Site Review: Shutterstock
Recommended!
08/2012 - Shutterstock is a buyer subscription model site. Sales are steady with a loyal tied-in customer base. Think of it as one rung down from iStockphoto with less strict technical rejections. Submissions are carefully curated for legal issues (logos, model and property releases, etc.). Rejections were an issue, leaving me scratching my head, but have become less random. A new file tagging page has taken much of the hassle out of initial submission. Finding footage which has been approved or rejected still downright non-friendly. Very consistent sales.
Pros
Accepts editorial footage with strict captions (see guidelines below and also caption tool on resources page)
Automatic resizing of clips as large & small web size
Cons
Confusing submission pages
Rejected footage must be re-uploaded for correction
Thumbnails of footage pending review, submission and rejects disappears after a short period. Your original file name replaced and not referenced by Shutterstock after submission.
Royalty: 30% to the seller
Exclusivity: Not offered
Ease of upload: FTP and HTTP
Ease of submission: Somewhat cumbersome
Editorial footage: Accepted with editorial captions
Pricing: Agency sets the price
Multiple formats: Converts to large and small web on site
Shutterstock Submission Guidelines