SVGs at Fotolia...

helix7 · #1 (**permalink**) 12-17-2007, 05:53 AM

I've never uploaded vectors at Fotolia because the idea of adding another step to my image saving process (to create the required SVG file and tag it) didn't appeal to me. But I'm now wondering if I'm missing out on anything. My JPG files sell decently enough. Does anyone here sell vectors at Fotolia, and is it worth it? Do you get a decent number of vector sales?

ajn · #2 (**permalink**) 12-17-2007, 03:55 PM

The upload process is painful because there's no way (at least that I know of) of including metadata on a SVG file. Then, there's the 7 main keywords thing, categories and such.

I've uploaded a few vectors (around 30 or 40) and they sell, if not the vector version, the S M L jpegs they create. The vector versions are 5 credits and the other versions go for 1 to 4 credits..

I think it's worthy... Fotolia is a Top 5 seller for me and illustrations are an increasing part of my sales percentage.

Hope it helps somehow.

Cheers,

Antonio

adroach · #3 (**permalink**) 12-17-2007, 08:52 PM

Helix,
I've been an admirer of your work for some time, and I'm happy to offer my experiences with Fotolia. I started up loading to Fotolia on November 6, and have now managed to get all of my files online with them. I have 238 files, and since joining I've had 82 downloads for a total of 96.36 credits.

My vector files do sell, but I also sell many S, M, L, etc, which are jpegs.

As for the extra step, it's pretty simple to just save as a .svg file, and it's nice they only require one file. The only problem I've had is, the .svg file has to be less than 1MB. Some of my files were too large, those I uploaded as .jpegs.

I think you'd do well to sell your work there. The upload process is pretty decent, although the site does not automatically add keyword info from your .svg files. But if you're an Istock uploader, I'm sure you've dealt with this.

good luck,
adrian

michaeldb · #4 (**permalink**) 12-18-2007, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adroach

Helix,
I've been an admirer of your work for some time, and I'm happy to offer my experiences with Fotolia. I started up loading to Fotolia on November 6, and have now managed to get all of my files online with them. I have 238 files, and since joining I've had 82 downloads for a total of 96.36 credits.

My vector files do sell, but I also sell many S, M, L, etc, which are jpegs.

As for the extra step, it's pretty simple to just save as a .svg file, and it's nice they only require one file. The only problem I've had is, the .svg file has to be less than 1MB. Some of my files were too large, those I uploaded as .jpegs.

I think you'd do well to sell your work there. The upload process is pretty decent, although the site does not automatically add keyword info from your .svg files. But if you're an Istock uploader, I'm sure you've dealt with this.

good luck,
adrian

Nice of you to post thit info. I clicked on 'SVG' in FO's FAQ and it was a dead link. So I guess I'll start submitting based on the info you posted. It looks like the process is similar to BSP's for .eps files, in that you don't post a thumbnail and have to hand-enter the keywords and descriptions. Guess I'll go find out!

adroach · #5 (**permalink**) 12-18-2007, 01:42 PM

michael,

you're welcome for the info. good luck with fotolia, i've been pleasantly surprised, it's hard to tell initially if a new site will be a good investment of one's time.

i really hope by "hand-entering" keywords, you mean by copy and paste, and not by typing each one in!

helix7 · #6 (**permalink**) 12-19-2007, 06:46 PM

Sounds promising enough to give SVGs a try. I'll post a few and see what happens.

Thanks for the opinions.

Karimala · #7 (**permalink**) 01-17-2008, 06:26 AM

Does anyone know the secret about how to make an SVG file size smaller than 1MB?

Karimala · #8 (**permalink**) 01-17-2008, 07:12 AM

Ah ha! I found the secret...

Inkscape versus Illustrator: The SVG file size throwdown

adroach · #9 (**permalink**) 01-17-2008, 01:05 PM

Karimala,

Thank you so much for posting this, I was just struggling with this issue yesterday, and had searched for some information without any luck. The most frustrating are the files that end up as 1.1 MB! Hopefully, the "Save for Web" trick will help.

Okay, so does anyone know how to make gradient meshes work in an .svg file? When I save as .svg and reopen in Illustrator, the meshes are rasterized. I can't help but think... there must be a way! Anyone?