General Questions
1. What is stock photography?
Instead of assigning your own photographers, stock photography is a set of ready-to-use images for subscribers who purchased the rights to use them. With digital stock photography, you get to see the final image even before you are granted the rights to use them and these images can be licensed immediately. The cost for stock photography, especially royalty-free images are much lower compared to assignment photography. Stock photography saves you model, photographer, location, props, art direction and editing costs.
2. What is Royalty-Free?
Royalty-Free Digital Stock Photography is a concept where user of the images does not have to pay any royalty for repeated use of the images. The buyer does not own the copyright of the images but have purchased the rights to use the images legally without additional fees or interruption from the retailer. These images cannot be sold or transferred but it offers a wide range of benefits; mainly lower pricing and convenience.
3. What are the differences between Royalty-Free and Rights-Managed?
Rights-managed offers individual images to be rented through the negotiation of a specific price for a specific use. It offers clients exclusive rights plus the ability to restrict similar use of the image by others. The royalty-free concept allows customers an unlimited usage, where they do not need to pay royalties after the initial purchase. This greatly reduces the costs and allows greater freedom with the images purchased. Of course, by supplying all our images in digital format, our customers get to enjoy the advantage of being able to go straight to the color separator or print rather than having to scan them at an additional cost. Most importantly, it is more flexible than the traditional photo library.
4. Why subscribe to 123rf.com?
- we are a reputable stock provider (reliable). - 24-hour customer support to cater to your needs. - new images added daily from photographers all over the world and other great content providers. - in-house creative department with cutting-edge new contents. - images from multiple top suppliers not available at other subscription sites.
5. How often do you add new content?
New and better contents are added daily to our collections. Our objective is to ensure that our clients continue to renew their subscription and therefore we strive to provide new and good content regularly. All images are reviewed extensively by our creative team to ensure that you get your money's worth.
6. How many pictures can I download?
In order to provide our clients with a value-added service, we offer single-image sale via credits and subscription packages. For customer who have purchased subscription packages, they may choose from 2 different plans - download 5 images per day with the basic plan or 26 images daily with the premium plan.
7. Can I use these images for my clients?
Yes, you can. All images are provided with a standard royalty-free license or extended royalty-free license. Please visit our licensing section to learn more about the various licenses.
8. What are the 'C' and 'S' icons below the image thumbnails?
'C' refers to Credits and 'S' refers to Subscription. These are indicators to help you differentiate if the image is available only as Credits, Subscription or both.
Registration And Account Information
1. Is there a charge for registering as a customer?
Registration is free of charge. There are no hidden fees.
2. Why do I need to register?
Registered users will have access to the many facilities available, such as access to My Account, Lightbox, Free Images and many more.
3. Do I need to register before purchasing single or subscription images?
Yes.
4. Do I need to register if I just want to browse your website?
No, you need not register to browse our website. However, by registering, it allows us to provide you with regular offers and promotions.
5. How do I register on the website?
Click on the 'Register' tab located at the top right of the page. Type your preferred username and contact information and click on the submit button when you're done. A generic password will be sent to your e-mail upon registration. Else, you can click on the following link for registration https://www.123rf.com/register.php.
6. How long is the registration process?
Registration is immediate. A generic password will be sent to your registered email instantly upon registration. You can start using your account after that. If you did not receive any password after 10 minutes, please check your Spam folder.
7. Do you need my credit card details when I register?
No, we will only need your credit card details at the payment area. Alternatively you can pay by Paypal or check.
8. Can I share my account with my colleagues?
Our subscription only allows single/individual usage. You are not permitted to share your username and password with anyone. However, if other people in your businesses would like access to your subscription, you may purchase a multiple user license. Please contact us at info@123rf.com or call 1-866-655-3733 to discuss your options.
9. I have registered but have yet to received my password. What can I do?
It could be that our password notification email has been mistakenly sent to your Spam folder. Please contact our local sales support team so that they can provide the password to you over the phone. They will verify your registered information to make sure that there is no mistake in your e-mail.
10. What do I do if I forgot my password?
Please refer to the following link http://www.123rf.com/forgetpassword.php and type in the information required. We will send the password to your e-mail address which you provided during registration.
11. Can I change my password, the one that is automatically issued, into something that I can remember?
Yes, you can. Firstly, login to your account with your username and old password. Click on the 'My Account' tab and select 'Change Password'. Type in your preferred password on the next page and hit the 'Update' button. Your new password will be activated immediately.
12. Can I change my username?
Please double check your preferred username before you proceed to register. We do not allow changes to be made to your username. To change your username, you need to re-register.
13. How do I change my address, telephone number or other registered details?
You can edit your account information anytime by clicking 'Personal Information' at the My Account tab in the main navigation area at the homepage. You will need to login to your account first in order to do so.
14. How do I unsubscribe from your mailing list?
From 'My Account', click on 'Personal Information'. Uncheck the “sign up for newsletter” box and we will not be sending you any further monthly updates.
Privacy And License
1. How do you protect my privacy? Will my personal information be passed on to a third party?
123rf.com respects every user's privacy and we do not disclose, sell, share or divulge your personal information (including your e-mail address) to third parties. Please refer to our privacy policy for more information. http://www.123rf.com/privacy.php.
2. How may I use your images and what are the restrictions?
3. What is Extended License and when do I need one?
Extended license covers use for Design Templates for resale (Web and/or Print), Prints for Resale Poster, Greeting Cards, Prints on Merchandise for Resale (mugs, stationery, t-shirts, etc), Design Elements on Software for Resale and any other Derivative Resale Objects. Each extended license is applicable for (one) image.
4. Do I have to pay every time I use the images?
With the standard royalty-free license, you only need to pay once no matter how many times you use the images.
5. Do I have to credit the photographer for the image used?
As our image collections are royalty-free, you do not need to credit the photographers for commercial usage. For editorial usage, you may credit: © Photographer's Name / 123RF
About Our Royalty-free Images
1. Why are your images sold at a lower rate compared to other companies? Is it because they are low in quality?
Our images are contributed by photographers around the world with skills varying from amateur to professional. Submitted images go through a filtering process before they are released for sale.We do not compromise on quality. We provide images that fit our user's budget. Our images are more affordable than what most image supplier offer as we believe the large number of images sold would outweigh the low number of expensive imagery.
2. Are all your images model and property released? How do I get a copy of it?
Images with relevant releases are clearly indicated. There will be a charge of $60 for each release information requested.
3. Your images say "royalty-free". Can I just download/copy and use the images?
No, you can't. You need to pay the licensing fees to use the images. Royalty-free requires a one time payment license fees for its use. Our images may be copied solely for illustrative purposes such as for client presentations or drafts. They cannot be used for any finished project, whether personal or professional. Any unauthorized download will be regarded as copyright infringement and 123rf will pursue legal action against unauthorized users.
4. What is comping image?
“Comping image” are low-resolution images used only for illustrative purposes, such as for client presentations or drafts. They cannot be used for any finished project, whether personal or professional.
5. Can I get a higher resolution comp to show my client?
Please contact our sales support team for more information.
6. I've just downloaded an image that I've bought from you earlier but the image is a compressed JPEG. Can I get the uncompressed format?
All images submitted to us by various photographers are pre-compressed JPEGs. Due to huge Raw file size, we do not keep any TIFF files. You may therefore use any image editing software and re-save the images as TIFF file or you may contact our support team for assistance.
7. Why am I not getting the exact file size based on your web when I download your images?
All images at 123rf are compressed JPEGs and the download size is normally smaller than the full uncompressed size. Please refer to our website for more information about image sizes when you click on 'View Image Details'.
8. Do you have the image in anything higher than 300 DPI?
The DPI in any image does not affect the actual image resolution. To obtain a bigger or smaller DPI, you may simply change the DPI with any image editing software and re-save the image. In order to maintain the quality of the image, just make sure that you do not interpolate/resize the print size when changing the DPI.
9. I've just purchased an image and it looked smudged. Is this the original image or did you edit it?
We are unable to comment as it could be due to the original image. Please contact our sales support team and provide them with the image number so that they could best advise you.
10. Can I get exclusivity for the use of the images that I have bought?
Due to the nature of royalty-free licensing, all images are not available for exclusive use.
11. Are your images available only in screen resolution?
Our images come in various sizes. Please refer to the individual images for more information.
12. How long can I use the image?
There is no usage limit for royalty-free images. You can use it for as many times and as long as you want.
13. What formats are the images available on the website?
Our images are available in RGB format. Please refer to the image details for more information.
14. What's the difference between RGB and CMYK formats?
RGB is the primary color model used by electronic display devices such as a monitor. CMYK is the primary color model used by color printers. In RGB, images are created by combining red, green, and blue light. This additive process can create millions of different colors by using different concentrations of the primaries. CMYK, in contrast, creates different colors in a subtractive process using four colors or inks: cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow, and black. The differences between RGB and CMYK become crucial when desktop publishers attempt to move documents from their screens onto hard copy. There are many RGB colors that CMYK printers cannot reproduce. Something that looks good on the monitor may not look the same in print. Therefore, it will be best for you to check with the printing company as they can advise you on whether the quality of the images would be sufficient for your project.
15. I downloaded a RGB format image. Can I convert that to CMYK?
You may use most image editing software for RGB to CMYK conversion.
16. Are your illustration images layered? Can you get me layered files?
All images at 123RF are flattened.
17. How long will the images I purchased by credit/subscription be available for download again at my Download History? Will it expire?
The images at your Download History are available for download provided that the images has not been withdrawn by the image provider. Cases as such is infrequent. We suggest that you always save a copy of the images you purchased. Even though an image has been withdrawn, you can still use the image as long as you want.
18. I have downloaded an image a few months ago and now I don't see it at my 'Download History'. I can't search it on your site either. What can I do?
The image could have been withdrawn and is no longer available for purchase or download. Images are withdrawn mostly at the request of the image provider. For such reason, we are unable to provide the image for download. We apologize for any inconveniences caused.
19. Where can I view my available credits or the expiration of my subscription plans?
You can view your remaining credits and the expiration of your subscription plans when you login to your 'My Account' area.
About Single Image (Credits)
1. What are Credits?
Credits are basically tokens redeemable for images. Our credit packages start at $15 and they can be purchased online. For every image that you download, a set number of credits will be deducted from your account, according to the image resolution. You may download as many images as you like, each download costs one to three Download Credits. Some images however are only available by subscription. Please refer to the indicators 'C' and 'S' below the image thumbnail. These are indicators to help you differentiate whether the image is available only as Credits, Subscription or both.
2. Will the download credits expire?
Yes, they will. Credits will expire a year from the date they're bought.
3. Why can't I just buy one image for $1.00 directly?
Because there's a minimum amount that the credit card payment gateway (the bank) will charge us for every transaction. We can't accept any transaction lower than $15 or we will be making losses!
4. How do I purchase single images?
Our credit system allows you to pre-purchase a package of credits online and redeem them for images. Each image costs between 1 and 10 credits and credit(s) will be deducted from your account for every download depending on the file type and image resolution.
5. How many images can I purchase in a day/per transaction?
There is no limit to the number of images you may purchase in a day or per transaction.
6. I have insufficient credits in my account. Can I combine credits with another existing account?
No. Credits are not transferable.
7. I have a remaining credit balance in my account. Can I exchange them for cash?
Credit balances are not refundable and not exchangeable for cash.
8. What should I do if I face difficulties in downloading images? For instance, an incomplete download due to connection or technical issues. Do I get a refund on credit that has been deducted?
For connection error, you may download the same file again without losing any credits. Alternatively, please contact our sales support team and provide them the file number.
9. Would it affect my credits or my available daily downloads if I download an image more than once?
No, it will not affect your credits provided you download the file from your Download History. You can opt to search by date or keywords at the Download History. Click 'Download Again' to re-download the file. If you would like to obtain a higher resolution file than the one you previously downloaded, you will then have to use your credits.
About Our Subscription Plan
1. What is subscription-based royalty free images?
The subscription-based model works on the same basis as royalty-free except that instead of buying images one by one, you pay a fee to download the images as when required without additional charges. Generally, the price of a high-resolution single image is much higher compared to a month's subscription fee.
2. What about the subscription?
A subscription package is best value for your money. The subscription package allows you to download a specific amount of images (up to 26) everyday as long as the subscription period has not end/ subscription plan has not expire.
3. What are the plans available?
Currently, there are two subscription plans. A basic plan allows you to download five ultra-high resolution image per day and a Premium plan allows you to download 26 ultra-high resolution images per day. Please refer to our website for the cost of each plan.
4. How do I know which image is subscription-based and which is credit-based?
Please refer to the indicators 'C' and 'S' below the image thumbnail. These are indicators to help you differentiate whether the image is available only by Credits, Subscription or both.
5. Can I upgrade/downgrade my plan after I subscribe?
Subscription plans cannot be upgraded nor downgraded upon download of first image. However, you may add new plans to the one subscribed at any time.
6. Is downloading of the same image considered as multiple downloads?
No. You can download the same image anytime within the subscription period.
7. Can I re-download images which I've downloaded earlier after my subscription plan expires?
Once your subscription plan expires, no image download is allowed. However, you may continue to use the downloaded images indefinitely.
8. Will any extra days be added to my plan if I fail to download images during the subscription period?
There shall be no extension of subscription period if the client fails to download any images due to their Internet connectivity problems. Since we cannot control the issue related to your Internet service provider, Inmagine will fully reimburse the "lost days" only if the 123rf.com server is inaccessible worldwide (system down) for more than 8 hours.
9. Can I use the images after my subscription plan expires?
Yes, you may. Any image downloaded during your subscription period is yours to use indefinitely, as long as you comply with the terms and conditions of usage.
10. If I subscribe monthly, what image resolution can I download?
The subscription plan allows you to download at any resolution but we strongly advise you to download the highest resolution available.
11. Is there an automated notification e-mail that will inform me that my subscription plan is going to expire?
Yes, an automated e-mail will be sent to your registered email 3 days before expiry of plan.
12. How do I renew my subscription plan?
Please login to your 'My Account' area and choose the plan you would like to renew. Click the 'Renew' tab and you will be prompted to the payment page.
Image Searching And Lightbox
1. How do I search for images?
You can type in relevant keywords in the search bar on the top left corner of the website. Alternatively, you can turn on the search options to search by availability and orientation.
2. Do you offer free image research?
Due to our low pricing, we do not offer free image research. Please use our search feature on the website to perform your search.
3. How do I get detailed information about an image?
Click on 'Image Details' below the image thumbnail to view detailed information about an image.
4. What is a lightbox?
A lightbox is a "personal folder" on our website that you create. You can store and manage images of interest to you. Lightboxes are designed to organize your images. When you find an image on our website that you like, you can save it in a lightbox you've created. You would not need to save the image to your hard drive or jot down the image number. There is no limit on the number of lightboxes you can create and the amount of time we'll store them for you. You can choose to remove images that you no longer need in your lightbox.
5. How does the lightbox work?
6. I added an image into my lightbox a couple of weeks ago but when I want to buy it today, it is not there.
The image could have been withdrawn and is no longer available for purchase or download. Images are withdrawn mostly at the request of the image provider. For such reason, we are unable to provide the image for download. We apologize for any inconveniences caused.
7. Can you zip the images in the lightbox for me?
As it is of our interest to ensure that speed is excellent for all users, we are unable to zip the files for you or automate the download process as it will consume a lot of our bandwidth and CPU resources. Having too many users downloading huge files simultaneously will slow down our service.
Buying Process
1. How do I purchase single RF images or subscribe to your plans?
To get things started, all you need to do is 3 easy steps: register, get credits and download! Sign-up In order to purchase an image, you'll first need to create and login to your personal account. Create free account now! Purchase credits/subscribe Purchase a minimum of $15 for 15 download credits (you may choose to purchase more). The greater the amount, the more you save! For subscription, select the plan you desire and proceed to pay for it. Download images Download images at once with your download credits. There's no limit to the number of images you may purchase per transaction. Any extra or unused credits will be kept in your account for your next purchase. For subscription, you can download the image you need instantly once your payment is approved. The daily limit is counted by “per click”. So please decide which image you want before you download. We do not exchange or replace any images mistakenly downloaded unless there is a problem with the download or image.
Payment
1. What are the payment options?
You may pay by credit card (Visa, Mastercard or Amex), PayPal, cheque/check or bank transfer to our account. For credit card payment, you will have immediate access to download the files once your payment is confirmed. For bank transfer or check/cheque payment, we can only grant you access when we have received full payment. Please contact our sales support team for more information.
2. Is your site secure?
Our payment gateway is handled by one of the most established online merchant in the world (RBS Worldpay Ltd. www.worldpay.com) with thousands of secured transactions daily. All data sent to our payment gateway are encrypted with 128bit security features.
3. Do you keep my credit card details?
For security purposes, we do not keep your credit card details. You will need to provide your credit card details every time you place an order.
4. Can you use my card details and repurchase the subscription for me as soon as it expires?
We are unable to use your credit card details and act on your behalf to repurchase subscription due to security reasons. We prefer not to keep any of your credit card details to avoid unauthorized usage.
5. I'm trying to purchase this image from your site but my transaction was declined. Can you help?
If your transaction is declined, please take note of the errors/notification shown at the payment area. If the error shows, “We are unable to authorize this transaction. Please contact your card issuer for more information or use another card to make payment.” you will have to contact the card issuing bank and request them to authorize the transaction. Some banks require authorization from the cardholder before they could allow the transaction to go through. Other possibilities would be that the credit card has exceeded the limit or a wrong security code (CSV code) is provided. Most banks require customers to provide their security code to prevent fraud. For your information, the security code is located at : - American Express credit card : 4 digit in front of your card. - Visa and MasterCard : 3 digit on the back of your card, at the top of the signature field. If the error shows, “ PMI currency”or “Unknown currency” or “Bad currency”, please contact our local sales support team for further advise. We could try and purchase on your behalf through our secured server.
6. I don't feel secure doing online transaction with my credit card. Can you purchase on my behalf?
Yes, please contact our sales support team and provide them your credit card details so that they can purchase on your behalf through our secured server. Rest assured, we do not keep your credit card details.
7. Do you offer any discounts?
If you are buying multiple licenses or multiple packages, we may negotiate a discount.
8. Is there any other credit card charges I need to look out too?
Almost all credit card charges an international transaction fees on purchases oversea. Visa & Mastercard charge approximately 1% processing fees, which is known as "International Transaction Fees" or "Foreign Transaction Fees" or "International Service Fees". This fees is NOT charged by our payment gateway. Please contact your credit card merchant bank to verify about the fees.
9. Can I request for a refund of the above fees?
Unfortunately we are unable to refund the processing fees as the fees were not paid to our merchant bank, neither was it paid to our collecting gateway. It is a fee charged by your credit card issuing bank to you (the credit card holder). Kindly contact your credit card merchant bank for further details.
Downloading Images
1. How do I download images once I have purchased them?
Click on the image thumbnail you intend to download and you will be prompted to view the image details on the next page. Choose the resolution you need and click 'Download Now'. Click the 'Save' button in the 'File Download' dialog box and choose the location where you want to save the file. Click 'Save' to begin downloading the file.
2. How long does it take to download an image?
The download time for each image varies depending on the size of the image you are downloading, your Internet connection speed and your computer operating system.
3. Where do I find a record of my previous download?
First, log into 123RF. Next, click on the "Account" link. Then, click on the 'Download History' link. You can opt to search for previously downloaded images by date or keywords at the Download History page. Click the 'Download Again' link to re-download the file. Files downloaded in this manner will not result in a deduction of your available credits or subscription download quota.
4. How can I download an image I've previously purchased and will I be charged if I download it again?
No, it will not affect your credits provided you download the file from your Download History. You can opt to search by date or keywords at the Download History. Click 'Download Again' to re-download the file. If you would like to download a higher resolution file than the one you previously downloaded, you will have to use your credits.
5. I've downloaded the image, but I can't remember where I saved it in my computer?
You can proceed to download the file again from your Download History. This time, perhaps you can remember where you saved the file in your computer. Your credits will not be deducted if you were to download the file from your Download History. Please note that if your subscription has expired, you will no longer be able to download the images from your download history.
Refund
1. How can I get a refund?
If you have purchased a 123rf.com subscription and decided to change your mind, a refund to your credit card can be issued with the following stipulations: - You must request for your refund within 3 business days of your purchase. - You must not have downloaded more than 10 images. - E-mail us and state that you have deleted all images downloaded and that you will not use them in any way.
Technical Questions
1. I have registered but I cannot login to your website. What should I do?
Is the "Caps Lock" or "A" light on your keyboard on? If so, hit the "Caps Lock" key before trying again. Did you forget or misspelled your ID or password? Our username and password login is case sensitive. Please check your cookie settings to ensure it is on a medium privacy level. You'll need to enable your cookies in order to login to our site. Try clearing all your cookies and cache in your browser as well.
2. You could be behind a corporate firewall that is currently blocking the port that is needed to make the secured purchase. Please contact your company web administrator for more information.
For Windows: Internet Explorer 5.x and newer. Netscape 6.x and newer. For Mac: Safari. Internet Explorer 5.x and newer. Netscape 6.x and newer.
3. I am unable to access or make purchases on your website. What should I do?
It could be that your computer is behind a corporate firewall or your computer may not be accepting cookies. Please contact your web administrator for more information.
4. What should I do if I am unable to connect to a secured connection to make purchases?
You could be behind a corporate firewall that is currently blocking the port that is needed to make the secured purchase. Please contact your company web administrator for more information.
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