Photos.com >> Stock Images Help - FAQ

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How do I download images from Photos.com?    Top
Multimedia-, medium-, and high-resolution photos are available to anyone who subscribes to Photos.com. To download one of these images:

1. Click the INFO/DOWNLOAD link below the photo you want.
2. Click JPEG or PNG Mask to the right of the appropriate resolution.
   1. If a larger version of the image appears in a new browser window...
      1. Right-click (Windows) or click-hold (Mac) on the larger image.
      2. Select Save Picture As... or Save Image As...
      3. Click Save in the dialog box that appears.
   2. If a dialog box appears...
      1. You will likely be promted to Save the file to disk or Open it using a specific program.
      2. We recommend saving it in case you wish to use it later.

NOTE: Saving the image to your desktop will make it easier to find later.

Why am I getting an error that my account is in use when I try to sign into the site?    Top
Each login may only be used on one computer at a time. You may use the service on multiple computers, just not as the same time.

If you plan to use our service on multiple computers it's best to sign out prior to exiting the site.

If you are receiving this error message and are not attempting to have multiple users, please contact customer service.

If you have more than one person who uses the site, please contact our customer service department about purchasing a multi-seat license.

Can I share my username and password with someone in my office?    Top
No, you are not permitted to share your username and password with anyone! We have a compelling multi-seat licensing offer for small, medium, and large businesses. Please contact customer service to discuss your options.

How is a user or seat defined?    Top
A user is a photo editor, photo researcher, art director, designer, or any other person that edits or manipulates images. Other employees and contractors may view images for approval purposes only without additional seats.

Will you give my e-mail address to anyone else?    Top
We will not share your e-mail address with other organizations for commercial purposes without your consent. For details, see our privacy policy.

How may I use Photos.com images?     Top
You may use our royalty-free photos for:

• web pages and other electronic distribution systems.
• broadcasts.
• theatrical exhibitions.
• advertising and promotional materials.
• products, including those intended for sale.
• publications.
• personal (noncommercial) materials.
• comps, layouts, and other materials for test or sample use.

For the full list of terms and conditions, please read our EULA.

What are the usage restrictions for Photos.com images?    Top
You may NOT:

• use our content to compete with us. While it is permissible to incorporate our photos in a product you intend to sell, you cannot give away or resell the photos themselves.
• use our content as part of an electronic template or application to create multiple impressions of a product (greeting cards, business cards, web page designs, etc.).
• use our content as a service mark or trademark.
• use our content for pornographic materials.
• use any photo of a person in a manner implying endorsement of, use of, or affiliation with a product or service unless you include a statement indicating that the person is a model and is used only for illustrative purposes.
• use any photo of a person in connection with a potentially controversial subject unless you include a statement indicating that the person is a model and is used only for illustrative purposes.
• portray a person in any photo in an unflattering manner unless you include a statement indicating that the person is a model and is used only for illustrative purposes.

Again, please read our EULA for the full list of terms and conditions.

How many images can I download during my membership?    Top
You are permitted to download up to 250 images per 24 hour period from Photos.com during the term of your subscription. However, we recommend that you limit your downloads to only the photos you need.

There are two reasons for this:

• We need to maintain site performance in order to provide our customers with an optimal experience 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If everyone downloaded excessively, our servers would not be able to keep up! 250 images per day is considered "reasonable" and for most projects is more than enough.
• To better protect our content from piracy, we need to limit the proliferation of our content.

Can I use images from Photos.com for a logo or company trademark?    Top
No, you are not permitted to use images from Photos.com for a logo or company trademark.

Can I use my Photos.com images after my subscription expires?    Top
Yes, you are permitted to use any images that you have downloaded and used during the term of your subscription after your subscription expires. We grant you a traditional non exclusive, world-wide and perpetual license for images that you have used however; you may only continue to use the image(s) in the same product or service that they were incorporated in during the subscription term. Any images that have been downloaded and not used during the term of your subscription are not permitted for first use after the subscription expires. This would be considered stock piling and in violation of our End User Licensing Agreement.

Can I use the images from my subscription for a client or employer?    Top
Yes, you are permitted to use Photos.com images on behalf of your client or employer for the purposes outlined in our EULA. You are not permitted to make the images available to your client outside of a layout or product.

If you need to share images you are considering for a client's project, we recommend that you create a lightbox. This is a great way to make the client part of the creative process. We also recommend that you track the filenames for each Photos.com image directly on the client's invoice in order to provide documentation of the image used for the project.

Can I use images from Photos.com on websites?    Top
Yes, you may use Photos.com images on your own websites or clients' websites, but only as design elements. These images are not to be downloaded from your site, nor may you permit your customers to download these images from your site.

Can I create an online image gallery featuring Photos.com content?    Top
No, you are not permitted to create an online gallery using any images from our site.

Can I modify an image and claim copyright on the "derivative" work that I have created?    Top
No, you are not permitted to claim copyright on any work that incorporates images from Photos.com. Copyright of images from Photos.com is retained by Photos.com or third-party suppliers. Intellectual property laws in some cases protect works of art that are derived from the original work. We recommend that you consult legal counsel in order to make an informed decision.

Can I create electronic templates using images from Photos.com?    Top
No, you are not permitted to use images from Photos.com for electronic applications such as e-greetings or website templates. Part of what your customer is paying for is the use of the images contained within those templates, and we do not permit the use of images in any downloadable form.

Use in an electronic template requires a separate license and fee, and you may obtain information about such a license from templatelicense@photos.com.

Keyword / image number searching    Top
Type a keyword (or image number, if you know it) in the search field at the top of your screen and click the Search button. Our advice is to start wide, and narrow your search depending on how many thumbnails appear in your search results.

How do I narrow down my results?    Top
There are a number of ways to zero in on the types of images you are looking for. The first is to use the Match All / Match Any option. This option functions when using more than one keyword. For example, using the keywords cat dog with Match Any selected will find all images keyworded with cat OR dog. Selecting Match All with these same keywords will only return results keyworded with cat AND dog.

Another way to narrow down your results is to use the not these words option. If you wish to find all images with cat as a keyword but NOT dog, type cat into the search field and dog into the not these words field.

Filters    Top
Only looking for photo objects that are in color and oriented horizontally? Use the filters to find them. Just deselect black and white (B/W), vertical (Vert) and Photos. Then, make sure Color, horizontal (Horiz) and photo objects (Objects) are selected. Choose the combinations that best suit your needs.

NOTE: Be sure not to exclude too much. For example, don't exclude Color AND B/W, Horiz AND Vert or Photos AND Objects.

Refine the display of your search results:

• Return your results in up to 10 rows, and select the dynamic preview option if you prefer to view a larger version of your image before clicking on it by simply holding your cursor over the image
  
• Select your desired thumbnail size: small, medium, or large

Category Searching    Top
Select a category from the drop-down menu and click the Search button. To narrow down your results you can combine other search options along with your category search. For example, you can keyword search within a category. We recommend you start with just one or two keywords and then add other keywords or search options if you're still getting too many results.

Date Added    Top
See what's new on Photos.com. Use the Date Added option to search for images that have been added to the site in the last 30/60/90 days.

Color Search    Top
To search by color click the Color Search checkbox. A color wheel will display below it. You can either click in the color wheel to select a color, or type the hexadecimal value for the color you wish to search for in the Web input field below the color wheel. Once you've selected a color you can fine-tune it by clicking in the Tint bar just above the color wheel. Additionally, you can find the contrast for your selected color by clicking on the Contrast swatch.

One other way of performing a color search is by finding an image you like and going to the info/download page. There, beneath the keywords, you'll find a group of swatches representing colors included in that image. Click on any of the swatches to find images containing the matching color.

Combining search options    Top
Any number of the preceding search options can be combined to narrow down your results. However, we recommend that you start with only one or two at a time. Then, if you find you're getting more search results than you desire, you can try adding other options to narrow down your results.

More about keywords...    Top
Each Photos.com image is associated with several descriptive keywords. An image of a woman with a soccer ball, for example, will appear in your search results whether you type "woman" or "soccer" in the Keyword field. Only thumbnails assigned to the keyword(s) you type in the Keyword field will appear in your search results. If you choose not to use the keyword window, you may have to wade through hundreds of thumbnails to find the image you need.

Choose keywords that best describe the image(s) you are looking for. If you are searching for something as specific as a snowy owl, type "owl" in the keyword window rather than "bird," a much broader term. Of course, the same image will appear in your search results if you type "snowy" or "predator".

The search engine assigns keywords to its images based on guidelines standardized by The Picture Agency Council of America (PACA). Most nouns exist in our database in singular form. "Scissors" appears in the plural thanks to common usage, but "cake," "dog," "house" and "insect," for example, should be typed in singular form. Using "dog" in the singular doesn't restrict thumbnails from containing images with one dog or many dogs. Acronyms such as "USA" exist in our database without periods.

What to Search
Our keywords are primarily American English, though we retain some international words where appropriate. Consider the basic categories below when searching:

• Basic Subject Matter: agriculture, architecture, art, business, education, entertainment, finance, food, health, healthcare, home life, household object, industry, leisure, lifestyle, medical, military, money, nature, occupation, performing arts, politics, recreation, religion, science, social issues, sports, technology, transportation, travel, wildlife, youth culture

• Basic Concepts: adventure, affection, aging, alternative lifestyle, anger, authority, balance, beauty, caring, celebration, challenge, choice, childhood, communication, community, competition, confidence, connection, cooperation, creativity, culture, customer service, direction, discover, diversity, escape, excitement, fatherhood, fear, fitness, friendship, fun, generations, happiness, health, humor, joy, love, luxury, leadership, motherhood, mystery, old-fashioned, pain, parenthood, peace, pride, protection, provocative, relaxation, retro, romance, risk, sadness, safety, satisfaction, savings, security, serenity, sexy, speed, spirituality, strategy, strength, stress, success, surprise, teamwork, temptation, time, togetherness, victory, vintage, vision, wellness

• People: male, female, man, woman, boy, girl, adult, child, teenager, baby, young adult, mid-adult, middle-aged, senior adult, elderly adult, one person only, two people, small group of people, large group of people, crowd, nobody

• Ethnicity: African American, Caucasian, Asian, Hispanic, Latino, Latina, South Asian, Middle Eastern, Native American, Pacific Islander, etc.

• Ages: 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 0-1 year, 1-2 years, 3-4 years, 5-6 years, 7-9 years, 10-12 years, 13-15 years, 16-17 years, 18-19 years, 20-25 years, 25-30 years, 30-35 years, 35-40 years, 40-45 years, 45-50 years, 50-55 years, 60-65 years, etc.

• Relationships: parent, mother, father, couple (gay, homosexual, lesbian), partner, daughter, son, sister, brother, sibling, spouse, husband, wife, aunt, uncle, grandparent, grandfather, grandmother, grandchild, cousin, nephew, niece, family, etc.

• Attributes: full-length, half-length, portrait, head shot, eye contact, profile, body language, gesture, facial expression, sitting, standing, lying down, arms raised, holding hands, eyes closed, smiling, pouting, muscular, overweight, short, tall, piercing, tattoo, casual attire, business attire, formal attire, etc.

• Animals: wild animal, domestic animal, farm animal, pet, one animal, two animals, small group of animals, etc.

• Locale/Settings/Environment: indoor, outdoor, inside, outside, interior, exterior, day, night, landscape, garden, home, hospital, farm, forest, field, beach, countryside, office, restaurant, school, seascape, body of water, horizon, cityscape, skyline, city, subway, etc.

• Image Attributes: close-up, low angle view, high angle view, aerial view, wide angle view, front view, back view, copy space, cropped, backlit, silhouette, x-ray, high contrast, low contrast, POV, toned, sepia, blurry, motion blur, soft focus, selective focus, fish-eye, lens flare, still life, studio shot, vintage, archival, retro, pattern, background, composite, framed, digital, grainy, etc.

* Hint: Use quotation marks around a search term consisting of more than one word to return exact results; eliminating quotation marks will return results with either keyword in the image. E.g., "hot dog" will return images keyworded as such, while hot dog will return images keyworded with both hot and dog.

Free Photo Research    Top
Free custom research done for you by our highly-skilled staff of photo researchers. You tell us what you're looking for, and we’ll do the work! Within 24 hours you will receive an e-mail with a direct link to the lightbox we created.

To submit a photo research request e-mail us using our support form. Be as specific as you can when describing the images you need, and tell us about your project. The more information you can give us, the better we can customize a lightbox for you. Examples of search requests include ethnically diverse business teams at work, people meeting with financial advisors, and conceptual photos illustrating a specific caption or tagline.

About Lightboxes    Top

Lightboxes are personal folders that store thumbnails with their accompanying details, helping you manage images as your creative projects evolve. You can e-mail or purchase the contents of a lightbox directly from the tool itself. Please note that you must log in before you can use many of the advanced lightbox features.

You may not download all of the contents of a lightbox at the same time. Each image must be downloaded individually.

There are two ways to manage your lightboxes:

The first is the lightbox link in the top navigation, which will open a page for you to manage your lightboxes.
The second is the lightbox pane located along the bottom of the screen, which will appear on all pages as you search for images. You can expand or collapse the lightbox pane by clicking the (-) or (+) icon on the top right of the lightbox pane.

How do I create a Lightbox?    Top

Make sure you're logged in.
Click on Lightbox in the upper right part of your screen.
On the Lightboxes main page, click the Create a New Lightbox link.
Enter a name for you lightbox and click OK.

In the lightbox pane, click on the bottom drop-down menu and select, Create New.
Enter a name for you lightbox and click OK.

How do I delete a Lightbox?    Top

Make sure you're logged in.
Click on Lightbox in the upper right part of your screen.
Select the lightbox you wish to delete from the drop-down list.
Click the Delete link.

In the lightbox pane, select the lightbox you wish to delete from the top drop-down menu.
Click on the bottom drop-down menu and select, Delete.
Click Ok.

How do I add images to a Lightbox?    Top

Make sure you're logged in
From any Search Results page, click the Add to Lightbox icon beneath the thumbnail image you wish to add to a Lightbox.
Drag thumbnails into the lightbox pane (Please drag images slowly for best performance.)
Click the Add to Lightbox link on your thumbnail image's close up page.

(Added images will be placed into the, Active Lightbox, which is located in the top drop-down menu in the lightbox pane.)

How do I remove images from a Lightbox?    Top

Make sure you're logged in.
Click on Lightbox in the upper right part of your screen.
On the Lightboxes main page, select a lightbox from the drop-down list.
Select the checkboxes below the items you wish to remove. Or, check Select All in the bottom right.
Click the Remove Selected Items link in the toolbar at the bottom of your lightbox.

In the lightbox pane, click the red icon on the bottom right of each image.
Click Ok.

How do I purchase images in a Lightbox?    Top

Make sure you're logged in.
Click on Lightbox in the upper right part of your screen.
On the Lightboxes main page, select a lightbox from the drop-down list.
Select the checkboxes below the items you wish to purchase. Or, check Select All in the bottom right to purchase all of them.
Click Purchase Selected Items in the toolbar at the bottom of your lightbox.

How do I e-mail a Lightbox?    Top

Make sure you're logged in.
Click on Lightbox in the upper right part of your screen.
On the Lightboxes main page, select a lightbox from the drop-down list.
Click E-mail next to the name of the Lightbox you wish to e-mail.
In the fields that appear, type the recipient's e-mail address and a short message, then click Submit.

In the lightbox pane in the top drop-down menu select the lightbox you wish to e-mail
In the bottom drop-down menu select, E-mail
In the fields that appear, type the recipient's e-mail address and a short message, then click Submit.

Images not appearing in lightboxes?    Top
Are you having trouble with the images you've added to your lightbox not showing up? You may need to clear your cookies and/or cache.

Internet Explorer - Click on Tools > Internet Options > General Tab
Firefox/Netscape - Click on Tools > Options > Privacy Tab
Safari - Click on Safari > Reset Safari
If your browser isn't listed here, or you need additional information, please visit your browsers web site.

What credit cards do you accept?    Top
We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover.

Do you guarantee credit card security?    Top
Photos.com credit card transactions are secure because a 128-bit SSL encrypted session protects your personal information as it travels between your computer and our server. Additionally, credit card details (such as credit card number, Credit Security Code and expiry date) are not stored on our server once the transaction is complete.

What other forms of payment do you accept?    Top
In addition to credit cards we also accept payments made via PayPal (online), check (by mail) or money order (by mail).
NOTE: If you choose to pay by mail your account will not be activated until your check or money order has cleared the bank.

Does Photos.com offer refunds?    Top
If you purchased a Subscription, you may receive a full refund within three (3) days of your invoice date, provided that you have not downloaded more than five (5) images. After three (3) days, or download of more than five (5) Images, no cancellations will be accepted, no refunds made and you will be responsible for and must pay the full amount. Please review the End User License Agreement for more information on our terms of use. If you have any questions, please e-mail customer service or call us at 1-800-482-4567

What are photo object images?    Top
Photos.com now offers photo object images. Each image includes a perfectly crafted alpha-channel mask which makes adding it to your existing designs effortless. Each image can be downloaded as a JPG or a PNG mask.

What is image masking?    Top
The masking process isolates an object from its background so it can be used as part of a new composition.

Learn More About Photo Object Images With These Tutorials

Learn About Image Masking
Getting the Most Out Of Photo Object Masks
Providing Photo Objects With Shadows

How do I preview the images/objects on the Photos.com Free CDs?    Top
To preview a sample of images available on each disc, please click here.

Can I purchase the Photos.com CDs without purchasing a subscription?     Top
No. The only way to get a CD is to renew your membership for 1 or 2 years.

How much are your CDs?    Top
The CDs are free with a 1 or 2 year Photos.com renewal (a $100 retail value). There will be a shipping charge for the CD, charges based on domestic or international.

How can I use the images/objects on the Photos.com Free CDs? Can they be used for multiple clients?    Top
Images on the Photos.com Free CDs come with the same terms as images acquired through Photos.com subscriptions. To view our entire End User License Agreement, please click here.

Can more than one person use the images/objects on the CDs? Can I share them with co-workers?     Top
All images on the Photos.com Free CDs come with a Single User license, same terms as images acquired through Photos.com subscriptions

How do I use/insert the images/objects on the CDs into my projects?    Top
For information on this topic, please go to the following pages.

Getting the most out of Photo Object masks
Manipulating images

Do the images/objects on the Photos.com Free CDs work on PC and MAC?    Top
Yes, they are compatible on both PC and MAC Platforms

Is any additional software needed to run Flash components?    Top
Yes. Macromedia Flash 8 is recommended. The majority of the files on FlashFoundry.com are Flash MX compatible, but we are adding more and more Flash files with features exclusive to Flash 8. The components will work on any OS that supports Macromedia Flash MX and Macromedia Flash 5.

What is your replacement policy if damaged?    Top
We will replace CD at no charge (if within reasonable timeframe). No shipping charges if CD went out defective.

Will I have online access to images/objects on Photos.com Free CDs?    Top
No, the images on the CDs are only available through the CDs

Do you offer custom CDs?    Top
No

Are these CDs exclusive to Photos.com? What if I buy another JI subscription, can I still get one for free?    Top
Yes, the CDs are exclusive to Photos.com. The CDs are only available with a 1 or 2 year renewal to Photos.com.