iStockphoto Review

iStockphoto.com is one of the top stock photography agencies; they are the pioneer for the Microstock image industry. iStock is recommended for those who are looking for an impressive selection of stock photos in terms of quality and quantity. With the amount of experience and largest stock photo library of images, this stock agency is certainly worth considering if you are looking for royalty-free images.

iStockphoto Review Screenshot

iStockphoto Review – Facts

• Over 8 million images – including photos, vector images, audio, video and flash
• iStockphoto.com was founded in April 2000, with the initial attempt at launching into stock photo around 1999.
• iStockphoto is owned by the biggest stock photography agency in the world, Getty Images.
• Accepts PayPal, Visa, American Express and MasterCard. They also accept US money orders or checks from US or Canadian banks.
• Direct Buying options via credit card starting at $2.00
• Searchable by: keywords, file type, contributor, collection, size, shape, complexity, details, additional filters, category, advanced audio search, advanced video search, file number and light box.
• Free image collection and the Dollar Bin
• Forums for buyers and photographers alike, offering: tips, discussions, help and tools
• Supports many languages including: English, German, Korean, French, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, Polish, Italian, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian and Spanish
• Their FAQ is quite thorough for everyone, including: buyers, sellers, individual purchasers and corporate accounts
• iStockphoto has their corporate headquarters in Alberta, Canada.

Direct Purchasing Option

Buy any image or vector directly via your credit card within minutes. There is no need to purchase any kind of credit package. Nevertheless you will save some money if you purchase a credit package.

Advantages of the Direct Purchasing Option:

• Images start as low as $2.00
• Payment via Credit Card
• You can buy one or more images via the basket feature
• Time saving checkout process

Credit-Based Currency

iStockphoto offers credits to purchase images one at a time:

• Credits start as low as 95¢, up to $1.54 per credit.
• Minimum of 12 credits to start, which costs $18.50 (equal to $1.54 per credit).
• As you purchase larger amounts of credits at one time, the price per credit is reduced.

iStockphoto Pricelist (2011)

Check out the complete iStockphoto pricelist here.

Searchability

iStockphoto Review Search – “Ball”

iStockphoto has a fantastic keyword-driven search within their website that will make finding the right photo for you very simple. The search is provided on their own database, and uses their own controlled vocabulary. Some keywords that you type in could have multiple meanings, therefore, iStockphoto will better clarify your results by allowing you to select the correct definition of the image you are looking for. For example, if you type in the word “ball,” the search results will offer “ball (sports equipment),” “evening ball (celebration event),” and “sphere (three-dimensional shape).” You can then select the one you are looking for and only those images will be shown.

Credit Pros

• Credit-based service allows you to purchase just one image at a time, whenever you may need it.
• Useful if you know exactly how many images you need, and if it is a large amount, your cost-per-credit is reduced as you purchase more.

Credit Cons

• If you purchase your files by credits, you end up paying more for the fewer amounts of images that you need.
• Each image has a different credit cost, so when you purchase 12 credits, for example, you do not know how many images that will get for you.
• If you truly only want one image from iStockphoto, you must deposit $18.50 to purchase 12 credits. If you don’t use all of the credits, they will expire in one year.

Subscription Services of iStock

iStockphoto Review – Subscription Price

iStockphoto also offers subscription services to purchase large quantities, over the year, for your company:

• With a subscription plan, you can access all of iStockphoto’s millions of files with less limitation
• Depending on your subscription service, your daily credit limit may allow you to download several photos or other formats each day.
• Corporate subscriptions have the benefit of using all you need at a fraction of the cost.

Subscription Pros

• Subscription services allow more flexibility for your projects with the amount of images per day you can download.
• With a subscription, your company is able to allow several users to pull from one account for all of your projects.
• iStockphoto offers quite a few options for subscription services, which allows the customization for the needs of your company.

Subscription Cons

• If you plan to purchase less than $1000 worth of images per year, the subscription services are probably not for you.
• iStockphoto’s subscription policy applies a limit of credits-per-day. Therefore, if you miss a day, you miss downloads.

Photo Collections at iStockphoto

iStockphoto Review – Collections

Exclusive Collection

There are definitely some pros to purchasing from iStockphoto’s Exclusive Collection. The artists and photographers who contribute to this collection are some of the best of the best and work exclusively for Getty Images.
If you see the crown symbol  on the description page of an image, you have found an image from their exclusive collection.

Some things to keep in mind:

• If you are looking for a unique image with high quality, the Exclusive Collection may be just what you are looking for.
• Though you were paying for 1-15 credits for their regular collection per photo, the exclusive images will cost a bit more, but will be worth the quality and exclusivity you are receiving.

Vetta™ Collection

The word “Vetta” is Italian for “Peak.” The Vetta Collection is very artistic and creative… it is risky and has ruthless standards. The caliber of art that is demonstrated in this collection is dynamic and high-performance.

Some things to keep in mind:

• If you are looking for a very unique and artistic image for your product, this is the collection for you.
• The cost for this collection falls between 30 and 125 credits.
• The Vetta™ Collection is a high-level, high-creativity selection of photos that is great for those looking for exquisite art direction, intelligent concepts and the rare photos.

Agency™ Collection

The Agency Collection came about when iStockphoto saw the need for an even higher quality image library. While this collection will remain small, it provides a place to go for those clients looking for images that have a clean asthetic and a focus on region-specific content.

Some things to keep in mind:

• If you are looking for a very unique and artistic image for your product, this is the collection for you.
• The cost for this collection falls between 55 and 250 credits.
• The Agency™ Collection provides the highest quality images with a less artistic feel than what you will find in the Vetta™ Collection .

Extended Licenses

In order to purchase an extended license, known as Top-up credits, for any of the images on iStockphoto.com, you must have a current subscription. The credits come in 50, 150 and 250 increments from $75 to $350. This is in addition to your already- paid subscription for images. However, unlike your daily subscription limit, these credits last throughout the length of your subscription and are there for you in case you surpass your daily limit. A typical extended license will cost around 125 credits; therefore, with one subscription credit of $0.30, you will be able to purchase an image for $37.50. Other stock photo agencies do not give their users the chance to save money on extended licenses while using their subscription services.

The Summary of iStock

iStockphoto has been around since the beginning of the online industry for stock photography, and were the pioneers of Microstock. Because of that, they are a popular company, with loyal contributors as well as clients. The iStockphoto staff is very particular with the images they allow into their library. Based on this, you know you are getting the best images in the industry. Besides that, this company has been around since the beginning of Microstock, so you know you are dealing with an experienced leader in the industry. This agency is suitable for those looking for royalty-free images.

If you are looking for a great image-by-image service for your company, iStockphoto is the agency for you and your projects. It is incredibly easy to register for your free account and start taking advantage of their amazing library and great prices today!

UPDATE Oct. 2012: Direct purchasing option updated.