This is it. You’ve worked your fingers to the bone learning all the Photoshop shortcuts. Your eyes are burning from squinting at a humming screen for hours on end, carefully positioning elements and designing art. Your brain’s abuzz with the knowledge you’ve acquired through reading tutorials and your own experimentation. And all the blood and tears have finally paid off – YOU, the Photoshop Enthusiast, are now PRETTY SWELL at designing!

What do you do now with your new-found superpowers? Sure, you could save damsels in distress, stop bridges from falling, develop a broom to ride to the moon … or you could raise some money to pay for next month’s rent or that slick Segway you’ve been eying. In this exclusive mini series by the Minty Ferret, I’ll show YOU how to turn those hard-earned Photoshop skills into a form of income. That’s right, you can make money with Photoshop working at home! Outlined in this mini-series is a tutorial on how exactly to do just that. Some of these techniques are used by professionals, some are controversial, some make you money while you sleep!

Let’s start with that last one. Stretch, yawn, and head on after the break to learn how to make a passive income – and keep on checking back in the weeks to come or RSS me for more moolah methods!

Method One: Set it and Forget it

Got an eye for Photography and a hand for touching them up in Photoshop? Perhaps you’re a natural born Illustrator, or a genius at element design? Maybe you just have some rejected work from a client that’s just itching to be used for something.

There are TONNES of Stock Photography sites that will pay you for those graphics! In fact, as a designer, you probably used them. Here’s how it works – you sign up for an account at the site. Most of these companies will require you to apply and upload a few sample designs so they can see if you’re skilled enough. Once you’ve been accepted, you upload your photos/illustrations/elements that you wish to sell. Those that make it through the moderation process will then be put up for sale on the site. Again, depending on the site, you earn anywhere from 20% – 85% every time your image is downloaded!

If you’ve uploaded a lot of images – and they’re popular – you can earn a consistent killing selling off your leftover stock.

MicroStock sites cater to the general populace – images are cheap compared to other Stock sites, ranging from $1.00 – $20.00 per download. Thus, although these sites have their fair share of professional Photoshoppers and Photographers, a good portion are hobbyists and enthusiasts. The cheap prices means that the best way to sell is in bulk – I recommend uploading many general, accessible images, as well as a few unique and pinpointed works.

What exactly do I mean by ‘accessible’ and ‘pinpointed’? Accessible images are those that can be used in a wide variety of situations – a good example of this type is a well-designed globe (4000+ downloads!), or useful graphic elements (5000+ downloads!).

Examples of a ‘general’ image

Unique images are there to drive people to your portfolio. They might be much more detailed than other stock works, but may not be useful for as many things. A well-made, unique stock will usually sell for much more, but will not get as many downloads. I would not recommend making these unique pieces for the SOLE purpose of selling on stock sites, since they simply do not make enough back to warrant the time spent making them. However, if you’re looking for exposure, this is a great way to do it! Two great examples of this is Lady in Red, and the Cat and Child.

Examples of a ‘unique’ image

Now that you’ve gathered up the pieces you want to sell, the next step is selling them! But where to? Below are my top five picks.

When submitting to these sites, keep in mind that some require exclusive rights – although the images are owned by you, some sites will refuse to sell them if you are selling at other MicroStock sites at the same time. Just be sure to read over the license agreement carefully. Here are a few MicroStock sites that I would recommend:

1. iStockPhoto – www.istockphoto.com

Royalty Scheme: Horrendously Confusing
Popularity: Super
Overview: iStockPhoto IS the place to start. This place is a leader in Microstock and the most popular Microstock site out there. While it is true that the payout scheme is confusing and sometimes measly (it is possibly to get only 20% of the sale price – 20 cents per one credit [dollar] download), they make up for that in bulk sales. Because of the sheer amount of people downloading, provided you have some good works up there you’ll reach the $100 payout minimum in no time!
iStockPhoto also has a nice community that is lacking in other sites. Members can converse and share tips, tricks, ideas, and advice on their forums. They’ve even got a fun event called the ‘Steel Cage’ where members compete in a Photoshop Tennis Match to win credits (used to purchase photos).
While hobbyists make up the bulk of iStockPhoto‘s contributors, this site has been notorious for having a tough moderation process. They pride themselves on quality – if you think you have what it takes to sell at the best, by all means sign up and try your luck!

Head on to the next page to see the next four recommendations!

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