Hi there. Here you can see our list of AI photo tools including image editors that can perform your desired task. Hope this helps.

Hi Damiano. According to the company, Shutterstock currently has around 2 million contributors worldwide. The last report on the total number of files downloaded is from 2018, when they surpassed the 1 Billion downloads mark. Considering their annual growth, one could educatedly guess it must be at least 2x-3x that number at this point.
If you’re interested in more metrics about the agency, you might like to read our Shutterstock Statistics report.

Hi Jo, our extended Canva Pro Free Trial is for new users only. You would need to create a new account in order to activate this trial, meaning your previous designs would not be migrated (but they wouldn’t be lost either, they’d remain in your current account). Hope this helps.

Hi Igor, thank you for your opinion. While it can be “simpler” to buy images by the unit when you need only a small amount, the credits/download packs or subscription buying methods offer a way to save money, as they both cut the individual image price down and get more photos for the same price. Both of which are desirable for a lot of buyers.
If you need 4 images, buying them individually would cost you, let’s say, $15 each, so $60 total. If you buy a pack of 5 images for $45, you’re paying $9 per image, saving yourself 15 bucks AND getting one more image simultaneously. With a subscription, the savings are more significant. (This example is made up, the prices don’t necessarily correspond to any particular agency).
It is not ideal for everyone, that’s for sure. But those are the main benefits of the system for buyers.
Thanks again for your comment!

Hi Anne, first of all, I remind you that we are not Canva representatives, so this answer is for orientation only. We recommend you to contact Canva directly to verify this. Onto your first question, the Canva Pro license is perpetual so once you use the photos or template in a published design, it is yours forever, meaning you will continue to have those designs available even after your subscription ends. Do keep in mind, you will not be able to re-use that Canva content in any other designs (that would require a new license).
As for the second question, it is our understanding that you are allowed to modify all aspects of templates and images as much as you like –complying with the license terms–. In fact, if you use the images “as is” there are more restrictions than if you alter them. So, resizing, recoloring and changing fonts, all should be perfectly acceptable edits to Canva images.
Hope this helps!

Hi Adam, thank you for this interesting question. Straight off the bat, we are not lawyers or representatives for other stock photo agencies, so this answer is for orientation only. But at most stock photo sites, a license owned by a franchisor isn’t extended to all franchisees, no. In most cases, each franchisee would need to buy their own individual license. It might be possible to contact a stock photo agency directly and negotiate a custom license that covers franchisees, but that depends entirely on the agency.
Hope this helps!

Hi Phil, we are not Shutterstock representatives nor lawyers; our answer is based on our knowledge of the industry and the agencies’ licenses. Still, we can tell you that Shutterstock does NOT allow the use of any of their celebrity photos for commercial use (such as t-shirts for sale would be).
Images of famous people on Shutterstock are under a strict Editorial Use Only license and can only be used to illustrate news and other editorial content. Furthermore, most stock photo sites do the same. Famous people hardly ever sign model releases authorizing the indiscriminate use of their likeness for commercial gain, so it’s almost impossible to find such images under commercial-use license, anywhere.
Of course, you should contact Shutterstock directly to get their official answer.
Hope this helps!

Hi Kyri, we cannot recommend a specific website, but what you have sounds like editorial-use-only images of an actress, there are multiple stock photo sites that have editorial collections (such as Shutterstock, Getty Images, Adobe Stock, and more) that you can check to see if they take submissions for this kind of material, if they would be interested in your collection and whether your images pass their review process.
Hope this helps.

Hi Šimon, obligatory disclaimer that we are not iStock representatives, our answer is for orientation only. But, it is our understanding that you get to keep and use the images downloaded during your active subscription, as long as you’ve used them in a design at the time. However, we encourage you to check iStock’s FAQ as it’s very complete in addressing such licensing questions, and you may also contact iStock directly to clarify this matter.
Hope this helps!

Hi Lucas, we are not Shutterstock representatives nor lawyers, so my answer is for orientation only. You should be able to use Shutterstock photos in a book, keeping in mind print run limits: A Standard license covers only up to 500,000 copies, for more than that, you need an Enhanced license which covers an unlimited number of copies. However, I recommend you contact Shutterstock directly to verify your intended use and which license would serve you best.
Hope this helps!

Hi KAJ, if you are intending to sell these stamps and paper collections then yes, an Enhanced license would be required. But we are not Shutterstock representatives so always consult with them directly to verify about which license you need.
Hope this helps!

Hi Cecilie, you would need to verify directly at the agency you are using, as licensing agreements can vary from one company to the next. However, in general lines, if you are the one purchasing and downloading the photos, then the licenses (the rights) are being used under your name, not your client’s. If you then use the images in the book cover designs and send them that design, they do get the right to use the design (this is covered under client work), but they do not own the rights to use the image alone –outside of that cover design–. And if you’re using Royalty Free images, almost none of them allow you to transfer the license, so your client is very likely not holding any rights over these pictures. They should be buying the licenses themselves. Obligatory disclaimer: we are not lawyers and we do not represent other stock photo agencies, so you would need to contact the company you got the images from and verify with them.
Hope this helps!

Hi Michelle,

Obligatory disclaimer that we are not lawyers and we don’t represent other stock photo agencies. That said, what you describe would fall within the description of client work and would be covered by a Standard license at most stock photo agencies. Of course, you need to read the license agreement of the agency you choose before downloading, to verify this is the case (and contact them directly if you need clarification). But as long as you take the steps you detailed about protecting the original photos and informing the client of the limitations in which they can use the video, this should be ok. As a side note, make sure to verify the agency you are using covers YouTube usage, and what terms they have for such use. For example, Shutterstock has a budget limitation for YouTube video use, and Adobe Stock has a viewer cap.
As for your last question, Shutterstock’s Standard license is royalty-free, so yes, you can use the same image in more than one project, for more than one client, with the same one license (and without having to pay anything extra). What you need to know is that the coverage of client work is “one project for one client”. If you plan to sell the exact same video or design to multiple clients, then you need to verify with the agency directly as that might be considered product for resale and require an Extended license.
Hope this helps!

Hi C, thank you for your comment. We will make a correction to our real-life example in the article. In our expert’s opinion, the hats can potentially fall under Enhanced license even if they’re free, due to being considered “merchandise” regardless, but flyers and brochures are usually covered by Standard license as far as we are aware. We will seek more clarification about this specific point if possible. This is why we always recommend contacting Shutterstock directly as licensing terms can be somewhat ambiguous and only the agency has the last word, so it’s great that you did just that. Thanks again 🙂

Hi Bourouba, if your intention is to have a middleman company handling the licensing process for you, obviously any of the agencies we listed in our article will work. Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, iStock and Getty Images are all highly professional companies, and once you’re accepted as a contributor you can easily build a portfolio and send the link to potential customers; the agencies handle/automate the whole buying process and cut a share of the sale price, you don’t have to do anything else. However, a few things to highlight:
-If you’re looking at making more money per sale of your images, then your best bet is Getty Images: the % you get per sale is higher here because their prices are higher too. Qualifying as a contributor for Getty Images can be harder to do than for the other agencies, though.
-At microstock agencies such as Shutterstock, Adobe Stock or iStock, you’ll make a lot less per sale (sometimes a sale only earns you a few cents), but you can potentially sell more (because of the low prices that attract more customers). This is a volume-based business.
-If you only want your photos to be used by organizations that care about nature as much as you do, then you would need to either continue managing licenses personally or find a tailored or niche agency solution. At Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, iStock or Getty Images (and at virtually any other stock photo site) your images can be downloaded and used by anyone. There are use terms they have to abide by, of course, that protect the integrity of your work. But you cannot filter or reject buyers.
Hope this helps!

Hi there. We are not Shutterstock, so we strongly advise you to verify this and any other licensing inquiry with them directly, our answers are for orientation only.
That said, the image you linked appears to be available for an Enhanced license, which is the type of license you need for using it on commercial products. So providing you buy it under an Enhanced license, you should be able to use it in your intended way.
Again, please verify this with the agency before downloading, for your peace of mind.
Hope this helps!

Hi TJ, obligatory note that we are not Shutterstock representatives so this answer is for orientation only, and we recommend you contact Shutterstock directly to verify this info. Upon review and advice from our resident licensing expert, I am told that yes, you very likely can sell prints of unedited images with an Enhanced license. Again, it’s always best to verify with the agency directly.
Hope this helps!

Hi Lisa, the Canva Pro license is perpetual, this means the license for photos you downloaded and used in a design while your plan was still active, is still valid even after your plan ends. You may continue using those photos in your ebook and print copies according to the license agreement terms, just remember three things:
1. You cannot use those photos in any new designs. To do that, you would need to re-download the images from Canva directly (and pay for them again).
2. If you are using the images as stand-alone in the ebook, the pixel count limitation from Canva’s terms still applies.
3. Any images you downloaded within your plan but did not use in a design at the time of cancellation of your subscription, are voided. You cannot use those images if your plan is not active, and you must delete the files.

Hope this helps!

Hi Eleanor, the specifics of image attribution can vary from one agency to the other, so you need to read the license agreement of the stock photo you intend to use (this information is commonly included in their terms), and even better contact the agency directly to verify. But in general terms, stock photo agencies require that you cite the agency and the author of the image. Please remember that to use a royalty-free image in a book introduction you need to have a valid license for said image.
Hope this helps!

Hi Georgina, what you describe would fall under the label of derivative work, and the Shutterstock license does not allow for this kind of use, neither on its Standard nor Extended license. Furthermore, there is an explicit prohibition to infringe on the image artist’s copyright, trademark, and other individual rights. This is why using stock photos as a reference for artwork is usually not permitted.
However, Shutterstock does encourage you to contact their Customer Service if the rights you need are not listed on their license agreement, and we suggest you reach out to a Shutterstock representative directly to verify whether they have a license option suitable for your needs. But do not proceed with your intended use without confirming with the agency.
Hope this helps!

Hi Nicole. That is a very good question. All images you use have to be part of a design made with Canva, the license doesn’t allow standalone uses of images.
Do keep in mind, that a design doesn’t have to have a lot of design elements – even adding a filter or a small logo, a colorful border, etc., would suffice. As long as you created it on the Canva Editor and exported it/published it from there, you will be covered.
Disclaimer: We are not Canva representatives or lawyers, this answer is for information only. We encourage you to contact Canva directly to verify the info.
Hope this helps!

Hi Andy. All Shutterstock images are high resolution, you usually get to pick between two or three available sizes (we recommend always selecting the largest size available since there is no added cost and it’s a lot more flexible for design). Said largest size is suitable for large format printing, at 300 DPI, so you shouldn’t have problems printing in your desired dimensions. However, we recommend you check with a Shutterstock representative directly before buying, to make sure. Hope this helps!

Hello, not sure exactly what you mean. This is a news article from 2013, which reported on Shutterstock’s official announcement of surpassing $150M in contributor payouts (you can see the press release right here).
At the time of this announcement, Shutterstock had been in business for 10 years. What Amos did was a simple breakdown of those numbers that meant an average of $15M in contributor payouts per year.
Shutterstock’s latest announcement in terms of contributor earnings milestones is from 2019 when they reported having reached $1 Billion in contributor earnings.
Hope this clears it up for you!

Hi Jeanne, we are not Canva and we don’t represent them so I strongly advise you to verify this with Canva directly. But, for information purposes only and from our interpretation of their license, that point you mention refers to the images as standalone (this is, just the stock photo/stock graphic element from Canva library), not to a design created using Canva/Canva elements. You cannot ever make a stock photo obtained through Canva available for others to download or share as is. I don’t have the particulars about whether you can sell designs containing Canva content on Etsy (this you will need to check with Canva directly, as I mentioned), but as far as I understand you can use the Canva editor to create designs for sale. Hope this helps a bit!

Hi Maggie, do you mean how to access the Canva license terms? If so, you can access it by clicking right here. Hope it helps!

Hi Meg, very good question. If you check the image in section #2 of our guide above, you’ll see that point 2 of Shutterstock’s Standard License mentions that physical prints are limited to 500,000 reproductions “in the aggregate”. So this print run limit applies to the image as a whole, no matter how many designs you’re using it. To answer your question, yes, you need to keep track of the number of prints you make, over time. If in the future you need to surpass the 500,000 copies limit, you can always re-license the image (i.e. re-download it from Shutterstock) under Standard, or upgrade to an Enhanced license (which grants unlimited downloads among other usage rights) if you see it fit. Mind you, we are not Shutterstock representatives, so you might be better off contacting them directly to verify the information. Hope this helps!

Hi Anjali, we are not Canva representatives so my answer is for orientation only, you will need to contact Canva directly to verify this and I advise you to do so. But to answer your question, the pixel count limit in online publications refers specifically to unedited images, that is, using a photo exactly as it was downloaded from Canva. If you create a design in Canva using several stock images, that would imply the images have been edited by you, and thus the pixel count limitation would not apply. Even if you use only one image, as long as it’s been edited/customized, that limitation is removed. Hope this helps!

Hi, obligatory disclaimer that we are not Shutterstock representatives, so you would need to contact Shutterstock directly to verify about this. My answer is orientative only. That said, the Editorial license at Shutterstock is a one-use-only license. Meaning you can only use it once, in connection with one medium. So you would need to re-license the image every time you want to use it in a new blog post. However, their terms also include that you are allowed to re-use an Editorial image as long as it is contextually related to your initial use –for example, if you use an image in a news post about Microsoft, you could then re-use the same image in a social media post where you promote your article–. Hope this helps!

Hi Carla, very good question. First of all, the obligatory disclaimer that we are not Shutterstock representatives, so my answer is for orientation only and you would need to verify with Shutterstock directly in any case. That said, as of right now according to Shutterstock’s terms you can keep and use all the images you download within your subscription forever, even after said subscription ends. About cancellation fees, if you hire the month-to-month plan there isn’t any penalty, you can hire it for just one month at no extra cost. Do keep two things: 1) The auto-renew option is selected by default, so you must make sure to unselect and save the changes in your account settings within the month, to avoid being charged for a subsequent one. And 2) Your allotted downloads are available for that month alone and while the subscription is active, any downloads you haven’t used by the time your plan is up will be forfeited.
Hope this helps 🙂

Hi Jolene, it is possible to use stock photos in t-shirt prints to sell, for that you need an Extended License. These licenses come at higher price points than the regular ones, but give you the right to use images in products for resale (such as the t-shirts), among other added usage rights.

Hope this helps!

Hi Mark, a watermark is an effective way to protect your intellectual property indeed, and you can also include a copyright disclaimer at the foot of every image published. Keep in mind that I am not a lawyer and you would need to verify this with an attorney, but that as long as you are the legal copyright owner of these images, you will always have ways to enforce that copyright to be respected. Today, for example, there are many advanced image recognition and image tracking services you can use to police where and how your content is being used. So if someone would use your images without authorization, you could identify this illegal use and send a DMCA takedown notice or otherwise initiate legal actions. I hope this helps!

Hi, Ron. Thank you for your comment. You are very right, Canva Pro’s current pricing is $12.99/month or $119.99/year. Our article is not old, it was actually updated at the end of August 2021 to reflect a temporary price-cut in Canva memberships. As you sharply pointed out, the plans are now back to regular pricing. We have updated our article to reflect this, and we thank you for pointing it out to us.

Hi Derek, that is subject to designer’s preferences and PDF is a perfectly acceptable format for graphics. But generally speaking, EPS format is better for editing.

Hi Lucy,

Clarifying first that we are not Shutterstock representatives, it is my understanding that you could use a Shutterstock image for this purpose, providing you make less than 500,000 copies. This is the stipulation on point a.2. of their Standard license agreement” “Printed in physical form as part of product packaging and labeling, (…) CD and DVD cover art, or in the advertising and copy of tangible media, (…) provided no Image is reproduced more than 500,000 times in the aggregate”; all images downloaded during your free trial period are under Standard license. I advise verifying with Shutterstock directly for your peace of mind, though.
Hope this helps!

Hi John, Adobe (and most stock agencies for the matter) have policies against stockpiling, meaning they put a deadline to when you can use images you downloaded from their site after your subscription ends. Each agency has its own limit, but it is usually not very long around 30-60 days. After that, the license for images you haven’t yet used is considered invalid. If your intention is to download images to use them later on, this deadline gets in your way.
So, I would advise contacting Adobe Stock directly to find out what their deadline for unused images is, and based on that information see if a one-month subscription is worth your while.
Hope this helps!

Hi Patti,

What you describe is considered a reproduction of copyrighted images, and it’s prohibited by most stock photo agencies’ licensing terms. Meaning you cannot use drawings based on stock photos, even if you buy a license. There are some agencies that might allow it upon agreement, so in that case, you should contact the agencies directly.

Hi Anna, as long as the images are a small part of the manual (for illustration purposes, for example) and not the core value in it, and also as long as the manual itself is not sold, then Standard License should suit you –keeping in mind the 500,000 print run limit. We have a dedicated article on Shutterstock License explained that you might find useful: https://www.stockphotosecrets.com/questions-answers/shutterstock-license.html
Please keep in mind our articles and my comment are for guidance only, to be 100% certain you’re using the right license, you must contact Shutterstock directly and ask for confirmation.
I hope this helps you!

Hi Steven. Firstly, in Adobe Stock “assets” refers to media files. A “Standard asset” does equal a Standard image indeed.
The price of Standard images with subscriptions (the only type of assets you can download with these plans) ranges between $0.26 and $9.99 each. Our article focuses on these as they are the best prices, and we display them on tables to make them easier to identify 🙂
If you use credits for Standard images, 1 image = 1 credit. That would be $8 – $9.99 per image depending on what size of credit pack you use.
All this info is properly displayed on Adobe Stock throughout the buying process, as well as on their pricing page. In the case of Standard images, you must do a little calculation if you wish to know the price per unit because they no longer sell them individually, but the info is there.
Lastly, the price of the assets does vary but depending on their status and value: Premium images, Premium 3D designs, Stock Video, Extended License and Editorial License have different price points than Standard images (they cost more). These can only be bought on demand, be it one by one or with credits.
I hope to have helped clarify this for you!