We get lots of emails from our contributors. Below are the most commonly asked questions we receive on a regular basis, so you may just find your answer here. Please also read the helpful information within this section for more detail to help find what you’re looking for.
If you still can’t find your answer and you’ve already emailed us we’ll get back to you within 48 hours.
New contributors
Q. Where do I sign up to sell my images?
- It’s free to sign up and you can join here: Become a contributor
- Read about the benefits of selling your images on Alamy
Q. What can I send?
- You can send us images as JPEGs, saved as high quality RGB JPEGs (level 8 or above) at baseline standard. Check out our submission guidelines for more detail.
Q. What can’t I send?
- Currently you can’t upload mobile phone images to the Alamy Platform but we’ll be opening up this route for upload soon.
- We don’t accept images generated by Artificial Intelligent (AI) programs. We have an ethical position on our approach to AI imagery which you can read in our bloghere.
- We also have closed our video application process to individuals. We are currently partnered with Pond5, and in the near future we hope to open up the video route to all contributors. We will let contributors know when this happens
Payments and Finance
Q. How and when I will be paid?
You can see all the details on getting paid here. We will pay you monthly, if yourCleared Fundsexceed US $50. Check out this handy guide about how to read your balance of account page (including how to generate a revenue report).
Q. What commission will I receive on image sales via Alamy websites?
You can find a copy of the Alamy commission table here. There are 3 tiers and the commission you receive will be based on the specific tier you are in:
Silver – 20% to contributor, 80% to Alamy
Gold – 40% to contributor, 60% to Alamy
Platinum – 50% to contributor, 50% to Alamy (when images are exclusive to Alamy)
- All contributors are automatically put into Gold tier when they sign up.
- If you make below $250 in gross sales within the Revenue Year, you will automatically move into Silver tier.
- If you make over $250 in gross sales within the Revenue Year, you will stay in Gold tier.
- If you make over $25,000 in gross sales within the Revenue Year you will automatically move into Platinum tier.
The Revenue Year runs from the 12 month period starting on the 1st July every year and ending 30th June the following calendar year.
Your gross sales exclude any ‘other income’ payments, so for example DACS and ASCRL payments would not be included in your gross sales.
The exclusivity of your images does not affect which commission rate you are on unless you are in the Platinum tier.
Legal and Copyright
Q. I have a legal or copyright related issue, who should I contact?
If you are not an Alamy contributor and have any legal or copyright issues you need to email copyright@alamy.com
Q. I’ve seen one of my images used but there’s no evidence of a license or sale in my account (there has been a copyright infringement on an image usage)?
- Some of our customers report usages to us over a period of time which can be several months. If the sale doesn’t show in your report within 4 months for a regular customer (or 6 months for a distributor) then please get in touch directly with our Infringements Team infringements@alamy.com who will be able to chase this up for you
- Alternatively if you suspect there’s been an infringement (there is no license in place or there is a license mismatch) you can use the Infringements form found here when logged into your account (or from your dashboard access the form under “Report an unauthorised use”).
Quality Control and IT Issues
Q. Why have I failed QC?
Because of the large number of images each day we take a random sample of images and if all images in that sample are fine then we pass all images awaiting QC. If we find one failure then all images awaiting QC will fail. All images submitted should meet our QC standards so when we look at a random sample this should represent the quality of all images submitted.
Q. I’ve mistakenly uploaded some images, how do I take them down?
Our system doesn’t let us delete images during processing or quality control. If they pass QC you can delete them under the ‘optional’ tab in the Alamy Image Manager.
Q. My images have passed QC but they are showing as ‘Not on Sale’?
Once you add your caption and at least 5 image tags they’ll be on sale after 24 hours once the search engine has updated.
Q. Why are my images taking so long to pass QC?
Images normally go through QC in a day, but it can take longer than this depending on how busy we are or if it’s a national holiday. Our QC team work Monday to Friday, so if you are uploading over the weekend there will be a delay and our team will get through to your submission as soon as possible. Once we’ve checked your submission we’ll send you an email to let you know how you’ve got on.
Q. I can’t upload images/can’t access my account?
- Our first response will be to suggest to delete temporary files, clearing your cache and logging in from a different browser.
- If it’s an upload issue you might want to try uploading later as the problem may just be down to the amount of online traffic.
- If you’re having trouble logging in or forgotten your password, please try the password reset button when logging in
Live News and Reportage/Archival uploads
Q. How do I upload Live News images?
You’ll need to apply for access which you can do under the ‘additional revenue options’ section of your contributor dashboard. If you have any queries, you can email our news team at news@alamy.com
Q. Can I send you content that is Reportage and/or Archival?
- You can apply for Reportage/Archival image upload through your contributor dashboard, or by completing this application form.
- Reportage images are photojournalistic images illustrating a story but captured under difficult circ*mstances and might not pass our standard QC checks. Examples include photo essays or features.
- Archival images are images that are historically or culturally significant, examples include film stills, press archives and specialist collections.
New Contributor Contract
Q. What do I need to know about the contributor contract changes?
The new contract ishereand the key changes are listedhere. The changes will come into place on 23rd June 2023
Leaving Alamy
Q. How do I close my account?
If you want to terminate your contributor account with Alamy, please fill out and submit the Contributor Contract Termination Form.
Once you’ve submitted your response, we’ll start the account termination process. Your account will be closed and images will no longer be available for sale on our site 45 days after you asked for your account to be closed.
