Deep Focus: The Official MediaFocus Blog - MediaFocus Stock Photography

Which type of image license do I need for my project?
What is the difference between extended licensing and standard licensing?

Those are the big questions many photo buyers ask themselves when licensing royalty free stock images for their projects. The specific uses covered by a standard or extended license are stated in the licensing terms upon which you are licensing the images. Those terms may differ from stock photo agency to stock photo agency, so always read the terms before licensing an image to make sure your use is in compliance with the agreement. When in doubt, call the stock photo agency's customer service.

At MediaFocus.com we try to make it as easy as possible for our customers to identify which license they need to purchase for their particular use. The Standard image license is required for any sort of advertising or promotional project you might be creating for yourself or a client, i.e. designing a brochure, flyer, magazine or newspaper advertising, hand-outs, posters, postcards, billboards, displays, TV commercials, presentations, product packaging, and web sites. The key factors are that you are creating something that promotes somebody's business, service, products, or events and that your project is specific to a paricular client or use. Also, productions for interior design, i.e. decorating a hotel, hospital, restaurant, office building, lobby, etc. with reproductions of stock photography, requires only a standard license, as long as the images are used for a particular client or project. This does not mean that you can not reuse an image you have used for one client also for another client. To the contrary, with our licensing you are allowed to use an image for unlimited time, for an unlimited number of projects and clients, just every production has to be unique and specific, not a template or gallery of pre-desgned choices or options.

The Extended image lice nse is required when you are producing an item intended for resale or distribution. For instance, you can create stationary items, postcards, posters, calendars, book covers, CD covers, mouse pads, T-shirts, framed artwork, and more with an extended license. Electronic items for resale would inlcude electronic templates for design, web design templates, business card templates, post card templates, greeting card templates, multimedia productions, film, video, software, games, etc. that are intended for resale or distribution. The big difference is that you are producing an item (electronic or non-electronic) that will be sold or distributed to more than one person. Extended licenses are also required for multi-user access. For instance, a design company with five designers would have to purchase an extended license so that all designers can access and work with the same images.

An area that can be confusing is the use of royalty free stock photos as design element s in publications, magazines, newspapers, editorials, newsletters, or books. Yes, these are items that will be sold or distributed but at MediaFocus.com you will only need a standard license, as long as the images are "design elements" and not an integral part of the product. For instance, you are contributing an article to a travel magazine and are using a few photographs to illustrate your article, this would still be covered by the standard license. But if you are producing a travel book covering Egypt and are using our stock photographs to illustrate part of the book, you would need an extended license. So it's o.k. to use an image or a few images in an article or editorial that will be published in print or electronically with a standard license, but as soon as the images become an integral part of the publication, an extended license is required. The design of book covers, always requires the purchase of an extended license. When in doubt, please call us and we'll be glad to let you know which type of license you will need.

We hope this article cleared up some questions. Please feel free to read our standard user licensing agreement and extended user licensing agreement by clicking on the link below:

Extended licenses can be purchased for subscriptions and image CD collections, making our service one of the most cost effective resources for extended licensend images. All individual images come with an extended license included at not extra cost!

For anybody who is working on a project where you are searching multiple websites to find the right photos, it can be a challenge to keep track of the sources, sort out image selections, keep track of favored images and alternates, and communicate with clients and other third parties regarding all the various choices. Creating your universal Lightbox on MediaFocus.com will make this task a lot easier!

A Lightbox is a virtual space where you can put images you find that might work for your project and come back later to review and make your selection. The Lightbox feature at MediaFocus.com does not only allow you to add images from our own we bsite but also embed links to images you find on any other website. Your Lightbox becomes a centralized tool for all image selections!

Log into your free member account at www.MediaFocus.com (or create one – it’s free and easy) and click on “My Lightboxes” at the top of the screen. There you will find three options “Create Project”, “Create Lightbox”, and “Help”. The help file contains a step-by-step guide for setting up projects and lightboxes, adding and deleting images, embedding images from other sources, organizing your selection with drag-and-drop, how to add comments, set properties, and email Lightboxes to clients or other third parties for review.

Lightbox Pro is designed to make your entire image selection process a whole lot easier. Feel free to try it out and should you have any questions, our friendly customer support will be there to assist you.

Adjusting the colors of a photograph or selecting the right colors for your advertising or design, are an integral part of creating a successful printed piece. Knowledge regarding the RGB and CMYK color spectrum, Pantone colors, and monitor color calibration, will ensure that what you create on screen will closely match your final print.

RGB stands for the Red/Green/Blue color spectrum that is generated by light beams. RGB is an additive color model. When all three colors red, green, and blue are mixed equally they produce white. Computer monitors are based on the RGB color model, as well as other optical equipment such as image scanners and digital cameras. Monitors produce millions of colors by combining various percentages of these three primary colors and different monitors will display those colors slightly di fferent. When working with photographs or creating designs, it is recommended to calibrate your computer monitor and converting your files to CMYK, so that the output print will match what you see on screen more closely. You might notice that a color looks bright and vibrant on screen but look flat and just not the same when printed. The reason for this is that certain colors from the RGB color spectrum can not be exactly converted to print colors. Tip: Convert your image to CMYK. Make any color adjustments to the image in CMYK mode. When adjusting color in RGB mode, the changes you make to one color will affect all the other colors as well (additive color system). But when you change for instance the percentage of blue in a CMYK image, the change will only affect blue, not magenta, yellow, or black.

The Cyan/Magenta/Yellow/Black color spectrum is used for offset printing, inkjet printers, and laser printers. The pri nt colors are created of different percentages of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. Different screen angles create the spectrums of each color. For offset printing, four pieces of film will be produced, one for each color. As mentioned earlier, not all colors can be successfully converted from RGB to CMYK. Tip: Always work in CMYK color mode when creating a design or preparing a photograph for printing and request a print proof (i.e. Matchprint)! Another tip: When creating ads and posters where you are adding text and background color, make sure you are selecting a color that has a CMYK equivalent. In some programs a warning sign like a triangle or exclamation mark will appear next to a color you are selecting. This indicates that there is no matching equivalent for this RGB color in the CMYK color spectrum. Therefore that color will print differently than what you see on your monitor.

Spot color refers to Pantone col ors, or PMS colors (Pantone Matching System) an internationally accepted standard for producing spot color. Spot colors are separated out onto different pieces of film, one film for each color specified. If you were to pick Black and PMS 190 you would get two pieces of film. There is no limit on how many spot colors you can use. Just keep in mind that every spot color will create a piece of film and therefore add to the cost of printing. Just as with RGB colors, not all Pantone colors can be reproduced by CMYK printing. When you need a certain color for your design to give it that special look, or something needs to be printed in silver or gold, select the color from a Pantone chart and it will ensure that your output print will match what you selected.

Convert the file you want to print to CMYK, make color adjustments in CMYK mode, make sure your monitor is calibrated correct ly (invest in a good color calibration tool), and always request a print proof (i.e. Matchprint), and talk to your printer with any questions or concerns you might have! This is the best way to ensure that your final printed pieces will meet your expectations.

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