Buyers subscribe on a monthly basis and can download up to 750 images over the course of 30 days. Your cut? Shutterstock will pay you 25 cents every time one of your images is downloaded, with a tiered set of raises to 33 cents, 36 cents and 38 cents per download as you reach the $500, $3,000 and $10,000 lifetime earning milestones, respectively. This subscription model encourages buyers to download a greater volume of images than they would at most other agencies, and commissions for our submitters can add up fast.

On Demand subscriptions allow customers to purchase downloads that can be used anytime for up to a year. An "All JPG and Vector Sizes" On Demand plan pays out starting at $1.88 per image download, while a "Small & Medium JPG Sizes Only" plan pays out starting at 81 cents per image download. Your payouts increase as your lifetime earnings increase.
Please refer to our Earnings Schedule page for detailed payout information.

Enhanced License subscriptions allow buyers additional rights to downloaded images for merchandizing and high-viewership commercial uses. You earn $28 per Enhanced License download.
Please refer to the Enhanced License Terms of Service to learn more about what this license entails.

Submitters can make money simply by promoting the Shutterstock Submit Program! When you refer photographers to the site, you will earn money every time their content is downloaded: they will earn their standard payout and we'll pay you 3 cents as a thank you for sending them our way.   More info...

Each time one of your images gets saved to one of our subscribers' monthly backup CDs, you will earn an extra 5 cents in addition to your normal payout rate.

In addition to referring other photographers, you can make money by telling people about Shutterstock! You will earn a 20% commission on every sale you generate (up to $50 per sale). For example, if you refer a buyer who purchases a $249 membership, 20% ($49) will be added to your current account.   More info...

Each time one of your clips is purchased via shopping cart, you receive a 30% commission on the sale.   More info...

Earn money every time one of your clips is downloaded through a Shutterstock Footage Subscription plan. You will earn $8.00 for every non-HD download by a footage subscriber, and $13.25 for every HD download.

Earn money by referring other videographers for up to one year from the date the person you referred to us becomes a Shutterstock submitter. When you refer a videographer, each time one of their clips is purchased via shopping cart you get 10% of the sale price. For footage subscriptions, you will earn 80 cents for non-HD downloads and $1.30 for HD downloads.   More info...