Colourbox Review

Today I want to share a bit about the new stock agency Colourbox. Strictly speaking, Colourbox isn’t that new – according to the information on their website, they’ve been on the market since 2003.

That may be true, but I only found out about them this year. Previously, there was little reason to work with them anyway, since their payout methods were rather inconvenient for contributors from post‑Soviet countries – they used bank checks, for example. But since February, it’s become possible to withdraw funds via Skrill, and that made things much easier.

Information about Colourbox

So, what is the microstock agency Colourbox? Its headquarters are located in Odense, the hometown of Hans Christian Andersen, in Denmark. The company’s office is situated in a beautifully restored 150‑year‑old former farmhouse.

According to statistics provided on the Colourbox website, they currently have around 40,000 users, and each month users download more than 120,000 images and videos from Colourbox.

Earning on Colourbox

Registration on the stock agency

Registering on Colourbox and starting to work is quite simple and won’t cause difficulties for anyone who has experience with other stock agencies.

To become a contributor on Colourbox, you need to visit colourbox.com/suppliers and complete the registration form. After signing up, you’ll have to pass a relatively easy test by uploading five of your works for review.

The new agency does not require scanned identity documents, so beginners without a passport are welcome!

How to work with Colourbox

The Colourbox photo agency accepts photos for sale, videos, and vector illustrations. Files can be uploaded either via FTP or directly through the browser.

For photographs, a minimum resolution of 10 megapixels is required. The smallest side of raster images must be at least 2500 pixels.

For videos, you’ll need full HD resolution (1080p). Video previews must be uploaded in .flv format with a resolution of no less than 480p.

Keywords must be in English, with a recommended number of 12–15 tags.

By the way, Colourbox takes an interesting approach to images requiring a model release. The agency doesn’t check for it and fully trusts contributors in this matter.

Royalties for downloads

Royalties for downloads on Colourbox are fixed. The currency used for payments is the euro – unsurprising, since the Colourbox stock agency operates within the Eurozone. Its main audience consists primarily of users from Scandinavian countries.

Here’s how the payouts work: you earn €0.20 for each downloaded photo or raster image, €0.35 for each downloaded vector illustration, and €0.70 for each video download.

The minimum payout threshold on Colourbox is €100. Skrill payments are processed automatically every week once the minimum amount is reached.

Drawbacks of Colourbox

However, not everything is perfectly smooth in the Danish kingdom. Colourbox does have some downsides, such as:

• there are no fields for the title or description when adding metadata to photos and videos;
• if you upload vector illustrations, you’ll need to add keywords directly on the website;
• images and videos on Colourbox can be downloaded for non‑commercial use, which reduces contributor royalties by half;
• if an image or video is downloaded by an educational institution, royalties are not paid at all.

The main drawback of Colourbox for earning money is its somewhat unclear download system. It often seems that many downloads are generated not by real users but by the site’s automated bots.

This is understandable to some extent, as Colourbox needs to attract more contributors and expand its image database. We all remember how Depositphotos once made similar test purchases. The question is, how long will their budget allow for this?

Also, I find it confusing that many downloads are listed as “free” and supposedly come from educational organizations. According to the Colourbox website, educational institutions can gain access to its database for all students and teachers by paying a one‑time educational license fee.

Based on the statistics, free image downloads tend to appear after a certain number of paid ones, which looks a lot like a script with preset triggers.

It’s also worth noting that many of the downloaded images have never been purchased on major stock sites. But again, given that Colourbox has no daily download limits for buyers…

Well, never mind – what do we care? Colourbox pays, and that’s what matters!

By the way, I wouldn’t recommend uploading your entire portfolio to Colourbox. In my opinion, it’s better to select works that don’t sell well on leading microstocks.

Fun fact: did you know that back in 1982 in London, there was a small electronic punk band also called Colourbox? They played a mix of punk, reggae, funk, and dub. The band lasted only five years, disappearing at the peak of their fame in 1987, but left a mark on club music history.

I sincerely hope the microstock agency Colourbox continues to work steadily in its niche, bringing good income to its contributors.