Get Started - Make Money Selling your photos, graphics and ultimately video at home!
It is most certainly true that you can make money at home on your computer selling still images and motion graphics. Why am I so confident in that statement? Because I am doing just that! And the beauty of it is that you don't need a lot of money to get up and going. Also you don't have to be a computer genius. It is my sole intent to provide you with some tools and a basic template for you to start selling your very own computer graphics, photos and even video on the internet.
Now this is a step by step guide and it chronicles exactly how I have approached this business. You can certainly jump ahead in the steps but I strongly suggest that you start with step 1 and proceed from there. This method that I have used works great because it continually builds upon itself and grows in a natural progression. Perhaps you are simply interested in selling video on the web. Well, that is great and I highly recommend it but I also suggest that you start with photos and graphics. If you do it my way you will find that you have plenty of 'building blocks' for your video later down the road. Also you will have fewer headaches and you will learn many crucial skills along the way.
So let's get started!
Step 1: Computer
Go out and buy yourself a computer. This is an absolute necessity and it is my recommendation that you buy a nice machine with good power. When you get to the point of creating and then selling video you will be glad you did. In my case I use an Apple Macintosh Macbook Pro laptop computer with 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and 4GB SDRAM. But you can certainly use a PC if you are more comfortable with that. It is very important for you to have a clean running machine so I have done extensive research into products that will help you to clean up your computer so that you can get started with your business. I also recommend these products to people that have a well running machine because they will prevent problems from occuring down the road.
Click Here! - For the best product available to fix your computer errors!
Well, you certainly want to rid your machine of errors but you also want your computer to work quickly and seamlessly. You can do this by simply cleaning the registry of the computer. If you are not comfortable doing this on your own then you can buy a wonderful and very easy product Right Here!
And perhaps you have seen those annoying pop-up ads showing up on your computer. Well this can really slow down the functioning of your machine. I highly recommend that you buy AdwareAlert as this will help tremendously toward making your computer super fast.
Certainly when we begin making money on the internet we want to make sure that our computer is safe and secure. You don't want anyone spying into your personal affairs. You can get some very effective spyware software that will help keep the thieves away by Clicking Here! or you can try another great program Here!
As you can see I feel that it is the most important step for you to have a good and clean running computer at your disposal. Just in case you haven't found the products that will help you achieve this here are a few more that will make your life easy and stress free:
Regclean - another great registry cleaner to speed up the computer!
Macrovirus - wonderful virus protection software!
Privacy Control - keep personal information safe and secure!
OK, enough of all that - I don't want to scare you I simply want to save you headaches that might occur down the road if we don't take these precautions. If you haven't realized by now the computer that you purchase is the biggest and most important investment you will make for this business to work. So take a bit of time and spend a few extra dollars and you will be happy in the long run. Video editing software requires alot of processing speed as well as RAM so get the fastest processor you can afford and couple that with plenty of RAM.
I should also say that I bought my computer on ebay. I've had good luck with ebay and i'm glad I bought my machine this way. The simple reason is that you can get a computer loaded with plenty of software that you can use later. The software can be costly so if you buy it already preloaded on your computer then you'll save tons of money in the long run. So I suggest that you read through this guide to get an idea of some of the software that you will need. After you have done that then you can go to ebay and see what is available.
If you like to buy your electronics from a reputable store instead then I highly recommend J&R Computer/Music World. Just click on the link and go directly to the site for the lowest prices for electronics as well as great shipping and good customer service. I've had great luck with their products and services. For software training DVD's as well as computer peripherals I recommend Amazon
You are most certainly going to want to purchase a backup hard-drive for your computer so that all your hard work is not lost. I have a Western Digital My Book with 500 GB of storage and a super quick USB connection. I bought mine at Amazon but you might find a better deal at J&R Computer/Music World. The key is to back-up your work every day.
Step 2 - Learn how to take digital photos
So now that you have either bought a computer or you have cleaned up your old computer with the products suggested above, it is time to get started with our business. The easiest thing to start with is photographs. I'm going to assume you have a camera but if you don't then that should be your next step. I have a Canon Rebel XTi and it is more than adequate. You definately want a decent camera, not just some throw away instamatic. Again ebay is a good source for cameras and the advantage to buying on ebay is that you can likely get some good lenses that come with the camera you buy. Frankly the lens that you get with a camera from a typical store is pretty inadequate. You'll want to upgrade to a good lens because it will save you headaches down the road. A good lens doesn't have to cost much. What I did in the beginning was buy 'fixed focal length' lenses with a low f-stop value. Basically this means that the lens can not telephoto. Now you might think it is a hassle and it can be more difficult to get good shots but it is worth it because it teaches you how to take good photographs. You simply have to move around more to get that shot. It will help you to create good composition in your photos. However, if you can afford it then by all means get a telephoto - but the high end lenses of this type are pricey. Again if you prefer to shop at a store and have the added protection then try J&R Computer/Music World as they have the best deals on cameras as well. Another alternative is Amazon
We all know how to take photos and the beauty is that everyone has a unique view on life and therefore you can certainly sell those photos. But maybe you are not overly confident in your photography skills. Well then I'd like to recommend a few things that can help you get started.
Click Here if you want to learn a fast and effective way to understand digital photography. This is a great start. It will also help you down the road with your video skills.
Once you have a simple grasp of basic photography methods then you can click on this link, Learn Photoshop in 2 hours, to get you started learning this great software program by adobe. Adobe Photoshop is simply the best most powerful photo editing program out there. Again to run Photoshop on your computer you will want to have a smooth running machine - if you don't then you should go back to step 1 and follow my advice. You'll be happy in the long run. Amazon. I recommend all of Adobe's products - they are simply the best and easiest to use.
There are a couple of things that you should pay special attention to if you plan to sell your photos online:
1) Clarity - you should blow up your photos to 100% size and make sure that they are still in focus otherwise they will be rejected by the agencies, particulary Shutterstock and Istockphoto. It is no good to spend all that time on your photos to get them rejected later. Often I throw great photos out simply because they are out of focus when I blow them up. The key here is good lighting. Generally take your photos in bright sunlight or in a studio setting if you have that opportunity. Never use a flash as the flash can cause shadows and other distortion which will be cause for rejection as well.
2) Composition - I highly suggest that, once you have signed up to the sites that I recommend in the next section, you peruse their collection of images and photographs. You can always find a most popular section. This will give you a great idea as to what the agencies are looking for and what sells well. No point to take great photos that simply won't sell well. Come up with your own creative ideas that put a spin on old concepts.
3) People shots sell well. If you have people in your photos you have a greater chance to make more money. Keep in mind that you will have to have a simple model release for each person in the photo (including even yourself!) Each site has a simple model release document that you can download and use for this purpose.
Now that your photography skills are honed you are ready to move on to the next step. Remember you will be glad that you learned to take great photos down the road when you start making video.
Step 3 - Online Sites to Sell Your stuff
Well, now that you are fully immersed in this business you can get to selling your photos. Perhaps you need a little inspiration however - so I'd like to direct you to my business website. I just want to give you an idea of how far and how fast you can get into this business of selling images, photos, graphics and even video on the internet.
Now we have only touched upon selling photos here but on my site you'll notice that I also sell video, vector graphics as well as photos. I just want you to have something of a goal to shoot for or at the very least give you an idea of what you can do on the web in this business. So just go to my site and poke around for a while. You can even check out my links to my portfolios. After you have taken a tour of the site then you can come back here (bookmark this page!) and continue with a slightly different perspective and perhaps more incentive to continue persuing this wonderful business. Just click on www.coolgraffix.com.
So I hope you enjoyed taking a look at my website. Perhaps you noticed the names Istockphoto, Shutterstock and Dreamstime. These are the top three sites where I sell my graphics. The best part is that it is all absolutely FREE! Yup, once you get images uploaded to the site then that's it - they just start generating income for you. So I suggest as your next step to sign up to these services as it will cost you nothing at all. Simply click on the blue links above to be taken directly to each site. You can do it right if you like and then come back here later.
There are other agencies on the web where you can sell your photos and graphics but I have found Istockphoto, Shutterstock and Dreamstime to be the three consistently top performers among the 'royalty free' image suppliers. Royalty free (RF) are simply the type of images we will be selling. It simply means you can sell the images over and over again getting small royalties that eventually add up to big earnings.
Once you are signed up to these sites you should navigate through the site and get used to each layout. Go to the forums and ask questions if you have any and introduce yourself. Each of the sites has their own method for getting your images onto their computer server so it is best to read through each method and write it down step by step. If you want to get your feet wet I believe that Dreamstime is the best site to begin with because the selection process is not as strict as Istockphoto or Shutterstock. Once you've been selected to Dreamstime and have set up your account you can begin uploading your images.
Step 4 - Selling Computer Graphics and Video
If you went to my website, www.coolgraffix.com, and took a look at my portfolios then you might have noticed that I had quite a few computer generated images in them. Well, for me photography was just the start. I decided there was even more of a creative outlet by creating what are known as vector images. Vector images are simply computer graphics that maintain their integrity when they are blown up. You might have noticed a photograph gets fuzzy (pixelated) when it gets blown up. Well when you increase the size of a vector drawing it does not lose any of its integrity whatsoever. It is simply because vector drawings are mathematically generated but don't worry you don't have to know any math to make them! You can simple get Adobe Illustrator which is the software program to make vector drawings. Since you should have a pretty firm grasp of Adobe Photoshop then it will be no problem to pick up Adobe Illustrator.
The simple matter is that vector graphics sell well and just like photographs they will become 'building blocks' for your video graphics down the road. Perhaps you noticed that one of my portfolios from www.coolgraffix.com is entirely computer generated video. While I began with photos and vector graphics, I soon realized that the future is in video production.
I think a great starting point is to get a couple of inexpensive products that start you in the right direction. So I suggest you get Video Web Wizard by Clicking Here! This will open your eyes to the potential of video and why you might want to take your graphic images into the future by making video. I certainly believe that video is the next big thing so any headstart that we can get the better. You should also consider the Video Download Pro by Clicking Here! This product will clearly show you the potential of video and it is fun as well as you can download YouTube videos onto mobile phones, ipods, etc. This business is all about ideas, concepts and composition so it is a good idea to invest a little money so that you create a base of ideas that you can work off of later on.
You should also notice that in television ads there are many computer generated graphics and videos similar to the ones found in my portfolios. Designers want these products so I suggest that you increase your revenue stream by learning programs such as Adobe Illustrator for vector graphics and Adobe After Effects for video production. You can also simply buy a relatively cheap ($700) HD camcorder and start videotaping your friends and family. If you can't spend for the software from adobe then you can likely get by with something like Quicktime Pro for basic editing of video. Other great video editing programs are Final Cut and Adobe Premiere. You can usually buy basic editions of these to get you started without breaking the bank.
I'm going to mention again that while it will cost a bit of money to get started it will not compare to the cost of starting many other businesses. Like anything you have to start with something. Think of the cost of a college education or even classes at the local community school. These do not come cheap and often people are paying back loans for many years to come. I started this business with only $5000! Now some of you might think that is still a lot of money but compared to any other business venture I can think of it is a drop in the bucket. And if you decide to go the PC route instead of a macintosh then you can likely do it for about $3000.
Step 5 - More revenue streams - domains and websites
Remember I am giving you some simple tools and a basic template to get you started with your own web business. Let's take it to the next level. Again I will suggest that you go to my business website - www.coolgraffix.com. I just want to say that I created that site as well as this site completely on my own using all my own graphics that I created along this fun journey. The other thing is that I began all of this only 10 months ago!! It is true - I had no knowledge of photography, vector drawing, video production or website creation until just months ago. You can do it too. Just follow some of my advice on this webpage and you'll be off and running.
There are several ways that you can make extra income with your new found knowledge and skills. Start small by registering some domain names and trying WhyPark by Clicking Here! Registering domain names is the first step to get you started with websites. But really you will want to get into basic web design which really is not that difficult. I highly recommend Dreamweaver Interactive Video Tutorial as a great starting point. I designed my websites using Dreamweaver. Again Dreamweaver is an Adobe product and it is easy to use. The great thing about all the adobe products is that once you learn one then you can easily pick up any of the others will a little bit of effort. Or if you want an another option you can try Coffecup website building software. Download CoffeeCup Image Mapper - Click Here. I recommend Coffeecup if you want to keep things very simple.
Advertising is a big part of business and that is why I built my own website. It also legitimizes the whole business. As you might have noticed at www.coolgraffix.com I have taken my business to the next level by offering 'custom' graphics. Basically if a company or individual wants a totally unique design for their business then they can contact me for that design. Even if they like one of my portfolio designs I can customize that with their logo or any other changes they might desire such as color or size.
So if you have gotten this far then you can see how each step builds off of the previous steps. It is a beautiful and organic process that naturally unfolds if you just have a little patience and put in a bit of hard work. Yes, hard work is part of it - most of the 'get rich quick' schemes out there just don't work. But you will be rewarded! You will have a great creative outlet and if you get as far as I have then in a short while you will be generating a handsome monthly income as well.
This website is a work in progress and so I will be adding more information and ideas that come to me that will help you to make money in this great business. Remember to go to my website www.coolgraffix.com for inspiration and ideas. For now, best of luck to all and enjoy!
