iStock Adds Video and Illustrations to Vetta

iStockphoto yesterday announced that sometime this Spring 2011, video and illustration content will be added to the higher priced, more stylized “Vetta Collection” on the site.

Vetta has been a huge success for iStock photographers. Now we’re getting ready to expand the collection to include Vector and Video artists.

For buyers, this means a new set of pricing tiers for both Illustrations and Video.  Previously, Illustration “Vetta” files were 25 credit level “elaborate” files that were put into Vetta at 40 credit pricing.  That ended last September.  Now there are 3 Vetta level Illustration categories:

Illustrations:
Detailed: 40 credits
Complex: 50
Elaborate: 60

Placement in the Vetta levels seems to be based on a more style based subjective judgement, rather then a technical level which defines which level within each collection something is placed in:

Now, you’ll be able to nominate submissions that, even though they aren’t insanely detailed, are still well executed, beautifully composed and stylish. Detail doesn’t necessarily mean a file is automatically better, after all! We finally have a chance to showcase illustrations that are amazing regardless of how complex they are.

For video, the sizes and new pricing is below:

Video:
Big Web: 55
NTSC: 90
HD 720: 120
HD 1080: 150

Since video is already fairly highly priced, this doesn’t represent the huge price differential seen between photo main and Vetta images or the smaller difference between the Illustration levels.

For contributors, as with photographs, this represents a drop in royalty percentage for sales.  If you were making 40% on the main collection, the new collections net you only 28%.  However, for 2011, they are adding a bonus of %5 royalty for these two media.  Which means, for buyers, at the end of 2011, Vetta pricing for video will rise.  If not, a Vetta video sale at the lower royalty percentage would net the contributor less than a regular collection sale at the higher percentage.  That would not make sense then, to put video content in Vetta.

As with photos, at the roll-out, the collection will consist of bumped up main collection content, with new content being added going forward.  So, buyers, you may want to buy those stylish complex pieces of content now, before the increase.

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