RF Stock Imagery, Subscription-Style

If you find your business using a lot of royalty-
free (RF) stock imagery, a subscription-
based service may be a good option.
Although only a few stock providers currently
offer this option”?most still only
allow users to pay on a per-image or per-collection
basis”?the economics of this makes
sense when you compare a monthly or
yearly fee to paying for multiple downloads
within that same time period.

Generally, subscriptions are available
in monthly, 6-month, and yearly options.
Some companies also base their prices
on the size and resolution of the images
available; in these cases, print versions of
images requiring higher resolution will
require a more-expensive subscription
than will a membership that comprises
only lower-res images for Web and multimedia
applications.

Once the subscription price is paid,
subscribers can download from the
company's website as many images per
day or month as the contract will allow.
Keep in mind that most subscription
prices are for single-user licenses only;
multiple users from a single company,
for instance, usually must purchase
multi-user licenses, which are more
expensive.

What follows is a list of subscriptionbased
RF companies that offer high-resolution
stock imagery. We avoided companies
geared more toward consumer/
low-resolution images and those focused
primarily on multimedia applications.

AbleStock

www.ablestock.com

A division of Hemera (see below), Able-
Stock was launched in 2002. Its collection
includes underwater images, retro
images, Asian and Latin people, family,
modern business, modern lifestyles,
technology, finance, medical, and tasteful
nudes. It offers stock photos as well as
photo-object images (images with the
backgrounds removed), raster illustrations,
and vector illustrations.

AbleStock offers three different subscription
options: $799/year, $599/6
months, and $179/month. All subscribers
have access to more than 82,800 royaltyfree
images, including the site's “superhigh”
resolutions of 28 MB, which print at
sizes of 8 x 12 to 9 x 13.5 in.

Although there is no limit to how many
images subscribers may use, there is a
maximum of 100 downloads per day
(some exceptions may be granted). Each
subscriber is provided with a single-user
license. Agencies may purchase multipleuser
licenses: A 1-year license for five
users costs $1599; a 1-year license for 10
users is $2599.

AbsolutVision

www.absolutvision.com

A Swiss company, AbsolutVision offers its
royalty-free images in JPEG2000 Pro file
format with built-in clipping paths. The
JPEG2000 file format (.jpx) provides high
compression, 16-bit color, and a choice of
lossy or lossless compression. To open
JPEG2000 files, users must have available
the Adobe Photoshop JPEG2000
plug-in or Adobe Photoshop 8.

Specializing in photo objects and characters,
AbsolutVision has more than 5000
images for download and adds 100 to 200
new images each week. Its “low-res”
images are 4 MB in size and its “high-res”
images are 20 MB.

An annual subscription costs $99, or
users can pay a monthly rate of $25; subscribers
are permitted 200 image downloads
per month maximum. Each subscription
is limited to a single user.

Hemera

www.hemera.com

Founded in 1997, Hemera sells stock photography,
photo-object images, raster
illustrations, vector clip art, and animation.
Its collection includes health/healthcare,
tools, business, nature, people,
“Trailer Park Trinkets,” and others.

Hemera offers two primary subscription
download packages to its site members:
Express Standard as well as its
Express Premium.

• Express Standard membership
  includes access to more than 281,000
  stock, raster, and photo-object images (1-
  MB files) and nearly 270,000 vector clipart
  images. Price is $29.95/month or
  $99.95/year.
• Express Premium membership
  includes access to the same number of
  images in the aforementioned formats,
  but also includes 15-MB files. Price:
  $99.95/month or $299.95/year.

All subscriptions are for single users
only. Standard memberships can be
upgraded to Premium at any time. Subscribers
are limited to 1000 downloads
per day (exceptions must be cleared by
Hemera).

Liquidlibrary

www.liquidlibrary.com

Part of the Dynamic Graphics Group, liquidlibrary
offers photos and illustrations
as well as sound effects, music, Quick-
Time movies, PowerPoint templates, Flash
files, and more. Its search engine provides
the usual parameters, but also
allows searches by sex and ethnicity.
Images range in size from 72 dpi to 300
dpi in TIFF and EPS formats and in both
grayscale and color.

Liquidlibrary's monthly “Creative Package”
offers access to and unlimited downloads
from 75,000 images available on the
Liquidlibrary site. Also included is a 68-
page monthly magazine with practical tips,
ideas, and tutorials to inspire projects.

Another possible package for designers
is two downloads/month for $125
[plus shipping]. Users who purchase this
package will receive two CDs per month
that include 70 new photos [in high,
medium, and low resolutions], 70 new
illustrations, and a variety of multimedia
offerings. The photography CD includes
an Extensis Portfolio catalog with an
index of all content in the entire “issue”
[subscribers also can access images
online]. Members with this package also
receive the 68-page monthly magazine.

Photos.com

www.photos.com

Offering more than 100,000 royaltyfree
stock images for download, Photos.
com features image categories such
as Modern Healthcare, Caribbean Ren-
dezvous, Business, Tropical Day Spa,
Religion & Myth, Social Issues, and
Household Items, among others. Owned
by Jupiterimages (which also owns
Comstock Images, ThinkStock, and Clip
Art.com), Photos.com offers subscribers
access to photo objects as well as stock
photos.

One particularly interesting variance
on the site's “search” function: Users can
search by specific color or color palette
for a particular image. In addition, the
standard search filters apply, including
color/black-and-white, vertical/horizontal,
photos/objects, etc.

Subscriptions range from $129.95 for
a 1-month subscription, $249.95 for 3
months, $349.95 for 6 months, and
$599.95 for a year. Subscription price
includes three resolutions and file sizes:
“multimedia” (1 to 2 MB), “medium”(3 to
4 MB), and “high” (12 to 16 MB). “Super”
resolutions of 25 to 30 MB are not
included in subscriptions, but are available
for $179.95 per download. Users can
download up to 250 images/day.

PhotoSpin

www.photospin.com

PhotoSpin offers 100,000 royalty-free
photographs and illustrations, as well as
fonts, audio/video clips, and more. Resolutions
available include 300, 150, and 72
dpi at sizes from 5 to 12 in. and 2 to 54
MB. Image categories include Animals
and Pets, Children and Kids, Food, Military
and Government, Technology and Computers,
Travel and Vacation, and others.
In business since 1996, the company
offers four basic types of single-user subscriptions:

• Plus, for $299/year, includes, photos
  and illustrations; fonts, audio and video;
  files in 300, 150, and 72 dpi; and files in
  1024 x 768 screen resolution for Power-
  Point.
• Print Designers, for $249/year,
  includes all the above minus fonts, audio,
  and video.
• Web Designers, for $199/year,
  includes photos, illustrations, audio and
  video”?72 dpi only.
• PowerPoint Presenters, for $9.95/
  month, includes photos and illustrations
  in 1024 x 768-dpi format only (maximum
  25 files/month).

Subscribers are allowed 50 file downloads
per day. Multi-user agreements are
available. A free trial subscription is
available, allowing users to try all the
site's file types.

In addition, the company will create
“SpinOffs,” custom object photography on
demand with any customer-supplied
object that will fit on a tabletop. Cost:
$199/object for 300 dpi, $99/object for
72 dpi (quantity discounts available).

ShutterStock

www.shutterstock.com

ShutterStock features royalty-free images
in categories including Holidays, Industrial,
People, Building/Landmarks, Religion,
Science, Art/Travel, Technology, and
Signs/Symbols among others. All images
are 300 dpi.

The company offers two standard subscription
options: a 1-month subscription
for $89.99, and a 3-month subscription
for $229. Both options feature unlimited
downloads; each subscription is for a single
license. Six- and 12-month subscriptions
also are available (request rates).

Stock Photography Now

www.stock-photography-now.com

Stock Photography Now offers its subscribers
more than 7550 royalty-free
stock photos in categories including
Abstract, Mushrooms, Sunsets, Sky &
Clouds, Yachts, Lakes, Water Plants,
Autumn, and Ecology. Nearly all categories
are nature-oriented. The company
also offers 500 high-quality graphic
backgrounds.

Image resolutions are 300 dpi at 10 x
6.7 in. (3008 x 2000 pixels) in JPEG format.
Subscription rate to Stock Photography
Now is $39/month, which is automatically
renewed until cancelled by the subscriber.

TurboSquid

www.turbosquid.com

Although primarily known for its 3D models,
textures, audio files, and the like, TurboSquid
also offers approximately 5000 two-dimensional
stock-photography images for download
with a paid subscription. Categories
include Animals, Architecture, Money,
Nature, Objects, People, Sky, and Vehicles.
In all, the 1-year subscription allows
access to nearly 80,000 royalty-free
assets. Annual subscription price is
quoted on request. Up to 10 users at one
subscribing company may download with
a single license. Turbo Squid provides each
company its own download page, which
lists all digital assets that have previously
been downloaded.

TurboSquid's images are sourced from
artists posting their artwork onto Turbo-
Squid's website. Artists receive 50 to 57%
of all fees paid to TurboSquid upon a sale.
Any artist opening an account (free) with
TurboSquid can upload artwork.

Stock Usage on the Rise

Use and acceptance of stock imagery during
creative stages is up for graphic-arts
professionals in the publishing and Internet
communities, says research firm
TrendWatch Graphic Arts (TWGA). Because
turnaround time for creative projects is
getting shorter and shorter, says TWGA,
graphic designers are more frequently
turning to stock photography as a substitute
for time- and budget-consuming custom
photo shoots.

The firm reports that use of all types of
stock photography is up”?from traditional
rights-managed images to royalty-free
(RF) versions of all styles and price
ranges. Each month, says TWGA, creative
firms use an average of seven royalty-free
images (surveyed in the 2003/2004 winter
season).

According to TWGA findings:

• 64% of creative professionals plan to
  purchase RF images in the next 12
  months.
• 34% of creative professionals plan to
  purchase a stock illustration in the next
  12 months.
• 42% of publishers plan to purchase RF
  stock images in the next 12 months.
• 32% of publishers plan to purchase
  rights-managed images in the next 12
  months.
• 17% of trade shops plan to purchase
  RF images in the next 12 months.
• 13% of trade shops plan to purchase
  rights-managed images in the next 12
  months.
• Only 27% of all creative professionals
  say they have never used RF images.

The Ins and Outs
of Licensing

Keep in mind that when you purchase a
stock image, even a royalty-free image, you
are actually purchasing a license to use that
image rather than buying the image itself.
This means you are legally obligated to the
license agreement, which nearly all stockimage
providers post on their websites.
Licenses vary broadly, so read the fine print
in every case. Some factors to keep in mind:

• You cannot resell the images as images
  (for instance, you cannot open up your own
  stock-image company using the images
  you just downloaded).
• Some companies prohibit you using
  images on products that will be sold, such
  as T-shirts, mugs, or calendars. On the other
  hand, if you give these products away, the
  use is acceptable. (Note: You may be able to
  purchase a commercial-use license or subscription
  for an image.)
• You may be limited to how many specific
  users at a company can actually use
  that licensed image. Ablestock and Hemera,
  for instance, limit that number of users to
  10, while the Liquidlibrary limit is five.
• Generally, you cannot utilize an RF
  image as part of a trademark, logo, or other
  service mark.
• Many companies have a line in their
  license agreement prohibiting using the
  image in conjunction with projects that are
  obscene, immoral, or illegal (although only
  one company we found bothered to further
  define those terms)
• Some companies allow you to use content
  you've downloaded only as long as you
  are a current subscriber; once your subscription
  has expired, so has your right to
  use those images (even though you have
  already downloaded them)

Stock Terminology

Stock imagery sometimes has its own confusing language, so here are explanations
of some of the more common terms.

Clipping Path

A vector line outlining the separation
between an image and its background,
enabling designers to “clip” or cut-away an
image from its original background and
insert it into a new context. Some stock
companies provide clipping paths with
their images.

Comp Image

A low-resolution, small-sized image used
for evaluation or preliminary layout purposes.
Typically digitally watermarked by
the stock company.

Digital Watermark

An imprint used to brand images as copyrighted
property of an online retailer.

Exclusive Rights

An exclusive rights license gives the image
owner the sole right to the image in question
“?often used for a limited period of time
and with other limitations.

Flat Rate

Flat rate pricing allows a specific end-user
to use an image in an unlimited fashion for
a flat rate price.

License

The license or reproduction fees that users
are charged typically cover specific image
uses. If the image is used for a purpose
beyond the license, further permission
must be requested.

Model Release

A signed release from the person/s
depicted in a stock photo, giving consent
for his or her likeness to be used for commercial
purposes as described in the
release.

Photo Objects

Photographic images of people, animals,
plants, and objects that have been cut from
their original background, allowing them to
be quickly inserted into any project.

Property Release

A signed release from the owner/s of property
depicted in a stock photo, giving consent
for the image depicting his or her property
to be used for commercial purposes.

Rights-Protected Images

These images may be limited to specific use,
media, territory/geographic area, duration, or
other. Also known as “traditionally licensed”
images, the images typically may not be
altered by the user, and a credit line may be
required. Image exclusivity is guaranteed;
pricing varies depending upon terms.

Royalty-Free Images

A single price is paid for an image, which
can then be used multiple times for multiple
projects. Pricing is based solely on the
size of output and resolution required, not
the specific image use. Images may be
altered to accommodate the project.

Vector Clip Art

Drawn images that are 100% scalable,
allowing them to be resized to fit designs
but not lose their image quality.