Okay, this is a little offtopic (not a video tutorial) but still has to do with digital fotos, vectors and artwork in general. Do you know istockphoto.com? You don’t? Then you really must live under a rock because istockphoto is an excellent way to make some extra cash. I am a member since november 2003 and I have “Total earnings — $3270.50 USD.” Now you say, okay that’s some nice cash, but that’s not much for over four years. Yes, you are right. But I have only 11 images in my portfolio and not even the best ones.

My most successful and most downloaded image is the can phone with 635 downloads. And this is not even a photograph, it’s a digital rendering. You don’t have to be a photographer to get your stuff listed on istockphoto. You can also upload vector files, flash files, videos or any other graphic artwork that is suitable as stock material.

So, how does it work in detail and how can you make some profit? Well, first register a new account. If you have some nice photos or any other material available already, go ahead and submit it. The best idea is to check the database and look for the most popular files to get an idea what people like to download. You can also search directly for specific topics and sort the results to ‘downloads’.

Vectors are very popular these days. That’s because they are small in filesize, easy to use and scalable for print without any loss in quality. You will see a lot of icons for the web and business illustrations. If you have created any quality vector objects before, upload them. Istock have changed their pricing structure lately, so you now get even more credits for your vector illustrations (depending on complexity of the illustration).

“You are a designer or photographer? Then get your images uploaded as soon as possible.”

The istock system is pretty simple: Upload an image and get x $ for each time your file gets downloaded. Images are available in different file sizes and different licences. You get more royalties for downloads of high resolution images and extended lincences, like print etc. You can also convert your earnings to credits. With credits you can download images yourself.

So what is the best method of making some money here? Let’s have a look at this very popular file. This file is a pretty simple illustration but with great colors. People like wavy, modern backgrounds. So this might be a good chance to get started. Get a copy of the free illustration software inkscape, as mentioned in this article and start drawing some nice shapes. You can also use photoshop to draw vector shapes. But make sure you read the vector illustration guide before uploading any vectors to istockphoto. Christmas is coming near, upload some christmas ornaments, stuff for greeting cards and other christmas illustrations.

Do you have experience using 3dsmax or any other 3d package? Render some nice ‘business images’ (like this one) or small movies.

Here is a list of categories that are very! popular.

- Business graphics / illustrations
- Business people
- Background Vectors
- Flash Menues
- Objects on a white background
- Glossy web graphics / iconsets
- Floral Ornaments

My advice is: Be creative and upload new images on a regular basis. Check your stats regulary to see what hot and what’s not. Delete old images and don’t stick to old ones that don’t sell. People will look inside your portfolio and will stay longer if you have more qualtiy images available.

Additional stock photography sites: fotolia, Shutterstock, bigstockphoto.