Dreamstime

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Dreamstime is one of the largest stock photography/royalty free agencies in the microstock photography market. Founded in 2004, the company is based in Brentwood, Tennessee and as of October 2006, had a 680 000image database. As of September 2006, Dreamstime is a member of the Picture Archive Council of America (PACA).

1 History
2 Photographers
3 Usage licenses
4 Community
5 Similar Websites
6 External links

[edit] History

The site has been online since 2000 as a Royalty-Free stock photography website, selling CD imagery. The concept has been redesigned, upgraded and adapted to the market's need, evolving into a powerful and active community in March 2004.

[edit] Photographers

Dreamstime.com currently has 9000 photographers contributing to the image database. Each photographer who submits images must complete the images details with proper descriptions and keywords, thus making it easier to be found by a designer interested to buy it. All images are viewed by the Dreamstime editors at 100%, checked for technical flaws, composition, lighting and concept. If the image is accepted it will go in the online database and is ready to appear in searches and be viewed and acquired by potential clients. Contributors receive a commission between 50% and, sometimes even 100% (depending on the sale) of the value an image is sold, depending on whether they are exclusive or not. Exclusive photographers also receive an exclusivity bonus per approved submission. Currently Dreamstime accepts only jpg files but will soon accept [vector graphics]. The number of images uploaded on the site weekly exceeds 20 000 images, each photographer being able to upload up to 100 images per day. Besides the great photographer commission, Dreamstime offers a low price for its high resolution images, even as low as $0.38 per image.

[edit] Usage licenses

Dreamstime.com offers, besides the Royalty Free license, some new extended licenses that give the buyer the right to have more prints of the same image in editorial usage, to use the image in templates or other web applications that will be resold, to print the image on T-shirts, mugs, mouse pads, posters that will be resold. These licenses are now opening a whole new market to the royalty free based agency. The files bought from Dreamstime are downloaded on the spot and can be used immediately.

[edit] Community

The Dreamstime community includes an extensive forum on which all type of photography subjects are discussed, opinions on images can be asked, requests for certain images can be me made, suggestions for site improvement can be given. Also, community members can leave messages under the images that caught their eye and have a private talk with the photographer.