’ However, for more detailed information on this, please read Section 10 of the Submitter Terms and Conditions: Submit.shutterstock.com/tostos.mhtml

What are the requirements of an uploaded photo/illustration?

Photos and illustrations must be at least 2.5MP (2.5 Million Pixels). To determine the amount of pixels in a photo, multiply the width by the length. For example: a photo which is 2400×1800 adds up to a total of 4.32 million pixels – a photo of this size is valid – however, a photo which is 1000×1600 adds up to a total of 1.6 million pixels which is smaller than our minimum size requirement. Photos and illustrations must also adhere to our Content Guidelines or they will be denied entry into the system. The size requirement for new photographers is 4.0MP at this time. There is no maximum size limit for photos, but illustrations cannot exceed 25MP.

Can I change keywords after I upload a photo?

Yes – you can. Simply go to your list of approved or pending photos, and click on the pencil icon. Any modifications to the description, categories, or keywords, will result in the re-queuing of your photo for approval.

How do I know where my photos will be used?

You may not know where your photos are used – but buyers must agree to our Terms and Conditions allowing only certain uses of the photographs. This includes web, print, pamphlets, posters, etc. Buyers may not use them in resalable templates, and may not (under any circumstances) resell photos downloaded from Shutterstock.

My photo was rejected, what the heck do you want???

We understand this can be frustrating – and we do provide tools for you to learn exactly what sells in the wonderful world of stock photography.

Is there a limit to the number of photos I can submit in a day?

Nope! You can submit 1 or 1,000 – We welcome all of your photos as long as they meet Shutterstock guidelines.

How do I join as a Photo Submitter?

Visit Shutterstock Signup Page, fill out a short form, and within 5 minutes you’ll be ready to upload your photos.

What file format do you want my photos/images/illustrations in?

Everything is ultimately converted into JPG by our system- so we prefer JPG/JPEG. However, you are welcome to upload TIFF’s

How long does it take for photos to be approved?

Photos are usually approved within 48 hours. During busy times, it could take a few additional days to get approval for a photo.

Do photos I submit have to be approved?

Yes. Shutterstock review team will approve/deny uploaded photos within 24-48 hours during normal times. If there are any unnecessary keywords provided for a photo, the photo will be rejected.

Do you accept illustrations or 3D renders?

Yes! You will find several in our catalog. Feel free to upload them. You are allowed two categories — one must be Illustrations/Clip Art, the other category can be chosen by you depending on the subject matter of the image.

Can I remove a photo I submitted?

Yes. Any photo you submit can be removed by you at any time. Removal is immediate and not reversible.

Where else will my photos be sold?

Photos will be sold from main Shutterstock.com website – Some Shutterstock affiliates may sell our photos also though a co-branded site – you will be paid for all downloads resulting from these cobranded sites as well.

Does it cost anything to become a submitter?

No – We want to pay you! It’s free to contribute photos – and you will get paid for each downloaded photo. Our current payout rate is: $.25 (25 cents per image download). After earning a total of $500 the rate increases to $.30 per download

Do I need to create several resized photos to be uploaded?

No. The system automatically created the different sizes that our customers will have access to. You should upload the largest version of the file that you have.

I am currently selling my photos on other sites – is that OK?

Yes. Shutterstock’s Submit Terms of Service is not exclusive; therefore, photos that you submit to Shutterstock can also be submitted to other agencies.

I will be scanning my photos – what DPI should I use?

The higher the better! We suggest using at least 300 DPI for photos – but obviously you will have to increase the DPI dramatically if you are scanning negatives. Use a DPI to reach a target size of around 3000×4000.

Can I add extra keywords to my images just so they will show up in more searches?

You are responsible for choosing keywords for your own images, but we do not recommend using a thesaures, and keyword-spamming (using unrelated words) in order to be included in more searches is against our Submitter rules. We will disable your account if we find out that you are keyword-spamming. Please see Submitter Guidelines for clarity on this and other related submitter policies.

How do I submit a vector illustration?

Simply upload two files for each vector illustration you want to submit. One file is the vector in EPS format (.eps extension) The second file is a JPEG preview of that vector. The preview should be approximately 400×500 pixels. Each file should be named the same – except for the extension. (e.g. vector_example.jpg, vector_example.eps) Please wait until both files have uploaded before visiting the submission page – otherwise the system may not get the chance to process and recognize your files as a vector submission. We support EXIF data in the jpeg and in the eps file. Please keep your vector files under 5 megabytes and be sure to save them for compatibility with Illustrator 8. A file that is saved for a lower version of Illustrator is not backwards compatible to subscribers using older versions of Illustrator and it will be rejected. Also please note that Illustrations go only in the Illustration category.

Why was my submitter ID rejected?

Your ID could have been rejected for any of the following reasons: Not a valid form of ID; ID did not upload properly; User already has an active account with us; User has a disabled account with us; ID is already pending in another account; Name or ID is not legible; Name is not in English; Name on ID does not match name on file; Country on ID does not match country on file. Keep in mind that the best ID is always a passport valid for international travel.

Payment

Is there a minimum payout?

Yes, you must accumulate at least $75 to be paid by Paypal or Moneybookers, or $300 to be paid by paper check. All earnings are brought forward into the next pay period until you reach the minimum, at which time a payout will be issued automatically. If you close your account before your earnings reach the minimum, you will forfeit those earnings. The default minimum payout is set to $100 – you can change it to $75 if you would like within the ‘My Account’ part of the website.

How often will I be paid?

Monthly, checks are sent out for the previous month’s payouts. For example: On the 15th of March, payments will be sent for February downloads. If during any period you haven’t reached the minimum payout, your earnings will be brought forward to the next pay period.

Do I need to request a payout?

No – once you reach the minimum earnings amount for your payment type, a check or e-payment will automatically be processed. Please make sure we have accurate information so that payments aren’t delayed. You may set your minimum payout to be as low as $75 for Paypal or Moneybookers payments

How exactly do you compute payment?

Each time a user downloads your photo, your commission is added to your earnings. You will be able to see detailed statistics in the member’s area.

At 25 cents per download, how am I going to make any money?

Shutterstock is an subscription stock library. Purchasers may download a few hundred pictures in a single month’s membership. The site get a wide variety of users subscribing – and the more images you have, the more you can make! The .25 payout adds up fast – for example, if your pictures are downloaded 1000 times over the course of a month, you will receive $250 for that month! And after earning a total of $500, your rate will increase to $.30 per download. If you make $250 per month, That’s $3000 per year from photos that would normally be collecting dust on your hard disk!

How much will I be paid as a submitter?

The current rate is: $.25 (25 cents per image download). After earning a total of $500, your rate will increase to $.30 per download. Since Shutterstock is an all-you-can-download subscription site, a user may purchase a subscription and download hundreds of photos. Your earning potential is endless!

What if I don’t receive payment?

Payments don’t go out till mid-month. Checks can take up to 4 weeks to arrive at their destination and 6 weeks if sent internationally. If you still do not have your check six weeks after the end of the calendar month, please contact support and we will send you a new check. Shutterstock can only reissue payment in the original form of payout.

What is a warning?

A warning puts you on notice that a large percentage of your images contain flaws. The most common problem is noise in the images. Be sure to check your work at 100%. Here are some more common reasons people get warnings: 1) Submitting more than one of the same image 2) Keyword spamming (using the same keywords for unlike images) 3) Frequent miscategorization 4) Large numbers of out-of-focus or noisy photos in a batch 5) Submitting an image that has already been rejected without leaving a note for the reviewer as to why it was resubmitted 6) Multiple combinations of images with problems (i.e. poor framing, focus, keywording, etc. all in the same batch) 7) Upsizing of images more than 5% Large batches (over 50) with all poor quality shots (this includes unrotated images, snapshots, noise, etc.) Please see the Submitter Guidelines for additional detail on this.

What is a $.05 download?

Shutterstock subscribers have the option of asking us to back up the photos they have downloaded during their subscription onto a CD. We mail this CD to them at the end of each month. When they choose this option, we pay our submitters an additional $.05 per image — this is our way of incenting submitters to participate in the CD backup program. Submitters are free to opt in or out of the CD backup program at anytime.

Do Paypal/Moneybookers charge fees?

Most people do not incur fees when receiving their commission payments through these e-payment platforms, but it depends on your geographic location and the type of PP/MB account you have. Please contact them directly to inquire about fees and services in your geographic area.

Editorial Stock

Does Shutterstock accept editorial stock?

Yes. If you have an image that’s newsworthy, and it contains people, and it doesn’t have a release, then you can select ‘Editorial, does not need release’ at the keywording phase of the submit process.

Will Shutterstock subscribers know that the image isn’t released?

Yes. All editorial photos will have a disclaimer below them indicating that the image may need additional releases to be used in a commercial manner.

How is editorial stock different from commercial stock?

Commercial stock images are used in advertisements, promotions, and anything that would endorse a product or service. Editorial stock is a newsworthy account of events.

Why will editorial stock photos be downloaded less?

While we cannot guarantee that this will always be true, commercial designers will NOT be able to use your image. Your image will only be able to used by newspapers, magazines, TV, and other news organizations that aren’t endorsing a product or service.

Is a photo with a person without a model release always considered editorial?

It can be! However, we would like to keep this category of images newsworthy. Some examples of newsworthy editorial images are: a parade, a speech by a public figure, a sports event, a crowd outside a high profile trial, a political demonstration, a celebrity sighting – basically anything you would see in the newspaper that isn’t endorsing a product or service.

How do model releases work with editorial stock?

You do not need them. News is a separate arena – one where no model releases are needed. However, images with people without model releases will not be downloaded by commercial designers – currently the bulk of Shutterstock’s subscribers. Therefore, you should obtain a release whenever possible to increase your sales.

General

Do you have a discussion forum?

Yes – click on the ‘Forum’ link in the header of this page.

Can I join if I am outside the USA?

Yes! Certain high fraud areas of the world may require prior approval before an account is created. If your country isn’t listed on the signup form, please contact support and submit your portfolio. We may also require references. As long as you can receive and cash checks by air postal mail, and your pictures are 100% yours, you can join. Checks will be drawn in US dollars – so make sure your bank is capable of cashing this type of check.

Can my images be removed from the site?

Yes. Shutterstock reserves the right to remove any image from the site, at any time, for any reason.

How many warnings do I get?

In most cases, you can recieve up to 5 warnings before you are penalized. After the 5th warning (or when so notified by Shutterstock), your account is reset to review/probation. This means that you will have to upload 10 new images, and that 7 of them have to be acceptable. If 7 of the 10 are not acceptable, you will have to wait 30 days before you can upload another batch of 10 for review.

What is the Critique forum?

The critique forum is a powerful tool. Your fellow photographers have seen what gets accepted here on Shutterstock, and also what sells well over time. Always post your images for critique with a 100% crop. There are tons of places on the web to post your images and link them to the forum. Without a 100% crop it is hard for people to see what the issue might be with the image, and so hard for them to help you improve.

Will my previously approved files still be online while I am on probation?

Yes! And you can still earn through referrals and you can still post on the forums. We don’t take your old images down, but this might be a good time for you to look at them and see what worked (and sold) and what didn’t. Your gallery should reflect your current abilities, not your learning curve. If you have older photos which are not selling and do not reflect your current abilities, you should remove them from the library.

Model Releases

I have pictures of people from a 3rd world country who cannot sign their name on a release form. Can I upload them?

Yes – you must upload these photos as editorial – there is an option in our upload utility. These photos will be considered editorial/news photos.

How do I get my model releases to you?

By uploading them along with the photo containing the model. Our photo upload system supports the uploading of a model release along with a photo. The only way to submit a model release is by uploading – we no longer accept faxing or snail mailing of model releases.

Does every photo I upload require a model release?

If you do not have a model release, you can upload the photo as an editorial photos. Photos that aren’t model released can only be used by editorial designers – they cannot be used by commercial designers. Typically, a photo will be downloaded more if it has a valid model release.

If the picture I submit has myself in it, do I need a model release?

Yes – you need to sign a model release yourself

Where can I download a valid model release?

Shutterstock Legal Documents page contains both an adult and minor (with adult permission) model release.

How do I get a model release for a deceased relative?

The next of kin – or a close relative must sign the release on their behalf – Or you can upload the photo as an editorial image.

Does Shutterstock accept nudes?

We do not accept X-Rated pictures, but we may accept tasteful nudes. Any nude with definable features such as a face, scar, or tattoo must be accompanied by both a model release AND a valid ID stating that the model is 21 years of age or older.

Shutterstock

Shutterstock is the largest subscription-based stock photo agency in the world. Shutterstock outstanding collection of premium, royalty-free images grows every day, with photographs, illustrations, and vectors you won’t find any where else. Sign up for a cost-effective subscription plan and download 25 images every day (that’s 750 each month!) with no hidden costs.

What are the requirements of an uploaded photo/illustration?

Photos and illustrations must be at least 2.5MP (2.5 Million Pixels). To determine the amount of pixels in a photo, multiply the width by the length. For example: a photo which is 2400×1800 adds up to a total of 4.32 million pixels – a photo of this size is valid – however, a photo which is 1000×1600 adds up to a total of 1.6 million pixels which is smaller than our minimum size requirement. The size requirement for new photographers is 4.0MP at this time. There is no maximum size limit for photos, but illustrations cannot exceed 25MP.

Shutterstock Footage

Shutterstock Footage is a new resource for stock video footage – and a dynamic channel for videographers to sell their material. All you need is a digital camera, and a computer. It’s that simple!

Stock footage is film or video content generally between five and 60 seconds in length. The subject can be almost anything: a car driving by, fireworks exploding, or a glass of wine being poured. Shutterstock is interested in any content that might be of use to a stock footage buyer.

Stock footage is used for a variety of purposes including movies and film, T.V. advertisements, news broadcasts, educational videos, websites, business presentations, and more.

Each time one of your clips is purchased, you receive a 30% commission on the sale. Stock clips are typically priced at $10 to $50 per clip. You can upload your footage to our ftp server at ftp://submit.shutterstock.com. Once you have uploaded your film clips, please visit the Submitted Footage page to assign a description, keywords and categories to your film clips – this makes them easily searchable in our database.

After you have added this information, the clips will go through a review process. Each video submitted will be evaluated to make sure that it complies with all our guidelines. Once your clip has been approved, it will appear on our website, ready for download! For a more detailed description of the uploading process, please see our Uploading Tutorial page.

For more information about submitting footage, please visit our Footage Submitters’ Guidelines.

Fotolia

Headquartered in the heart of New York City, Fotolia is the first global online social marketplace for creative digital stock images, where photographers and designers of all levels can store, share and monetize their photographs and illustrations.

Fotolia offers the largest image bank of free and affordable royalty free photos and illustrations perfect for any medium, web or print.

Photographers and designers constantly update Fotolia with thousands of new photos and illustrations each day, while photographers and designers receive commission from each photo sold and revenue from advertising on the free section.

Above all Fotolia is a huge community of creative people who enjoy sharing, learning, and expressing themselves through forums and blog.

Fotolia provides a compromise between photographers and buyers, by protecting a photographer’s intellectual property rights and providing high commissions, while legally lowering the price barrier so that everyone may enjoy/afford these beautiful images.

Fotolia challenges the traditional closed agency model by offering to everyone hobbyist or professional the opportunity to monetize their talents, whatever their fame, status, or size of portfolio.

Fotolia is able to offer individuals and professionals (advertising agencies, press, small business, graphic artists, designers) a large image collection – 3,181,377 stock images online (february 2008) – for free or as little as $1.

Technical Guidelines

• Minimum of 1600 x 1200 pixels for web use
• 2272 x 1704 pixels or greater for print use
• We prefer files with atleast 2000 x 3000 pixels
• Do not interpolate or upsize your images!
• All files should be 8 bit RGB Jpeg files with minimal compression
• Try to shoot in RAW format and then covert to Jpeg before submission to Fotolia.
• Little to no sharpening
• Images with sRGB color profiles are preferred

Introduction to Microstock Photography Industry

 

Stock photography consists of existing photographs that can be licensed for specific uses. Publishers, advertising agencies, graphic artists, and others use stock photography to fulfill the needs of their creative assignments.

A customer who uses stock photography instead of hiring a photographer can save time and money. Stock images can be presented in searchable online databases, purchased online, and delivered via download.

In the 2000s the microstock photography industry, led by IStockPhoto and later Dreamstime, Shutterstock and BigStockPhoto, Fotolia, 123RoyaltyFree, Stockxpert, LuckyOliver emerged as a rapidly growing market. Using the Internet as their sole distribution method, and recruiting mainly amateur and hobbyist photographers from around the globe, these companies are able to offer stock libraries of good quality for very low prices.

Each microstock company uses a different pricing and payment scheme. Photographers can upload the same pictures on multiple sites or, with some agencies, become an exclusive supplier and receive an increased commission.

There is no fee to post photos on a microstock site. However, microstock companies do not accept everyone or all photographs. Each employs a team of reviewers who check every picture submitted for technical quality, as well as artistic and commercial merit. Photographers add keywords that help potential buyers filter and find pictures of interest.

The mindset of microstock supporters is that quantity will prevail and photographers will end up making as much from many small sales as they would from a few large sales on a traditional stock photography site.

Royalty-free

“Free” in this context means “free of royalties (paying each time you use an image)”. It does not mean the image is free to use without purchasing a license or that the image is in the public domain.

• Pay a one-time fee to use the image multiple times for multiple purposes (with limits).
• No time limit on when the buyer can use an image.
• No one can have exclusive rights of a Royalty-free image (the photographer can sell the image as many times as he wants).
• A Royalty-free image usually has a limit to how many times the buyer can reproduce it. For example, a license might allow the buyer to print 500,000 brochures with the purchased image.