In the past, Fotolia accepted vector illustrations only in SVG format (most of the other microstock agencies require EPS format – version Illustrator 8). But now you can sell your vectors in EPS or AI formats (version Illustrator 10, but 8 should be good enough too), that is a big improvement! The pricing system is also changed – the price depends on the complexity of the artwork.
What to draw and photograph during the year
Every microstock contributor knows, that some themes are selling much better in some months of the year – and those are seasonal themes, like Christmas, Easter, Halloween… You should start selling those several months before – for example with Christmas themes you should start already in August (November is too late – most of the designers works on Christmas cards already in summer / autumn and they need fresh photos).
How to align objects relative to some other object
If you want to align some objects, you have to use align pallette. Normaly you align object relative to the bounding box of all selected objects or to artboard, but you can also align relative to one of those selected objects. See the following example:
How to start selling photos and illustrations on microstock
So you want to sell your photos, bitmap or vector illustrations, flash, footage or audio on the internet and earn some money, but you don’t know where and how to start – right now you are in the right place, I will try to help you in this article – it should be a detailed guide for selling images.
Adobe Illustrator tips & tricks: Hide current layer
I always used the small eye icon on the layer panel to hide selected layer. But now I found one clever keyboard short cut, which will do the same job: CTRL+3. Another useful short cut is for displaying all (hidden) objects on the canvas – you can do this via menu item Object/Show All or via short cut CTRL+ALT+3.
iStockphoto – How to get 3 credits for free
You can get 3 credits for free on one of the best microstock agency for graphic designers. How? iStockphoto has a referral program – if you create an account and make first purchase within 14 days, you will get 3 credits and I will get 10$ as a referrer. So if you are interested, just send me an email on orson (at) sellinggraphics.com with your first name and last name before you register on iStockphoto site. After that I will send you an invitation from iStockphoto site on your email.
Partner links
How to pass iStockphoto Stock Illustrator Application Quiz
I posted here right answers for iStockphoto photographer Quiz and now I’m doing the same for vector illustrators. The quiz is quite easy, but for somebody who is not native English speaker, it can be a bit hard – so here are the right answers (remember – you should still read the Stock Illustration Training Manual, because there is a lot of important information, which will help you with acceptance on iStockphoto).
Microstock’s standard royalty-free license limitations
What are the limitations of standard royalty-free license of each microstock agency? In this article I will look only at maximum number of copies, in case when the buyer wants to use the illustration or photo for the packaging of his product. You shouldn’t forget, that standard microstock license can’t be used for „resale“ of the artwork on „print on demand“ products (postcards, mugs, t-shirts, posters, wallpapers, web templates…)
Best sites with Adobe Illustrator tutorials, tips and tricks
I have several sites about creating vector illustrations in my RSS reader. Here is the list of the best sites, that I’m visiting regularly.