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6 Common Restrictions in Using Royalty Free Images

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While you can use royalty free images in any project for as long as you like, there are certain restrictions that you have to keep in mind. Each stock photo agency has their own sets of prohibitions and conditions that you should be mindful about. Just read and understand the license agreement so you don’t have to worry about legal issues in the future. Anyhow, here are the common restrictions you need to be aware of:  

restrictions

  1. You cannot share royalty free images with other users or in a network. Unless you acquire a subscription for multiple users, most stock photo agencies do not allow you to share your purchase with other users. You cannot give shared access or transfer the rights as a gift to a third party.
  2. You cannot resell or distribute the image as it is. You purchase royalty free images to be part of your creative projects. You cannot sell or distribute them as a standalone product. They must be a part of an integral design, such as a t-shirt or banner.
  3. You cannot use the royalty free images in obscene ways. Obscene projects include pornographic materials and other adult entertainment uses. You cannot also use them in any questionable uses.
  4. You cannot use images in projects with negative connotation. Especially if the image includes a model or property release, you cannot use them to depict sensitive topics such as sexuality, politics, religion and health.
  5. You cannot use royalty free images to endorse products and services. You cannot use the images with models in a way like they are pretending to endorse the product directly.
  6. You cannot use the images as part of a trademark or logo. Since you do not own the image, you cannot register any design that contains it as your own.

Each stock photo agency has their own prohibitions. They may add or remove the above restrictions on the use of their royalty free images. Make sure you read the license agreement, as it includes the terms and conditions of the image use.

Can you use royalty free images in your brand identity?

It is unlikely for you to use royalty free images in your brand identity. You can use them in graphic designs, but you cannot include them in trademarks, logos and design marks as aforementioned. You cannot make it look like as if the models and properties in the image are bound to your brand or are endorsing it directly. On the other hand, you can use the images as part of your marketing and advertising efforts.

Royalty free images are a great way to enhance your creative projects. They are affordable and effective. As long as you do not break any of the royalty free images restrictions provided by the stock photo agency you purchase them from, you can say goodbye to copyright issues down the road.      

iStock Credit Compared to Shutterstock

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You can find a number of stock photo websites in the Internet. With a huge pool of them, it can be challenging to choose which best fits your creative needs and budget. While you can choose two or three stock agencies to be your primary image sources, some photo buyers can afford to only sign up for one. If you are one of these cheap photo buyers, iStock and Shutterstock are the best image banks you can check out. Here is a good iStock vs Shutterstock comparison here. But, which of them offers better value for your money?

First, let us talk about the two stock sites in general. Shutterstock is a global tech company that has the largest and most vibrant photo collection in the market. It has over 80 million stock images, vectors, videos and music clips in its library, so you will surely find what you are looking for. On the other hand, iStock is the original source for user-generated stock photos. It offers millions of handpicked premium images at ridiculously great prices.

How do their prices differ?

The new iStock pricing is easy to compare with its counterpart, Shutterstock. It also offers a more affordable minimum price of $15 compared to the latter’s $29. However, for larger needs, Shutterstock’s 5 image package comes at $49, so every image costs slightly less than $10. To achieve this level of pricing, you need to purchase 18 iStock credit at $175. You also need to consider that, with 18 credits, you can only purchase 18 Essentials images or 6 Signature images.

The iStock subscription packages shows a similar difference. The annual Essentials subscription is at $166, while Shutterstock’s subscription starts at $199. If you want to purchase the high quality Signature collection, you need to pay for a high price of $333 per month. In all cases, iStockphoto offers a better price than its Shutterstock counterpart. However, if you want to access, purchase and download all imagery, you will have to pay a higher surcharge.

Less Credit, More Value

The new iStock credit system raises the value of credits. In line with this, your remaining credit balance will be changed to new credits with 5:1 exchange rate. This means you will see a reduction on your old credits. But, do not worry. They will have a higher value when you purchase image licenses. In the new system, the base price will be for one credit in contrast with the old system, where the minimum price is for 2 to 50 credits.

Is the new iStock credit system worth the try? Absolutely. Compared to other cheap stock photo websites, it offers you the chance to purchase image licenses with higher value. You do not have to worry about image sizes as well. You can purchase the largest resolution at the same price.

 

If You Want 15% Off of Your Subscription Price, be Sure to Use the iStockphoto Promo Code

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There is no doubt that everyone likes a deal. There is something sweetly satisfying about knowing you were able to get something you wanted or needed at a lower price. It somehow makes the reward that much better. IStockphoto knows that people want a good deal, and they are giving it. Their already great prices on their subscription packages can be slashed even more if you know what to do. If you want 15% off your subscription price, be sure to use the iStockphoto promo code.

What does the 15% discount cover?

IStockphoto offers two types of payment methods: pay-as-you-go or monthly subscriptions. The 15% discount from iStock promo code can be applied to the cost of one of the subscription plans. The subscriptions already offer a great deal, so having the chance to get an additional 15% is an amazing opportunity that should not be missed.

What can you get with your discounted subscription?

Many companies and services offer great deals to entice new customers. Unfortunately, after the initial purchase, these new customers often find out that their new product is not all it was cracked up to be due to various exclusions or narrow parameters that must be met in order to qualify. That is not the case with iStockphoto. New customers who take advantage of the discount are still eligible to receive all of the benefits to which other subscribers are entitled. Some of these benefits include:

  • Access to over eight million exclusive images that cannot be found anywhere else
  • A variety of ways to pay, including Visa, American Express, MasterCard, PayPal, money orders, and checks drawn on banks in the US and Canada.
  • The ability to search images by keyword
  • Free weekly photos, illustrations, video clips and audio clips
  • A system that supports multiple languages
  • A thorough FAQ page that is appropriate for buyers, sellers, individuals, and corporate accounts

The need for stock photos and other images has been great for many years. This trend is not only not going away, but it is also growing exponentially. Browsing through images to find the perfect one can take an excessive amount of time and effort that is being taken away from other important activities. Now is the time to take advantage of the iStockphoto promo code so you can receive 15% off of your subscription price. You will see in no time at all that it was the right move.

5 Do’s in Using Cheap Stock Photos in Your Marketing

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Cheap stock photos are a great alternative to the expensive and time-consuming photoshoots. They are also a better option than the traditional stock images from large stock photo sites like Getty Images and Corbis. They can be acquired through cash, credits or subscription plans – depending on your creative needs and budget. With the increasing number of stock photos in the market, creative professionals are given a wider range of choices for their marketing.

In order to perform an effective marketing with cheap stock images, there are a number of things you should consider. If you know how to use them, they can add interesting and compelling content to your marketing. They take out some of the expensive design and photographs that might add to your budget. Here are 5 do’s in using stock photos cheap as quick visual content solutions.

  • Use cheap stock photography that complement your message. One of the best functions of stock photo cheap is making an already powerful message more commanding. If you use relevant images to your campaign, you can successfully promote your products and services. For instance, you have a blog post about “10 Fashion Bloggers worth Following”. You can incorporate a photo of ducklings following an adult duck.
  • Modify your stock photo cheap to fit your particular content. You can add text to help your readers connect the dots. Of course, your cheap stock photos should have a space for text placement. You have to determine the right contrast through color and brightness to make sure your text is visible.
  • Use stock photos that align with the personalities of your buyers. If your target audience is corporate, your photos should also be corporate. By aligning your photos with your buyers’ personas, they will be able to connect with your brand easily as they can see themselves using your brand.
  • Use cheap stock images with your PowerPoint presentations. Stock photos modify your PowerPoint presentations to create professional-looking CTAs (Call to Action). They also complement your message and connect your buyers to your brand.
  • Crop, collage and experiment with your cheap stock photography. You can create a collage and use it as you’re a cover image for your company’s official Facebook page. Many websites offer free templates for social media cover images. You can also create your own if you have the skills.

There are many other things to consider when using cheap stock images in your marketing, including your background, A/B testing of images, and optimizing them for search. To make sure that you have an effective marketing, learn how to use cheap stock photos properly. This will enable you to connect with your customers, complement your message and represent your brand.   

Searching for Files with an iStock Promo Code

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Do you currently have a creative project that you want to liven up with high quality, royalty-free images? iStock has a vast collection of stock images in different licenses to help you establish your bottom line. You just need to know how to search for the right image. With the website’s user-friendly interface, you can surely navigate through the site with ease and find the images you are looking for.

Searching for Files

The easiest way to find the image you are looking for is to search using keywords. iStock has a convenient search bar right in the middle of the website. By default, the website will only display images and illustrations, but you can change it to select the file type you are looking for. Once you enter a keyword, images related to it will automatically show. If you want to be specific on your search, you can apply additional filters using the refined panel.

If your search produces 0 results, it means two things – either you are searching for something uncommon or you are being too specific. If you have entered multiple keywords, try entering one or two that best describe the image you are looking for. If you have applied filters, you can also remove them to widen your results.

Saving Files for Later

 

iStock offers you millions of images, making it hard to keep track of your favorites. Fortunately, the website features lightboxes, which lets you organize and save your favorite files for future reference. Lightboxes are like the old-fashioned darkroom accessory they are named after. They let you organize your images and save them for later. So, how can you use a lightbox?

First, you need to sign up for an iStock account in order to save files to a lightbox. To save an image, simply hover to the file and use the “save to lightbox button”, which is a plus sign. You can then save your chosen file to an existing lightbox or you can create a new one. It sounds exciting, right?

To escalate your excitement, did you know that iStock offers iStock promo codes? Yes. In fact, it currently offers twenty percent discount to its valued customers. However, it is not the only website to offer these coupons. The website affiliates with trusted websites, such as stockphotosecrets.com, to let new clients enjoy discounts upon registration.

In conclusion, iStock helps the creative community by providing high-quality, royalty-free images, illustrations and vectors. It helps them further their savings with iStock promo codes, which are offered by the website itself and some reliable affiliated sites. And, with the lightbox feature, creative users can search for images now and save them for later. Register to the website now and get your coupons for discounts.