Microstock Art Defined

What is Microstock?

Mcrostock is a variation of the stock photography industry. The traditional Stock and Microstock libraries are both defined in a similar way. Stock agencies provide licensed photographs and illustrations to designers. Instead of hiring a photographer the designer goes to the stock library and searches for images and artwork that he or she needs to create their design.
It can be very expensive for a designer or design firm to hire a photographer for a specific job. Some design firms still do this for certain projects but many use the stock agencies to fill their photographic and illustrative needs. Major advertising campaigns and newspapers, for example, require the use of specific images and have the funds to make it happen. That is not the case with many smaller companies. Even large companies use stock photography and even Microstock photography as the industry moves forward.

The traditional stock house works with and on behalf of professional photographers. The photography that you find from the traditional stock agency is more expensive. Many of the shots they have required a lot of set-up and expense and the photographers are making a living from their portfolio. It is reflected in the price. Traditional stock has been sold through catalogs and CD catalogs and now through internet libraries. Usually there are strict guidelines as to how the images are used, how long they can be used and other restrictions defined by the agencies upon the sale of the stock image. This kind of traditional stock is referred to as Rights Managed stock meaning that there is a license that is negotiated for each use of an image. These stock houses are sometimes referred to as Macrostock houses. One of the options that they offer is exclusive rights on the images they sell which means that the image will no longer be for sale to anyone. These rights are negotiated for each image individually and can be very expensive. Macrostock is a great option for those who can afford to take advantage of what they have to offer.

I’m not saying that the Microstock photographer isn’t a professional. Nor am I saying that you can’t make a living as a Microstock artist or photographer. Microstock photographers and illustrators range from the person who occasionally submits artwork or images as a hobby, to someone who creates full time for a living.

Microstock art is called Royalty Free stock. Restrictions that are placed on traditional stock are not placed on royalty free art and photos. The designer doesn’t have to designate how the image is used. There is no time limit for its use.
There are degrees of use that are defined by some agencies but the difference is determined by how much you are willing to pay. In other words for a higher price you can use the image for things such as higher runs.
Some sites offer the option for the artist to sell the total rights to an image or illustration. If that is done then the image must be removed as quickly as possible from any other website that you’ve uploaded it to.

Microstock is popular with artists and photographers because it is available to everyone. Unlike the traditional sites which are extremely difficult to become a contributing member of, the Microstock websites allow anyone to contribute. The only thing you have to do is get your artwork or images accepted into the libraries. This can be a fairly easy thing to do or a very difficult one depending on your skill level and the particular website you upload to. Microstock websites are not all the same. Some will accept just about anything as long as it is well constructed and user friendly. Others will only accept images and illustrations that meet very strict standards for technique and artistry.
The Microstock companies make their money mostly from selling subscriptions or making the buyer purchase a certain number of credits for a defined amount. For example, as a buyer you may purchase an image or illustration through a subscription which allow you so many credits per day for a certain amount of time.
Most of the time, at the very least, you have to commit to buying a certain number of credits up front. This way the company makes money from the buyer even though the art or image they want may cost much less than the price of the credit package. Either way it’s is a good deal. If a designer commissioned artwork for a specific photo to be taken it would cost much more than what the Microstock’s charge for a few credits.

How did this all happen?

There’s no doubt about it, this is a great time to be involved in photography and illustration. I don’t think there has ever been a time in history where there have been so many opportunities to get your artwork and photography seen and purchased. With a few clicks you can share your creations with the world. Now with the fairly recent addition of video to many of the Microstock websites offerings there is yet another outlet for your imagination.

For buyers this is an unprecedented time in history as well. Never before has there been such a wide range of available options when you are searching for a particular image or illustration. No longer do designer have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to get one image for one design project. Within minutes you can go to the Microstock libraries and do a simple search that presents you with choices that were only dreamt of 20 years ago. Millions of illustrations and photographs are just waiting to be called upon. The artists and photographers work very hard to focus their efforts toward subject matter that will fulfill the buyer’s needs. They would like nothing more than to have the perfect image for sale.
Design students are another group who benefit greatly from the Microstock revolution. College is expensive enough without having to spend more of their often limited funds on trying to obtain sources for designs. Thanks to the inexpensive outlet provided by the online libraries students can find what they need without spending a fortune.

How did the whole Microstock craze come to be? Well, first there was a great need for affordable options for designers in traditional media like magazines and newspapers, brochures, newsletters, etc. The Internet brought about many more needs for such art. Not only do websites themselves need artwork and images but there are magazines, articles and many other things that are found or distributed through the internet that require them as well. The internet is also responsible for providing a way for the designers to reach the people who provide what they need, and it allows the illustrators and Photographers to make the art and photos available. It really is good for the designer, the agencies and the artists/photographers.
The digital camera and digital photography have provided a way for creative people to fulfill the needs of the designers. Great computers and amazing software programs have given the artist tools that they never had before and ways to make their creations available to the entire world.
The fact that technology has made such great strides has made all of this possible. Just a few years ago it wasn’t conceivable that an illustrator or photographer could make a living in such a way. We are indeed living in a new age that provides creative minds endless opportunities.

Advantages of using Royalty Free Images

  • Inexpensive: The main and overwhelming advantage of using royalty free images is that they are inexpensive to purchase. You could buy hundreds or possibly thousands of images and illustrations for what you would pay for one photo session with a professional photographer.
  • Availability: With Microstock millions of images and illustrations are available within moments of when the thought of what is needed enters the mind of the designer.
  • Speed: What could be easier than finding the perfect image within moments of beginning your search? There was a time not long ago when if you wanted an image from a Stock House you had to actually go there and review images in catalogs and on slides. It would take sometimes hours to find what you were looking for and cost a fortune.
  • No Time Limit: There is no restriction on the length of time that the image or illustration is available for you to use. With Macrostock there is usually a set amount of time that you are granted in which the designer can use the purchase. This does not apply if the image is purchased exclusively.
  • Multi Use: Once the royalty free artwork or photo is purchased the buyer is free to use it for multiple purposes. For example, a designer is working on an ad campaign that involves several different items. No matter if there are 10 separate products the same image can be used on all of them. There are no additional fees as there may very well be if you purchased the same type of image from a Macrostock house.

Disadvantages of using Royalty Free Images

  • Non Exclusive: The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that as a buyer you don’t own the image that you just purchased and even though it fits perfectly with your design there is the chance that you that you’ll see the same image used by someone else in a different design. If it’s a great photo or illustration it’s possible that you might see it used multiple times in different designs. With that being said, I’ve never known that to be a problem for anyone. I’m sure there is someone out there who has come across this concerning their designs and image choices, but I’ve never personally heard of it.
  • Compromise: If as a designer you are a complete perfectionist you may find it difficult to find exactly what you’re looking for. Sometimes when using Microstock images and illustrations it can become necessary to compromise and choose something that may not be perfect, but may only be good enough for your needs.
  • Personal Achievement: Even with the millions of images and illustrations available in the Microstock libraries there is still nothing like the thrill that can be had from knowing that the look, the feel of a certain image, the angle at which the photo was taken was a direct result of your own needs and direction as a designer. Creating something that is and always will be a single one of a kind image can only be achieved by setting up a shoot with your own photographer.
  • Quality: This can be subjective, but especially people who only use Macrostock houses or hire professional photographers and illustrators to create for all of their needs will argue that the quality is just not there in Microstock. I think that in some cases this is a valid argument. Sometimes, as we all know, you get what you pay for. If a person spends hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars to hire a wedding photographer for one of the most important days of their lives they should by all rights expect the photos to be much better and of a much higher quality than the ones that Uncle Joe takes at the reception. If they’re not, then either they need to get a new wedding photographer or it may just be that Joe is a Microstock contributor. There are many degrees of artist and photographers that work with the Microstock libraries. Some are amateurs and some are incredible creative amazing artists and photographers. In general I would have to say that the quality of the Macrostock houses is higher but there are most definitely many exceptions to that.

Microstock is really still young in many ways. The first Microstock library was called iStockphoto and was founded in the year 2000. The images were free to use, at first that is. Since then iStockphoto has grown into one of the very best agencies there is. They are known for the quality of the artwork and photography. They remain one of the leading Microstock websites even though the competition has increased greatly within the last few years.

Competition and My Two Cents

Many of the traditional stock houses are not at all happy with the advent of Microstock. It is understandable that they would be upset and that many of them believe that their sales are being undermined by the inexpensive aspect of Microstock.
I don’t pretend to be aware of the real effect of the new industry on the traditional one. What I do believe is that there is room for both to exist without one being detrimental to the other. It seems to me that the market for Microstock is different in many ways. The person who frequents a website like iStockphoto looking for simple images and illustrations to highlight, enhance or reflect a particular idea or design is not the same person who is writing an article for Time magazine or the person who is designing an ad campaign for the latest fashion publication.

I don’t think that the two variation of the stock industry should be necessarily considered new and old or modern and traditional. To me, they are all together different.
Microstock is here to stay, at least for now, so adapting to this reality is really in the best interest of anyone who considers the libraries as competition. Who knows how long the concept of stock photography and artwork will last but I don’t see it doing anything other than increasing its presence anytime soon.

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