General Questions
1. What is stock photography?
Instead of assigning your own photographers, stock photography is a set of ready-to-use contents for subscribers who purchased the rights to use them. With digital stock photography, you get to see the final content even before you are granted the rights to use them and these contents can be licensed immediately. The cost for stock photography, especially royalty-free contents 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 is a concept where the user of the content does not have to pay any additional royalties/fees for repeated use of the content after paying the initial licensing fee.
The buyer does not own the copyright of the content but have purchased the rights to use the content legally without additional fees or interruption from the copyright owner provided that the scope of use remains within the End User License Agreement.
These content cannot be re-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 contents 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 content 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 content licensed. Of course, by supplying all content in digital format, our customers get to enjoy the advantage of being able to download the content and use it immediately.
4. Why subscribe to 123rf.com?
- we are a reputable stock provider (reliable).
- 24-hour customer support, 7 days a week to cater to your needs.
- new content added daily from content providers and agencies from all over the world.
- in-house creative department with cutting-edge new contents.
- contents 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 contents 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-content sale via credits and subscription packages. For customer who have purchased subscription packages, they may choose from 2 different plans - download 5 contents per day with the basic plan or 26 contents daily with the premium plan. If you need a customized plan for your organization, please
contact us for a quote.
7. Can I use these contents for my clients?
Yes, you can. All contents 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. Can I use a vector icon as my company's logo?
Usage of vector icons as company logo is prohibited.
9. Can I use content marked as "Editorial Use Only" for commercials?
No. Editorial Use Only contents cannot be used for commercials or any form of commercial advertising as these contents depict newsworthy events or celebrities. Person(s) appearing in these contents may not have signed a Model Release. The authorities who are responsible for the venue or location may not have signed a property release to enable you to use the content or photo in a commercial manner. The only way in which you can use Editorial Use Only photos for commercial use is when you have personally secured these releases and obtained permission from the person(s) depicted in the photo/video and the location's owner(s).
10. Can I use content marked as "Editorial Use Only" for Editorial articles and other publications? Do you have any restrictions on usage?
Yes, you may. There are some restrictions that you should be aware of:
1. Please maintain the Editorial integrity of the contents when you include them into your articles or publication. Using Photoshop or any other content editing software in a manner that materially alters the content and as a result, conveys a different message is strictly prohibited. Minor cropping and resizing shall be allowable.
2. If your publication's aggregate print run exceeds 250,000 copies, please secure the Editorial Extended License for the content involved.
3. You will have to credit the source of the content as well as the photographer as per the End-User Licensing Agreement in this manner: "©[Photographer's Name]/123RF.COM"
11. Can I use a Standard Royalty-Free Photo or Illustration for Editorial articles and other publications? Do you have any restrictions on usage?
Yes, you may. Unlike content marked as "Editorial Use Only", you may edit and alter these contents to suit your article or publication with Photoshop. However, if your publication's aggregate print run exceeds 250,000 copies, please secure the Print Only Extended License for the content you intend to use.
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 contents?
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 'Sign Up' button 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. You may also click on the following link to register:
https://www.123rf.com/register.php.
6. How long is the registration process?
Registration is immediate. You can start using your account immediately after registration. A verification email will also be sent to your registered email instantly upon registration. If you do not receive any verification email after 10 minutes, please check your Spam folder. You need to verify your account to continue to Log into 123RF.com 72 hours after registration.
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 members of your organization 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.
Additionally, you may consider using our Corporate+ Platform which allows an Administrator to allocate individual credits to designers or desginer groups within an organization with each designer having their own account. Learn more about Corporate+ here: http://www.123rf.com/corporate
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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 contents 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) content.
4. Do I have to pay every time I use the contents?
With the standard royalty-free license, you only need to pay once no matter how many times you use the contents.
5. Do I have to credit the photographer for the content used?
As our content 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 contents sold at a lower rate compared to other companies? Is it because they are low in quality?
Our contents are contributed by photographers around the world with skills varying from amateur to professional. Submitted contents go through a filtering process before they are released for sale.We do not compromise on quality. We provide contents that fit our user's budget. Our contents are more affordable than what most content supplier offer as we believe the large number of contents sold would outweigh the low number of expensive contentry.
2. Are all your contents 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 contents say "royalty-free". Can I just download/copy and use the contents?
No, you can't. You need to pay the licensing fees to use the contents. Royalty-free requires a one time payment license fees for its use. Our contents 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 content?
“Comping content” are low-resolution contents 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 content that I've bought from you earlier but the content is a compressed JPEG. Can I get the uncompressed format?
All contents 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 content editing software and re-save the contents 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 contents?
All contents 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 content sizes when you click on the content thumbnail to view the content's details.
8. Do you have the content in anything higher than 300 DPI?
The DPI in any content does not affect the actual content resolution. To obtain a bigger or smaller DPI, you may simply change the DPI with any content editing software and re-save the content. In order to maintain the quality of the content, just make sure that you do not interpolate/resize the print size when changing the DPI.
9. I've just purchased an content and it looked smudged. Is this the original content or did you edit it?
We are unable to comment as it could be due to the original content. Please contact our sales support team and provide them with the content number so that they could best advise you.
10. Can I get exclusivity for the use of the contents that I have bought?
Due to the nature of royalty-free licensing, all contents are not available for exclusive use.
11. Are your contents available only in screen resolution?
Our contents come in various sizes. Please refer to the individual contents for more information.
12. How long can I use the content?
There is no usage limit for royalty-free contents. You can use it for as many times and as long as you want.
13. What formats are the contents available on the website?
Our contents are available in RGB format. Please refer to the content 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, contents 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 contents would be sufficient for your project.
15. I downloaded a RGB format content. Can I convert that to CMYK?
You may use most content editing software for RGB to CMYK conversion.
16. Are your illustration contents layered? Can you get me layered files?
Some EPS files are layered while others are flattened. It depends on whether the contributor of the file flattened it or retained the layers in the EPS before uploading it to 123RF.com.
17. How long will the contents I purchased by credit/subscription be available for download again at my Download History? Will it expire?
The contents at your Download History are available for download provided that the contents has not been withdrawn by the content provider. Cases as such is infrequent. If you have downloaded the content using credits, you may redownload a year from the date of initial download at no extra charge. For subscriptions, as long as you have an active subscription plan with us, you may redownload the content at any time. We suggest that you always save a copy of the contents you purchased. Even though an content has been withdrawn, you can still use the content as long as you want.
18. I have downloaded an content 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 content could have been withdrawn and is no longer available for purchase or download. Images are withdrawn mostly at the request of the content provider. For such reason, we are unable to provide the content 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 Pay-As-You-Go Credits
1. What are Credits?
Credits are tokens that you use to download content. A list of Credit packages and their prices are available
here. For each content that you download, a set number of credits will be deducted from your available credits, according to the content's filetype, size or resolution, or if you request for content enlargement services, or when you choose to purchase an Extended License for an content.
You may download as many content as you like - as long as you have sufficient available credits. Please refer to each individual content detail to find out how many credits it will cost you for each of the download options available.
Some content like video footage, audio and exclusive logos are only available for licensing by credits. Please refer to the indicators 'C' and 'S' below the content thumbnail. These are indicators to help you differentiate whether the content is available for licensing via 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. How do I purchase single contents?
Our credit system allows you to pre-purchase a package of credits online and redeem them for each content you wish to license. The appropriate amount of credits will be deducted from your account for every content downloaded depending on the license type, file type and image resolution. A list of the credit cost for each download is shown in the table below:
|
| Standard |
| Image Size |
S |
M |
ML |
L |
XL |
XXL |
XXL TIFF |
| Number of Credits needed |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
10 |
|
| EVO |
| Image Size |
S |
M |
L |
XL |
XXL |
XXL TIFF |
| Number of Credits needed |
- |
From 5 |
From 10 |
From 15 |
From 20 |
From 30 |
|
| Footage |
| File Size |
ED |
SD |
HD |
FULL HD |
| Number of Credits needed |
15 |
40 |
55 |
65 |
|
| Logo |
| File Size |
LOGO EPS |
| Number of Credits needed |
250 |
4. How many content files can I purchase in a day/per transaction?
There is no limit to the number of content files you may purchase in a day or per transaction as long as you have the required number of credits available in your account.
5. I have insufficient credits in my account. Can I combine credits with another existing account?
No. Credits are not transferable.
6. 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.
7. What should I do if I face difficulties in downloading contents? For instance, an incomplete download due to connection or technical issues. Do I get a refund on credit that has been deducted?
For connection errors, you may download the same file again without losing any credits from your
download history. Alternatively, please contact our
sales support team and provide them the file number for investigation purposes.
8. Would it affect my credits or my available daily downloads if I download an content more than once?
No, it will not affect your credits provided you redownload the file from your Download History within a year after its initial download date. 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.
9. Can I get a download refunded when the content has problems?
Yes, you may write in to request a refund, as long as you provide proof of the problem in question within 4 working days from the download date.
About Our Subscription Plan
1. How does a subscription plan differ from a credits plan?
With a subscription plan, you are permitted to download a set limit of contents depending on the plan that you choose. The download limit will reset itself on a daily basis. You may continue to download contents as long as your subscription plan is active.
2. How will I know if I need a subscription plan?
A subscription package is best suited for users who have a constant need to download contents on a daily basis. It also represents the best value for your money as the subscription fee that you pay can be much less than the price of a high resolution premium content.
3. What are the plans available?
There are two subscription plans. A basic plan allows you to download 5 XXL resolution content per day and a Premium plan allows you to download 26 XXL resolution contents per day. Please refer to our
pricing plan for the cost of each plan. If you do not find a plan that meets your requirements, please contact our
sales team and we will customize a plan for you.
4. Can I upgrade/downgrade my plan after I subscribe?
Subscription plans cannot be upgraded nor downgraded upon download of first content. However, you may add new plans to the one subscribed at any time.
5. Is downloading of the same content considered as multiple downloads?
No. You can download the same content anytime within the subscription period.
6. Can I re-download contents which I've downloaded earlier after my subscription plan expires?
Once your subscription plan expires, no content download is allowed. However, you may continue to use the downloaded contents indefinitely.
7. Will any extra days be added to my plan if I fail to download contents during the subscription period?
There shall be no extension of subscription period if the client fails to download any contents due to their Internet connectivity problems. Since we cannot control the issue related to your Internet service provider, 123RF.com will fully reimburse the "lost days" only if the 123RF.com server is inaccessible worldwide (system down) for more than 8 hours.
8. Can I use the contents after my subscription plan expires?
Yes, you may. Any content downloaded during your subscription period is yours to use indefinitely, as long as you comply with the terms and conditions of usage.
9. If I subscribe monthly, what content sizes can I download?
The subscription plan allows you to download contents up to XXL size for photos and EPS file format for vectors.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. I've used up my daily quota. When will my quota be reset?
Please refer to the server time in the My Account section. Your daily quota will reset itself when the server time is 12.00 a.m. midnight.
Image Searching And Lightbox
1. How do I search for contents?
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 content research?
Due to our low pricing, we do not offer free content research. Please use our search feature on the website to perform your search.
3. How do I get detailed information about an content?
Click on 'Image Details' below the content thumbnail to view detailed information about an content.
4. What is a lightbox?
A lightbox is a "personal folder" on our website that you create. You can store and manage content that are of interest to you.
Lightboxes are designed to organize your content. When you find an content on our website that you like, you can save it in a lightbox you've created. You would not need to save the content to your hard drive or jot down the content number. You may also export the lightbox and a list of its content into a CSV (Comma Separated Values) or PDF file for reference later. You may also email and share the lightbox with your client or a colleague.
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 content that you are no longer interested in from your lightbox.
5. How does the lightbox work?
6. I added content into my lightbox a couple of weeks ago but when I want to buy it today, it is no longer there.
The content could have been withdrawn and is no longer available for licensing. Content are withdrawn mostly at the request of the content provider. For such reasons, we are unable to provide the content for licensing. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
7. Can you zip the content 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. However, we have prepared a convenient bulk download feature for you that would be able to help with the downloading effort. Just access your lightbox and look towards the lower portion of the lightbox navigation panel. There is a section which is entitled "Download Lightbox", please select a size or license and then click on the "Download" button. Another smaller window will pop up and please click on the links below each content to start the download. This will save you enormous amounts of time when you are downloading hundreds of content files from 123RF.com.
Buying Process
1. How do I purchase single RF contents 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 content, you'll first need to create and login to your personal account. Create free account now!
Purchase credits/subscribe
Purchase a minimum of $12.50 for 10 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 contents
Download contents at once with your download credits. There's no limit to the number of contents 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 content you need instantly once your payment is approved. The daily limit is counted by “per click”. So please decide which content you want before you download. We do not exchange or replace any contents mistakenly downloaded unless there is a problem with the download or content.
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 content 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. Are there any other credit card charges I need to look out for?
Almost all credit cards charge an international transaction fee on purchases overseas. Visa & MasterCard charge an approximately 1% processing fee, which is known as an "International Transaction Fee", "Foreign Transaction Fees", or "International Service Fees". These fees are NOT charged by our payment gateway, however, by the individual credit card. Please contact your credit card merchant bank to verify the fees.
9. Why didn't I get a full refund as stated by your 100% money back guarantee?
This is due to the deduction of processing fees by your credit card issuing bank. These fees were charged by your credit card issuing bank to you (the credit card holder). We are unable to refund these fees because they were not paid to our merchant bank, or to our collecting gateway. Please contact your credit card merchant bank for further details on this matter.
Downloading Images
1. How do I download contents once I have purchased them?
Click on the content thumbnail you intend to download and you will be prompted to view the content 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 content?
The download time for each content varies depending on the size of the content 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 contents 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 content 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 content, 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 within a year after the initial download. Please note that if your subscription has expired, you will no longer be able to download the contents 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 contents.
- E-mail us and state that you have deleted all contents downloaded and that you will not use them in any way.
Technical Questions