Royalty-free image collections have become increasingly popular because the purchased images can be re-used and modified repeatedly in multiple forms and media.
Responding to this trend, all of Getty Images royalty-free collections (including Artville and EyeWire) are being merged into the Photodisc collection. The goal is to make it easier for designers to search for the best photos or illustrations to meet their needs. Images will be offered in three price ranges. Customers can also access third-party royalty-free collections, including Digital Vision, Rubberball Productions, Thinkstock and Brand X Pictures.
Getty Images is also ramping up its search capabilities to include the ability to search for similar images through keywords and view comps of images through an enlarged search box. Customers interested in buying a CD collection of royalty-free images can no view strips of images from the CD before purchasing it. (Getty Images: www.gettyimages.com)