After PicScout announced that it now offers image crediting free of charge, some questioned the terms of use on the PicScout signup page, which describe having to pay fees. PicScout has clarified the details of the free and pay-for portions of its ImageIRC service.
Image buyers who have downloaded the free ImageExchange Firefox plug-in that works with search engines see an “i” icon on image-search results. The screenshot above shows the pop-up an ImageExchange user sees after clicking on this icon.
Image creator—or copyright owner—information is always prominently displayed above the image, at the top left f the screen, along with the type of license under which the image is available for use. This crediting information is the free service PicScout offers to everyone who chooses to register with ImageIRC.
The paid part of the PicScout service is linking a prospective buyer with an agency that licenses the image. These links appear to the right of the image, provided that the image owner has purchased ImageIRC click credits. The butterfly image used an example here can be licensed through three different stock agencies.
Anyone registering images with ImageIRC has the option to purchase click credits, and PicScout also awards some free credits—currently 100 upon registration and 20 per month thereafter. Purchasing credits is optional when registering; whether or not an image has licensing options associated with it, image credit is always free.
The paid licensing option works very much like pay-per-click advertising. Costs differ based on the image licensing model: each clickthrough to a rights-managed image currently costs the owner $1, while royalty-free and microstock images are priced at $0.50 and $0.05, respectively.