Stock photographers post many photos online in hopes of making a profit.
IStockPhoto.com is a website where photographers can post their photos in the hopes that others may buy them to use them in publications such as newspapers, other websites and magazines. IStock is one of many sites in the industry of stock photography. Stock photographers post many photos and sell the rights at little cost in hopes of selling a lot more than high-priced prints. Downloading photos from iStock requires registration and choosing a purchase plan.
Instructions
1. Register as a user with iStock. Create an account at the website (see Resources). You will need to input a name, email address, password and agree to the legal terms of use for the site.
2. Purchase credits to be used on the site to buy photos. IStock does not list the price of the photos on the site. The prices are listed as credits, which are integers. You will need to buy credits to "spend" them on the site to download photos. Choose one of the several purchasing plans available. Choose the "Pay As You Go" plan to purchase credits in small and large increments if you are unsure how many you will need. Customize a subscription based on your needs as an individual or small company, or sign up for a long-term corporate plan.
3. Search for photographs on the site to match your needs. Use the search tips document iStock has provided its users (see Resources). The closer you can get to matching the search words with keywords the photographer used to describe his photo, the closer you will be to finding a picture that matches your needs.
4. Double-click on the image thumbnail to see it blown-up next to the price listings. Purchase the photo by selecting the pixel size to the right of the photo. A pixel is a piece of information contained within the image file dictating color and shape. If a photo has a smaller number of pixels, it will only look clear and defined if printed or viewed smaller. Therefore, selecting a photo with a higher pixel count will allow the photo to be printed larger with less loss in clarity. A photo with more pixels will also cost more credits. Press "Buy" after making your selection.
5. Select "Download" in the next screen. Select "Save" from the window which appears, giving you options about handle your new file.
6. Select any folder on your hard drive from the drop-down menu in the next window that appears. This will be the location on your hard drive where you will store your new photo file. You may also change the name of the file under "File Name." Click "OK" to finish saving.
