Frequently Asked Questions

To view what can and cannot be uploaded, please read through our Photographer Training Manual: http://www.istockphoto.com/tutorial_1.0_account.php

Also, take a look at our needed files page for a list of images that we do and do not need: http://www.istockphoto.com/needed.php

Each image is checked individually by one of our Approval Administrators for various requirements such as size, file type, quality and copyright. This means that every image in the library has been downloaded, viewed at full size, checked exhaustively and qualitatively evaluated by at least one, but sometimes two or more Approval Inspectors.

If you are a new photographer and you have recently uploaded files, please be patient. Your image is in the queue, and will be processed in turn. There’s no need to upload again, or send us an email.

Vector Illustrations:

1. Save your vector illustration as an Adobe Illustrator 8 .EPS (Encapsulated Postscript) file. Your EPS file should be saved as an AI8 compatible EPS.
2. Open the file in Adobe Photoshop and create a 1920 x 2800 pixel RGB JPEG preview of your file.
3. If you would like to include alternate file formats (AI, PDF, etc) you can place them in a separate ZIP folder

Flash Files:

1. Generate an .SWF version of your file.
2. Create a 380 pixel (wide or tall, depending on the orientation of your animation.) RGB JPEG preview of your file.
3. Place your .FLA files into a folder and ZIP the folder.
4. Proceed to the form, you’re ready to upload your ZIP, SWF and JPEG preview.

When you upload your files to iStockphoto, our servers calculate the sizes the file will be available in, and the corresponding cost. For example, with photos: if a file is larger than 1200x1600 but smaller then 1920x2400, only a medium and a small version will be created. If the file is equal to or greater than 1920x2400, then all three sizes — small, medium, and large — will be created. Here are some examples for photo files:

Size	Pixels*	Approximate Print Size*	Cost
XSmall	300x400	1"x 1.5" @ 72dpi	1 credit
Small	600x800	2"x 3" @ 72dpi	3 credits
Medium	1200x1600	4" x 5" @ 300dpi	6 credits
Large	1920x2560	6" x 8" @ 300dpi	12 credits
XLarge	2800x4200	9" x 14" @ 300dpi	18 credits
XXLarge	3300x4900	11" x 16" @ 300dpi	22 credits
XXXLarge	3700x5600	12" x 18" @ 300dpi	28 credits

*Sample dimensions only. Actual dimensions depend on the size of the original uploaded file.

Files that appear to be rezzed-up (made larger then the original) or that contain unnecessary surrounding white-space will be rejected.

1. Images must be RGB JPG format only
2. You must own the full copyright to any image you upload. This means you must be the photographer or artist that created the image.
3. All trademarks must be removed. This includes logos, brands and entities with copyright or trademarked elements. This many also extend to trademarked products such as cast sculptures, toys, architecture and other elements of design. Copyright is checked with each file.
4. File sizes: the bigger, the better. 300 dpi 5" x 7" is optimal. 640x480 images are not usable by most graphic artists. All files should be 1200 x 1600 pixels minimum (anything smaller will be automatically rejected).
5. Entering keywords and descriptions: be descriptive. Include at least 10 keywords and use a title other than ‘dog’ or ‘man’. Supplying more keywords means your image will match more searches. Images with more keywords get downloaded more often.
6. Model releases: images with clearly visible people require a model release (iStockphoto Model Release) form for legal reasons. Children in images can’t sign a model release. A legal guardian or parent must sign for all children under the age of 18 years. You will be notified if you need a model release and it can be uploaded later if you’re not sure.
7. Legal notice: uploading images/artwork that belongs to somebody else (copyright or otherwise) will result in a suspended membership and in some cases may have legal ramifications.
8. Your account profile must have your full, real first and last names, and mailing address entered before completing an application. Anyone uploading with a fake name will be banned immediately.
9. More detailed information is available in the iStockphoto Photographer Training Manual. (http://www.istockphoto.com/tutorial_1.0_account.php)

Check the Visual Guide to Copyright and iStockPhoto Policy page: http://www.istockphoto.com/tutorial_1.0_account.php. If you are having a lot of files declined, this is a great refresher.

Each image is checked individually by one of our Inspectors for various requirements such as size, file type and quality. This means that every image in the library has been downloaded, viewed at full size (100%) and checked exhaustively for copyright infringement.

If you are a new photographer and you have recently uploaded files, please be patient. Your image is in the queue, and will be processed in turn. There’s no need to upload again, or send us an email.

The photographer application process is designed to help educate potential photographers about iStockphoto submission process and give us an idea of the overall technical and subjective quality of your work. The samples provided in an application may not be reviewed with the same stringency as photographs submitted for inclusion in the library. (If there is a minor problem with your samples the Inspector who reviews your applications will provide feedback). Also, we have many reviewers, and though they follow a list of guidelines, they each ultimately make there own a decision about photographer upload and photo submissions.

A little bit about compression: The JPEG file format uses a "lossy" compression method. In order to make the file smaller, information is thrown away, or lost. The "quality" setting that most image editing programs and digital cameras have when saving JPEGs determines how much information is lost. At a certain point with lower quality settings the removal of information during the compression process can become visible in the form of compression artifacts (places in the image where too much detail has been lost). Too much JPEG compression can become visible either in the form of a general loss of detail, or grainy/patterned areas (especially in flat spaces, such as skies).

"Compression artifacting" can be introduced by the camera and/or by your image editing software at lower quality settings. Also, re-sizing, re-sampling, and re-saving can all degrade the quality of a JPEG image, so one should be careful about re-saving JPEGs. If for example, a photo was re-saved 4 times (even at a quality of "12" or "Best") the image quality will become worse and worse. With this in mind, it is obviously best to start with the cleanest image possible. You may want to double-check your camera settings to make sure it is saving at the highest quality.

"Noise" (pixels of varying colour where there shouldn’t be) is most commonly created by digital cameras, especially in darker shadows or under low-light conditions and exacerbates the compression issues mentioned above. You might want to double-check to make sure that your camera’s ISO/ASA setting is at the lowest number (usually 100). In digital cameras, higher numbers (200 or 400) will always result in more noise (just as with film).