Category Archives: iStock

Buying Stock Video Footage from iStock

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iStock is one of the few stock media agencies that does not only sell stock photos but also stock video footage. Founded in 2000, the company has grown into over 7 million of digital files. It has been selling amazing video footage for a decade. Many creative professionals use the stock site because of its easy-to-use interface and very reasonable pricing & plans. It also boasts one of the most user-friendly search features in the market.

iStock has its own search technology called faceted search. You can search the library through categories and keywords. In your keyword search, you can use the standard Boolean, such as:

  • And
  • Or
  • Not

You can also filter your searches by:

  • Searching within a search allows you to narrow down the results by doing a second search from your initial search pages.
  • Elemental search lets you search for image qualities. You can specify prominent colors in the video to narrow your choices to stock video footage that match your theme.
  • Video file formats allow you to search for videos by PAL, DV or NTSC. You can also search by dimension at 16:9 and 4:3. Moreover, you can search to find 720 or 1080 HD and download whichever file format you need.
  • Search by people. Are you looking for stock video footage with people? You can narrow down your choices to videos that feature people. You can specify the gender and age group, too. You can also choose among videos that do not include people in them.
  • Search by age. If you are looking for the most recent uploads, you can limit your files to searches that have been uploaded in the last hour, the last 24 hours, within the week or the past month.

What if you want only free content?

You can register to iStock (using a promo code that can be found here) to avail of their free stock video footage every week. That is 4 free stuff in a month. Once you sign up, you will also have access to the stock site’s media library. If you wish to purchase from the library, simply subscribe to a plan or purchase credits. One video from the Essentials collection, which is the best value of tight budgets, costs 6 credits. On the other hand, the Signature collection, which includes the very best videos, have video footage that starts at 18 credits.

iStock lets you save with their flexible plans. You don’t have to resort to free videos in the Internet. The stock media agency protects your business investment for a price that fits your budget. Of course, there will be restriction on the use of the video. As long as you adhere to the terms and conditions, you don’t have to worry about any legal issues that may arise in the future.

Everything You Need to Know about the New iStock Credits

Although there are some changed with the iStock pricing, the stock photo agency still allows you to purchase royalty-free images and illustrations in two ways: subscription plans and credits. You can either pay per download with credits or subscribe and save with a plan. The new pricing still allow you to download images, vectors and video clips with iStock credits, but there are some significant changes. Let us consider some of them.

  • When you buy more, you save more. This is an old feature, but one that does not need to be changed. Many photo buyers are happy about this feature. That’s why the stock photo website decide to retain it.
  • The credits never expire. This is another feature that we all love about the iStock credits. They do not expire, which means you can download images whenever you need. You do not have to worry about expiration dates.
  • The base package contain 1 credit. With one credit, you can purchase one Essential image. On the other hand, a Signature image takes 3 credits. So if you purchase 18 credits, you have the option to purchase 18 Essential images, 6 Signature images or anything in between.
  • The discount starts steep but buying more offers a better deal. You can purchase credits by 1, 3, 6, 18, 36, 60, 150, and 300. If you need a larger package, you can contact the stock site. The discounts start at 10% but increases as the size of the package also increase.
  • It is more affordable than Shutterstock. The minimum credit package is more affordable at iStock. Shutterstock offers the smallest package with 2 images at $29, you can get a 1 credit package for only $15.
  • Credit balances are changing. If you have remaining credits on your account, they will be adjusted at a 5:1 conversion rate, rounding up in your favor. For instance you have 18 credits left on your account. It will be divided into 5, so 18 divided by 5 equals 3. The remainder 3 credits will be round up. Ultimately, you will get 4.
  • Pricing will no longer be based on size. Contrary to now, there will be no size-based pricing. You can choose any size that fits your creative project for the same prize. You can also upgrade your downloads from small to large after the change.

The changes on iStock credits are now on effect. It gives you a better value, even for a higher price. You will be able to download any image size at the same price. The only difference in prices will happen in the kind of collection. Whatever you choose, always go back to the ultimate rule in buying stock images: Choose and purchase a package that fits your creative needs and budget.