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You have generated some AI images and want to make some money from them. What's the fastest and easiest way?
The answer is selling them on a stock photo marketplace.
But, not every platform accepts AI-generated images, and there are certain requirements you need to meet to submit your AI images.
I will share how you can prepare your images and where you can upload them to generate some income.
Using Midjourney
Currently, I'm using Midjourney (MJ) to generate images. It is not free, but the cheapest Basic plan costs only USD 10 per month, which I think the fee is kinda reasonable, especially from an investment perspective.
Most importantly, MJ plan includes a commercial license to sell your AI-generated images. Other free tools may not provide commercial usage or come with a certain T&C. (I suggest you double check on this before selling your work.)
For your information, I'm currently subscribed to MJ Standard plan because the plan also includes generating an unlimited number of images at a slower processing speed. I can continue generating images after running out of fast-hour credit. To find out more about the MJ Subscription Plans, you can visit their website HERE.
Where to upload your image
At the time this article was written, some of the marketplaces that currently accept AI-generated images are Adobe Stock, Dreamtimes, FreePik, etc.
Marketplaces such as Shutterstock and Getty Images don't accept your own AI images. Unless the images are generated using their own generative AI tool on their website.
I have been uploading my images to Adobe Stock, Dreamtimes and Freepik. So far, Adobe Stock provides better sales and commission than the other two. For Freepik, it is easier to get a sale, but the commission is a lot lower than the others.
For AI-generated images with a "person", you must include a release form when submitting them to Adobe Stock, but it is not required for Freepik. For Dreamtimes, it does not accept AI-generated portrait images.
Upscale your images
The minimum image resolution size to upload your images to Adobe Stock is 4 MP (Megapixels), which is around 2560 x 1440. The standard resolution generated by Midjourney is only 1024 X 1024. Although you can change the ratio between the width and height of the image, the resolution is still the same. You will need to upscale your images to meet Adobe stock requirements.
I'm using the Gigapixel AI by Topaz Lab, which can upscale my images up to 600% in batch. The fee is a one-time payment of USD 99.99. For more information about the tool, you can visit their website HERE.
Alternatively, if you are already an Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop user, you can double up your image resolution by using the Enhance feature. That should be good enough for uploading to Adobe Stock.
Upload your image
At Adobe Stock's website, you click on the upload button to upload your images. Once the images are all uploaded, you will need to add title, description and keywords to every image.
You also need to mark your image "Created using generative AI tools", and the File Type must be "Illustrations".
You may also need to mark "People and Property are fictional" if your images contain any people and property and they are not based on a recognizable person or property.
On top of that, you must submit a model/property release form if the images are generated based on real people or property.
For more information about the Generative AI requirements, I suggest you check out the Adobe Stock website HERE.
Once done, you can click the Submit button to submit your images.
The review process
The submitted images will then be sent for review. As for now, the review process will take up to 90 days due to the high volume of uploads, especially for AI-generated images.
Once the images are approved, the images will then be available for sale on the marketplace. Any sales will give you an amount of commission fee.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that it is the easiest way to generate income from selling AI images on the stock photo marketplace, it doesn't mean that no hard work is required. You will need to constantly upload images to the marketplaces, and you may need to have many images there to earn a decent amount. It is also advisable to check out what's trending on the stock photo site to know what kind of images you should generate.
Lastly, I wish you all the best in succeeding in selling on the stock photo marketplace.
Cheers!
Grey Chow