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Here's some key information we hope will help you...
Purchasing stock photos can be a daunting task for those who are not experienced with the various terms and procedures. We strive to make things as painless as possible and to make your stock photo searches and purchases a pleasurable experience. On this page we've compiled some of the most important things for you to know before making your decision.
There are two main types of licensing available for stock photos. The classic method of licensing (referred to as 'Licensed' , 'Rights Managed' or 'Rights Protected') allows usage of a stock photo for a specific usage for a specific period of time as defined in the license and as required by the end client. The cost of this license will vary greatly based on a number of factors including type of use, length of use, placement of the image, number of uses, geographic distributions and size of the image placement.
Some years back, Royalty Free licensing emerged. Royalty Free (or RF) licensing is based on a flat fee for image usage for an unlimited period of time. The fee is based solely on the size of the image used. While there are a few conditions on usage it is generally a much broader license than with the more traditional licensing methods, however it can only be licensed for one usage in that particular market at one time.
Photographers will make their own determinations as to which licensing model they feel best fits their own portfolios and
You may have also seen other sites offering low cost Subscription based licensing or selling images for only a few dollars an image. These sites work on a high volume model and the photographers typically make very little on each image sale. While this may be a viable alternative for the extremely budget minded, one needs to keep in mind the amount of times that same image may be out there in the market. One also needs to keep in mind the overall sustainability of the stock photo industry when photographers are making pennies per sale.
World of Stock offers both images with Royalty Free licensing as well as other images under a Rights Managed licensing model. Each image will be identified with the type of license agreement it is available under.
More info on Licensing at World of Stock
Generally speaking, images of identifiable people, other than crowd shots not focusing on one specific individual, should always have model releases if the image is to be used for commercial purposes (advertising, promotion, etc). If the images is to be used for purely editorial purposes (informational article, etc), a release is recommended but not as critical as for commercial purposes.
In addition to model releases some images may also require property releases for images of privately owned property, trademarks, landmarks, etc. If you are not sure about which images require releases or what type of releases exist you should always ask before purchasing. The ultimate decision comes down to your comfort level with the particular use of the image.
Just because an image says 'no release' does not mean it should not be used. For example animal pictures, scenics, street scenes, etc normally would not require a release.
World of Stock, will always indicate whether or not there is a release just below the image. In addition, we allow you to limit your search for only images with releases.
Some images will also come with certain restrictions on usage and these images will be clearly marked with an explanation of the particular restriction. Always check with us if you are not sure if your usage is outside of such restrictions.
More info;
A primer on Model Releases
Dan Hellers Model Release
Info
Especially if you are purchasing Royalty Free images, it pays to figure out in advance the size that's right for your particular needs. Sometimes all the talk about pixels, dimensions, orientation and DPI can be a bit confusing so wev'e tried to de-mystify it here. The most important thing to remember here is this;
Dimension in Pixels / DPI = Size in Inches
OR
(Dimension in Pixels / DPI) * 2.54 = Size in
Centimeters
So for example, if you want to create a 1/4 page image for an article that will be approximately 3 inches (7.6 cm) wide by 4 inches (10.1 cm) high, and you needed 300 DPI (Dots Per Inch) print quality you would need to have a final image that is at least 900 pixels wide X 1200 pixels high after any required cropping. Images for the web or multimedia however do not need to be such a high DPI and normally 72 DPI and a size of 800 pixels or less is sufficient.
Sometimes however you may initially want an image for one use but then later may want to use the same image for something else that requires a larger size. That's why we recommend buying a larger image if you are not sure. Of course you can always upgrade later and we'll only charge you for the difference in price.
World of Stock sells Royalty Free images in 4 convenient sizes. Rights Managed Images will be delivered customized to meet your size requirements.