Microstock News

Flixtime debuts a free site where users create custom, production-quality videos. Anyone with images, videos, and text can use Flixtime’s software to create, share, and download free 60-second videos on www.flixtime.com. Nearly two years in the making, Flixtime launched worldwide February 22, 2010.

Users create high-resolution videos on www.flixtime.com using their own photos and videos, or by choosing from a library of royalty-free images provided by Fotolia. AudioMicro also provides users with a selection of award-winning tracks, sound effects, and stock music. Flixtime videos are easy to produce with state-of-the-art technology that integrates the user’s choice of music, text, images, and videos. All Flixtime video productions can be used both for personal or independent commercial use.

“We have been getting more and more demand from users who want a tool that easily creates stunning videos by using images and text. Companies from all over the world have video needs, whether for websites, projects, or presentations. Until now, production costs were very high,” says Fotolia and Flixtime CEO Oleg Tscheltzoff. “Just like we democratized stock images on Fotolia by offering images for under $1 USD, we have made videos accessible and affordable to countless companies. Instead of investing tons of money in equipment, talent, and a location to produce videos, our users can simply use their content, or the images and music provided by Flixtime, to create the videos they envision.”

Visitors to www.flixtime.com create a free account and then follow three simple steps to create custom videos.

Ryan Born, CEO of AudioMicro says, “We are very pleased to partner with Flixtime to provide the music for such an amazing technology. With just one click, Flixtime users can bring energy and emotion to their videos by adding music. We’ve supplied a handpicked selection, spanning nearly every musical genre and style. With tracks for everyone, Flixtime users are sure to have the perfect soundtrack and take their videos to the next level.”

About Fotolia
Over 1.5 million people prefer Fotolia, LLC for affordable, royalty-free images, graphics and HD videos. With the introduction of the Infinite Collection, Fotolia became the first worldwide microstock organization to offer both crowd-sourced and professional images on one site. Founded in New York City in 2004, Fotolia spans the globe with websites in 10 languages and offices in 12 countries. With over 8,000,000 images to choose from, find it on Fotolia. www.fotolia.com

About AudioMicro
AudioMicro offers advertisers, music supervisors, creative directors, webmasters, filmmakers, and “YouTubers” an affordable, high-quality solution for obtaining stock music and royalty free sound effects for use in creative projects. With content purchased from AudioMicro, a movie or webisode can be scored at a fraction of the cost of a traditional music library. AudioMicro offers the largest micro stock music library, with over 200,000 tracks from songwriters, publishers, composers, record labels, and sound designers worldwide.
www.audiomicro.com

Media Contacts:
Jennifer Laraway
Director of Communications, North America
Fotolia, LLC
Direct: 1.403.708.9398
jennifer@fotolia.com
www.fotolia.com
Twitter: fotoliaUSA

Paige Schoknecht
Prequent, Inc. (for AudioMicro, Inc.)
Phone: 1.408.275.1419
paige@prequent.com
www.audiomicro.com
Twitter: audiomicro

Technorati Tags :
Flixtime Transforming web users into video producers |

Maintain your sanity and increase your sales by using relevant indexes to keep images organized and search-engine-optimized. On Fotolia, indexing is one of the most important steps in selling your images, vectors, and videos. Simply, indexing is the same as filing or sorting your images through effective use of keywords and categories.

Keywords:
Using applicable and diverse keywords is the key to an effective index, but make sure you balance an eager marketing mind with cautionary discretion. Buyers are turned off by results that are totally irrelevant to their search. Use keywords that illustrate the image, as well as, the concept in which they might be used (for example: building versus architecture).

Categories:
Many buyers on Fotolia use the category system to filter their search results. On Fotolia, you have two types of categories - conceptual and representative - which are not required to upload your image, but are really useful in improving your content visibility. Even if this proves to be time consuming, it is important to find the most precise category for your file. Actually, it’s better to have no category than a category which doesn’t correspond to your subject.

Unlocking the secrets to effective keywording:

1.) Limit the number of keywords you use to describe your image. A good range is 12 - 20 words, depending if the image is widely-recognized (historic landmarks) or more abstract (see example image above of the fish jumping bowls. This type of image probably requires more keywords.)

2.) Order the keywords strategically by using the most relevant words first. This determines where an image appears in the search results page.

3.) For all you worldly travelers out there, keep those descriptors to one language. Fotolia’s search engine automatically translates your keywords to 12 languages.

4.) Pay close attention to details such as compound versus singular words (example: gold fish versus gold, fish)

5.) Opposites do not attract - antonyms are frustrating to buyers and are filtered out by Fotolia

By imaging what kind of customers will be interested in your image (specialized magazine, website owner, communication agency, etc), and in what context they will using the image (article, advertising, post cards), you will be able to index effectively. The results will show for themselves in sales.

Technorati Tags :
For the love of indexing |
tips |

Ever want to be featured in one of the top magazines for teens? Now is your chance! We’re looking for Fotolia’s teen contributors to share their stories. Tell us what inspires you, where you see yourself going with your art, and how you plan on spending those hard earned dollars.

Deadline for submissions is February 8, 2010

Email your “audition” to jennifer@fotolia.com and be sure to include your age and Fotolia username. This opportunity is targeted to females 16 – 22. If you’re under 18, we need your parent’s permission.

Thank you in advance to all those who submit, only those considered for this opportunity will be contacted.

Fotolia wants to hear from you!

We get requests from publications from all over the world looking for dynamic contributors or groups who have a love for their craft and a story to tell. If you have an interesting photography or design experience, we would love to hear from you. It could get you published!

Calling all artists!
Whether you are a designer, photographer, teacher, engineer by trade or part of a small business or Fortune 500 Company, Fotolia wants to know about your adventures in microstock.

Previously, we profiled a couple who looked death in the eye after becoming stranded in the Nevada desert during a photo shoot. They are lucky to be alive. (http://ow.ly/13BfS) Have you defied the odds in an attempt to get that perfect shot or concept? Then tell us about it.

This opportunity is open to all Fotolia contributors. Email your “audition” to jennifer@fotolia.com and be sure to include your age and Fotolia username. We will contact people as the opportunities arise. To sign-up for your free Fotolia account, visit www.fotolia.com

Technorati Tags :
Seventeen |
magazine |
audition |
casting |
stories |
Fotolia |
microstock |

NEW YORK, NY, February 2, 2010 – Microstock entrepreneurs Lee Torrens and Amos Struck, teamed up to launch the Microstock Photo Plugin for WordPress. Based on Fotolia’s most powerful API, bloggers can now instantly search from 8-million royalty-free images on Fotolia and add them to their posts without leaving WordPress. What’s even better is that the application suggests photos based on blog tags. All bloggers have to do is select the image they want and it’s automatically inserted into the post.

“Thanks to our powerful and unique API, the Microstock photo plug-in not only offers bloggers a fast and easy way to integrate attractive images at unbeatable prices, but users also have the opportunity to make money by using Fotolia images through affiliation options,“ says Garth Johnson, Executive Vice President for Fotolia, North America.

Writers can use the images for as long as they need to because when they purchase images, for as low as $1, from Fotolia, it includes a standard-use license. Plus, if bloggers enable Fotolia’s Affiliate Program, they earn Fotolia credits every time someone follows their image link, creates a Fotolia account, and downloads an image. The commissions are instant and can be used to download more images or can be converted to a cash payout after 50 or more credits are earned. For more information on Fotolia’s Affiliation Program, visit: http://www.fotolia.com/Info/Affiliation

To get started with the new WordPress plug-in, visit www.microstockplugin.com to download and install. Follow the Fotolia link to sign-up for a free Fotolia membership. Once a Fotolia account is created, set-up the login and password in the configuration in order to be able to buy and download photos using the Fotolia account. Then, activate the Affiliate Program with a click in the plug-in to earn commissions. Blogging and revenue share just got even easier.

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(If using the image above for editorial purposes, please credit as follows: #7838616 © Kurhan – www.fotolia.com)

Over 1.5 million people prefer Fotolia, LLC for affordable, royalty-free photos, vectors, and HD videos. With the introduction of the Infinite Collection, Fotolia became the first worldwide microstock organization to offer both crowd-sourced and professional images on one site. Founded in New York City in 2004, Fotolia spans the globe with websites in 10 languages and offices in 12 countries. With over 8,000,000 images to choose from, find it on Fotolia. www.fotolia.com

Media Contact:
Jennifer Laraway
Director of Communications, North America
Fotolia, LLC
Direct: 1.403.708.9398
jennifer@fotolia.com
www.fotolia.com

Technorati Tags :
WordPress |
blog |
plug-in |
microstock |
API |