Pros and Cons of Stock Images

Many designers often face a shortage of quality photos and illustrations in their work. A decade or so ago, this was a significant challenge.

Today, with the Internet’s widespread reach, obtaining necessary materials has become much easier.

You can purchase illustrations and photographs for various applications, like brochures, magazines, and websites, from microstock photo banks for just a few dollars.

There’s no need to hire a photographer or illustrator, eliminating the human factor – a key advantage of using photo banks.

Additionally, purchasing a stock photo or illustration from a photo bank is significantly more affordable than hiring an experienced photographer.

Stock image databases contain millions of works, with leading platforms offering collections ranging from 5 to 10 million images.

These high-quality works have been pre-approved by photo bank inspectors.

Consequently, the quality of photos on microstock websites often surpasses that of images taken by hired photographers.

You might wonder about the legality of purchasing images from stock photo agencies. Typically, these images are sold under a royalty-free license, with prices varying based on size.

A royalty-free license permits you to legally use the purchased photo or vector illustration unlimited times across various projects, with potential limitations on very large print runs or using the image as merchandise.

To purchase an image from a photo bank, register on the site and transfer funds through an approved method to buy a microstock subscription or credits.

Standard payment methods at photo banks include major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Diners, Amex) and PayPal.

Some stock photo sites, like Depositphotos, accept payments through Webmoney or SMS. The minimum cost of credits varies, averaging around $1.

The cost per credit depends on the package you purchase; larger packages offer a lower unit cost.

Once you’ve purchased credits, you can download images in your desired size. This summarizes the process of buying images from a photo bank.

Below, I’ve outlined the pros and cons of purchasing images from photo banks online.

Pros of Purchasing Images from Microstocks:

• Affordable pricing for images, starting at $1 for the smallest size and up to $10 for larger sizes; bulk purchases can reduce the price to as low as 21 cents per image.
• Vast and continually updated image databases; leading photo banks like Shutterstock now boast over 460 million images in their collections.
• Quality assurance: Each photo, illustration, and video is reviewed by the photo bank’s inspectors, ensuring that only high-quality graphics is available for sale. The database includes numerous high-resolution images exceeding 16 megapixels.
• Convenience in purchasing: Acquiring photos and illustrations is done online in real-time, typically requiring just a payment card. Some photo banks also accept alternative payment methods like Webmoney, SMS, Moneybookers, or Google Checkout.
• Leading photo banks offer interfaces in multiple languages, allowing users to register, search for, and purchase images in their native language.
• Royalty-Free licensing: This permits the use of photos and illustrations in various projects an unlimited number of times, with exceptions typically for large print runs.
• No copyright concerns: All photos and illustrations in photo banks are properly licensed, with permissions granted by illustrators, photographers, and models for commercial use.

Cons of Buying Images from Photo Banks:

• Under the terms of the Royalty-Free license, the stock photos and illustrations you purchase may also be used by other buyers in their projects.
• There is a shortage of reportage photographs in photo bank databases, including images of politicians, athletes, musicians, and significant global events. Photo banks have only recently begun accepting such images, so these collections are still growing.
• Leading stock photo sites, primarily international organizations, generally do not provide paper documentation for accounting purposes. Therefore, it may be practical to use domestic photo banks.

If you’re interested in purchasing images from a photo bank, visit the ‘Purchasing Stock Images‘ tab to compare prices and find a microstock platform that fits your budget and requirements.