Submitting Vectors to Microstocks: Requierements

In this article I will tell you about the requirements of submitting Vector illustrations to the most popular microstocks.

The leading microstocks that sell Vectors (namely iStockPhoto, ShutterStock and Vectorstock) have more or less the same submittion requirements:

Vectors are accepted in .eps format together with a .jpg preview.

.eps file has to be compatible with Adobe Illustrator 8. If you upload Adobe Illustrator 9 or higher comaptible .eps, they may simply not open in Freehand or CorelDRAW.
And even though the last year ShutterStock started accepting AI10 .epses, I still suggest saving your vectors in AI8-compatible version, as more customers will be able to purchase them.

.jpg preview requierements are different in ShutterStock, iStock and VectorStock:
ShutterStock accepts low-res .jpg preview (2000px min side);
iStockPhoto need .jpg previews to still be of a high quality, without noices, artefacts, grains etc., RGB format, 1900 x 2800 px min;
VectorStock need 380 x 400 px .jpg preview, so if your file can’t be scaled to this size, you wil have to either crop it or add white borders to 2 sides.
Which kind of images do stocks need?

Before starting drawing just keep in mind that all these astocks are full of almost all kinds of images on any topic, and you will need to stand out either in style or in your concept. Don’t repeat after others. Even if you were inspired by somebody’s work, still try to make your images unique, add other details, change the idea, try to make it better. Doing this (not copying) you will not just show your respect, but also may sagnificantly increase your sales, as you will have something new and original.

Also, do care for the quality:

delete the unneeded nods; clear up your image before uploading; work on details (sometimes the image is really good, but some details like hair, or hands of the portrat for example might look bad); work on the colours; don’t upload straight away after you drew the image, in half an hour you might want to add extra shadows or hightlights, etc.

So, the needed files (This list is taken from a very good tutorial on iStockPhoto):

- Families concepts;

- Professions;

- Lifestyle;

- Hand drawing images;

- Holiday and Seasonal Concepts;

- Original concepts.

Here you can also read about which kind of images are selling the best, but again be careful with being oversimple and not original.
Which kind of images will be rejected?

First of all you have to make sure that the formats are correct.

If something is wrong with your .eps file or .jpg preview the image will not even go through to the inspectors. The .jpg version has to match your .eps file. Check for all the invisible components in your vector, or elements not used in the final image which you left aside your illustration but for some reason forgot to delete, etc. I just suggest to export .jpg and save .eps from the very same file at the same moment; and if you have too many objects on the page, just copy the illustration you need and paste into the new page, and then export to .jpg and .eps.

So, inspectors would normally reject:
  • Too simple images, icons, backgrounds, created with simple objects like rectangles, ovals etc. The reasons: there are already too many images like this on stocks; if there are standard shapes used in the illustration, everybody basically can create them;
  • Images with transparency and opacity masks effects (which are OK for AI10 .epses for ShutterStock), as they rasterize;
  • If you are a CorelDRAW user, then you better do not use gradients; for some reasons they rasterize too (not always though, really can’t figure out why and what is wrong). If you still want to use gradients, you will have to export to .ai first and then save .eps from Illustrator;
  • Imags with drop shadows, blur and other raster effects. Here I just suggest to ‘fake’ them using other allowed effects like blend, intersecting objects, using gradients (where allowed);
  • Images with fonts as the main part of the image, esp if the font is not created by you and not converted into outlines. Very often even when text is not the main part of the image, then ask to remove it and resubmit the image, so  I just suggest to avoid texts;
  • Images with open paths (never noticed there was this kind of a problem with ShutterStock though, as they definitely accepted strockes not turned into fills, which contained the ‘guide line’ which is basically an open path);
  • Images that have trade marks, logos, famous signs, buildings, etc. If you have a distinguished face on you image, you will need a model release from the person you made image of;
  • Vectors that you traced from the image which you are not the copyrighter of;
  • Autotraced images (iStockphoto don’t like any kind of trace at all, but still if your image has got a nice concept and stands out from others, and you are the author of the source material from which you hand-traced, it might be OK);
  • Maps and flags; they have loads of these images, so if you still decided to upload one, try to make up a new concept, to stand out just from a standard map (iStock also needs you to be the copy right holder for the source of the image);
  • Images drawn just with the help of different ’1-click’ effects like distortion, 3d, etc. Try to be more creative and to at least add something to them rather than to do something that every beginner can do, experimenting with these tools and effects.

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If you have questions feel free to ask in the comment section.

If you want to sell images through stocks, but don’t know how to start, read this article.


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This entry was posted on Sunday, March 13th, 2011 at 07:05and is filed under News, Tips and Useful Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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