Published on 9 June 2017 | Updated on 16 January 2020
Reading our Dreamstime Review may help you decide whether you should become Dreamstime’s contributor. Many photographers report Dreamstime in their top 5 Stock Photo Agencies. Due to their high commissions and very talented and motivated team, it is a must for photographers who want to sell their photos online. Slight changes to their website in 2013 were a good move and Dreamstime’s large stock photo collection is attracting many photographers and photo buyers.
Dreamstime: Quality First
It is not easy to get pictures approved on Dreamstime. Remember that quality matters here, but FTP upload and quick categorizing is a big advantage. Do not submit too many shots of the same subject as Dreamstime reviewers are very strict in this regard. Upload limits have been set and they depend on your acceptance rate. Photographers with the rate of over 80% are allowed to send even 7000 images per week! Review times vary from 50 to 150 hours so patience is a virtue.
The Assignment
Dreamstime offers many tools for photographers, as well as the Assignment. It is a contest in which a current photo assignment is announced by the agency and issued to its members. The winner of the Assignment receives a prize – $300, $200 and $100 for the first, second and third place respectively. Other awards may include digital cameras, camera backpacks, tripods, photo lenses, T-shirts and more. It is not easy to get your artwork accepted for the Assignment. They always look for “more elaborate work” but you can submit up to 10 images so there is always a chance one or more files will get approved.
Some of our stock photos were approved several times, and we were even lucky to win the second place award. To see the wining image on Dreamstime website visit this page. The drawback is that image accepted to the Assignment must be exclusive to Dreamstime and cannot be removed from the site for a year.
HINT: After one year, you can submit the same image to the regular stock photo collection and once approved, remove the exclusive file from the site.
Features and tools on Dreamstime
Dreamstime’s community is great – you will find many interesting posts related to (stock) photography and technology. There are blogs where you can post something yourself or read other contributors thoughts and ideas.
- Assignments – see above.
- Photo map – tag your stock photos with geographic location.
- Free photos – donate stock photos to increase your portfolio exposure. More information on giving images for free can be found here.
- Facebook cover photos – for more information visit Timeline Images Website.
- Stock Photo App for iPhone and Android – you can submit your stock photos directly from your smartphone. More information on Stock Photo Applications can be found in this article, alternatively visit Dreamstime’s Mobile App page.
For Stock Photo Buyers
Thanks to Dreamstime, from now on Stock Photo Adviser readers can get 15% discount on ALL Subscription Plans for the first purchase with this special offer. Simply use the link below, sign up today and the discount is yours.
Our Deal: Get 15% OFF on All Subscription Plans (for the first purchase).
More information about this Special Offer can be found here.
Dreamstime Review: Our verdict
Dreamstime is one of the best and contributor friendly stock photo sites we have known. Helpful staff, reasonable royalties, good referral program, great community, and many more… You should definitely give Dreamstime a try. Visit their contributors registration page, sign up for a free account and start submitting your stock photos for sale.
Dreamstime Details
| Website | dreamstime.com |
| Location | Brentwoood, USA / Bucharest, Romania |
| How to apply | Register and upload your files for review |
| Image size | Minimum 3.0 MP up to 70.0 MP |
| Media accepted | Photo, Vector, Footage, Audio |
| Licenses | Royalty Free License, Extended License (Unlimited Seats, Increase Max Copies, Web Usage, Print Usage, Sell the Rights) and Editorial License |
| Minimum payout | $100 |
| Payment methods | PayPal, Payoneer (Dreamstime Prepaid MasterCard), Skrill, Cheque |
| Upload methods | Java plug-in, FTP |
| IPTC Data support | Yes |
| More details | Details of Contributor Royalties, Image/ Credit/ Subscription Prices, Referral Programs and Exclusivity Rates can be found in our Comparisons |
| Download Releases | Model Release | Property Release |
