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gianliguori
Joined: 16 Mar 2009
Posts: 99
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 1:44 pm
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Hello,
I'm writing this post in order to clarify the Shutterstock policy for Editorial photos and help photographers to avoid legal problems.
Recently I have submitted 2 photos of objects with trademarked logos and with the background of the images changed on Photoshop. Because of this I received a warning from the site:
| Quote: | | Editorial images should NOT BE ALTERED in any way. This is completely unacceptable and it is a violation of our editorial guidelines. Confirm that you understand this policy by responding to this warning. If we discover this behavior again, your account risks suspension & potential termination. Regards, Shutterstock Content Operations |
Maybe I misunderstood the message or I'm reading the wrong document. But I could not find any text saying that editorial images can "not be altered in any way".
Here is the Subimitter Guidelines:
http://submit.shutterstock.com/guidelines.mhtml
Does "alter" the image include change the saturation or the contrast? If so, the majority of the editorial images I see here are not compliant with the site term. From the warnig I received I understand that it is not allowed to change the picture background. But I would appreciate the explanation in this point as I don´t want to receive more warnings.
I'm disapointed with the way that Shutterstock treated the submission. I don´t care if my images are rejected, but I it is not fair to receive a warning for something that is not clear on the guide lines. I also could not find any similar information on this subject on the Shutterstock Submitter Terms of Service or on Shutterbuzz. I apologize if I'm not reading the terms correctly. But again, if it is not the case, I don´t think it is fair to receive a warning like that. Specially because I always do my best to respect the site terms.
Thank you everybody in advance for helping on this topic.
Kind regards |
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warrenprice
Joined: 15 Dec 2009
Posts: 419
Location: Central Texas
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 1:57 pm
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Probably should do a Google search. Reuters Photographer altered a photo and caused a big stink.
Editorial, by its own definition, is not allowed to be altered. You a presenting a "fact." |
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gianliguori
Joined: 16 Mar 2009
Posts: 99
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 2:07 pm
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Hi warrenprice,
Thanks for the tip. It is true that it the photo is changed in certain ways it can cause many problem.
I just wanted to be sure if it is also true for little changes like saturation, contrast, color balance, light, etc.
Anyway, I'll avoid changed in editorial photos.
Cheers |
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warrenprice
Joined: 15 Dec 2009
Posts: 419
Location: Central Texas
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 2:30 pm
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| gianliguori wrote: | Hi warrenprice,
Thanks for the tip. It is true that it the photo is changed in certain ways it can cause many problem.
I just wanted to be sure if it is also true for little changes like saturation, contrast, color balance, light, etc.
Anyway, I'll avoid changed in editorial photos.
Cheers |
Yes, I think such modifications are allowed. I believe cropping also is allowed ... not really certain about the cropping? |
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gianliguori
Joined: 16 Mar 2009
Posts: 99
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 2:44 pm
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Yes, I believe that croping is not a problem. That is why I dont't understand what Shutterstock means with photos can't be altered in ANY way. I guees that altered excludes some simple manipulations. |
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mauijon
Joined: 02 Mar 2005
Posts: 4277
Location: Maui, Hawaii
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 4:29 pm
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The Shutterbuzz Editorial, Tips page says:
Image Manipulation:
Editorial images should never be digitally altered. Scaling and cropping slightly is acceptable (sometimes you must crop a newsworthy editorial image), but you should never add or remove elements to make an image sell more, such as adding smoke at a protest or removing background elements.
What you could do simply in a darkroom is generally acceptable with Photoshop. However, changing key elements of the image to your advantage is not ethical. The best editorial image is the full frame image. If you must crop it, the “message” of the image must not change at all. It is of utmost importance to maintain the editorial integrity of the image in every way. |
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gianliguori
Joined: 16 Mar 2009
Posts: 99
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 4:34 pm
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Hi mauijon,
Thanks a lot for the information. It was exactly what I was looking for!
Cheers |
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dbvirago
Joined: 19 Feb 2006
Posts: 1628
Location: Atlanta, Ga.
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Posted: Sat May 12, 2012 6:34 pm
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Not sure I understand the cropping part. You can't add or remove elements...
I can change the cropping at the scene by moving the camera or using a zoom, but I can't do the same thing after I click the shutter? |
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triceratops
Joined: 15 Nov 2006
Posts: 7856
Location: The other Nevada
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Posted: Sat May 12, 2012 7:40 pm
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| dbvirago wrote: | Not sure I understand the cropping part. You can't add or remove elements...
I can change the cropping at the scene by moving the camera or using a zoom, but I can't do the same thing after I click the shutter? |
Cropping is allowed to remove extraneous elements so long as the crop does not change the meaning or context of the image. The idea being that sometimes it's not possible or practical to neatly compose an editorial image. Thus some minor amount of cropping is allowed so long as it does not materially impact the image's story. |
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Anne Power
Joined: 26 Apr 2012
Posts: 20
Location: Louisiana, USA
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Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 7:03 pm
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I searched the site and found mention of the ban on editorial alterations only at the links below.
"Editorial images and footage must not be altered in a way that changes the accuracy or reality of the content."
http://submit.shutterstock.com/tutorial/external_sec6.swf
"Editorial images should never be digitally altered. Scaling and cropping slightly is acceptable (sometimes you must crop a newsworthy editorial image), but you should never add or remove elements to make an image sell more, such as adding smoke at a protest or removing background elements."
http://submit.shutterstock.com/newsletter/247/article2.html |
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