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About subscriptions
Searching for images
Image specs
Buying single images
Additional download instructions for subscribers
Using photo objects in Adobe® Photoshop®
Downloading single image purchases
Managing my account
About royalty-free images
About Lightboxes
About subscriptions
How do subscriptions work?
How do I buy a subscription?
I have a subscription - how do I download images?
How many images can I download during my membership?
What credit cards do you accept?
How is a user or seat defined?
How do I purchase multiple user subscriptions?
How do subscription refunds work?
Can I continue to download images in my Download History after my subscription expires?
Can I use my AbleStock.com images after my subscription expires?
How do subscriptions work?
Pay once for unlimited access to every image in our collection over the course of a period of time. Subscribe for one month, three months, six months or one year, and download all the images you like, up to 100 a day for as long as your subscription runs. A subscription is portable - you can log in to your account from any computer connected to the Internet - and it's ready for you any time of day or night.
How do I buy a subscription?
- In the main menu, choose Subscribe.
- Click the button adjacent to the subscription period (one month, three months, six months, one year) you have in mind.
- Follow the onscreen instructions from there. (You will have to read and agree to the Terms and Conditions and select a payment method along the way.)
I have a subscription - how do I download images?
- Make sure you're logged in.
- Search for images.
- On the Search Results page, click any thumbnail to go to the image details page for that image.
- Click the download link for either the 25MB or 50MB file.
If a Download dialog appears, choose Save, browse for a folder, and choose Save again. Some users may not get a Download dialog, depending on their Web browser settings. If you don't get this dialog, find your platform specific download instructions here.
How many images can I download during my membership?
You are permitted to download up to 100 images per 24 hour period from Photos.com during the term of your subscription.
However, we recommend that you limit your downloads to only the photos you need.
There are two reasons for this:
- We need to maintain site performance in order to provide our customers with an optimal experience 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If everyone downloaded excessively, our servers would not be able to keep up! 100 images per day is considered "reasonable" and for most projects is more than enough.
- To better protect our content from piracy, we need to limit the proliferation of our content.
What credit cards do you accept?
We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover.
How is a user or seat defined?
A user is a photo editor, photo researcher, art director, designer,
or any other person that edits or manipulates images. Other employees
and contractors may view images for approval purposes only without
additional seats.
How do I purchase multiple user subscriptions?
Contact Customer Support at 1-800-482-4567 and we'll get you started over the phone.
How do subscription refunds work?
If you purchased a Subscription, you may receive a full refund within three (3) days of your invoice date, provided that you have not downloaded more than five (5) images. After three (3) days, or download of more than five (5) Images, no cancellations will be accepted, no refunds made and you will be responsible for and must pay the full amount of the invoice. Please review the AbleStock.com End User License Agreement for more information on our terms of use. If you have any questions, please email customer service at service2007@ablestock.com or call us at 1-800-482-4567.
Can I continue to download images in my Download History after my subscription expires?
No. AbleStock.com is designed to download images only while your subscription is current, so images in your Download History or Lightboxes will no longer be accessible for download after your subscription has expired. Be sure to back up your downloaded images! Try keeping them on CD, DVD, or your hard drive, so you can continue to access your downloaded images even when your AbleStock.com subscription expires. Any images you downloaded and saved during your subscription period are yours to keep and use forever, but you will have to renew your subscription to start downloading again after your initial subscription period ends.
Can I use my AbleStock.com images after my subscription expires?
Yes, you are permitted to use any images that you have downloaded and used during the term of your subscription after your subscription expires. We grant you a traditional non exclusive, world-wide and perpetual license for images that you have used however; you may only continue to use the image(s) in the same product or service that they were incorporated in during the subscription term. Any images that have been downloaded and not used during the term of your subscription are not permitted for first use after the subscription expires. This would be considered stock piling and in violation of our End User Licensing Agreement.
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Searching for images
Keyword / image number searching
How do I narrow down my results?
Filters
Category Searching
Date Added
Color Search
Combining search options
More about keywords...
Keyword / image number searching Top
Type a keyword (or image number, if you know it) in the search field at the top of your screen and click the Search button.
Our advice is to start wide, and narrow your search depending on how many thumbnails appear in your search results.
How do I narrow down my results? Top
There are a number of ways to zero in on the types of images you are looking for. The first is to use the Match All / Match Any option.
This option functions when using more than one keyword. For example, using the keywords cat dog with Match Any selected will find all images keyworded with
cat OR dog. Selecting Match All with these same keywords will only return results keyworded with cat AND dog.
Another way to narrow down your results is to use the not these words option. If you wish to find all images with cat as a keyword but NOT dog,
type cat into the search field and dog into the not these words field.
Filters Top
Only looking for photo objects that are in color? Use the filters to find them.
Just deselect black and white (B/W) and Photos.
Then, make sure Color, and photo objects (Objects) are selected. Choose the combinations that best suit your needs.
NOTE: Be sure not to exclude too much. For example, don't exclude Color AND B/W or Photos AND Objects.
Refine the display of your search results:
- Return your results in up to 10 rows, and select the dynamic preview option if you prefer to view a larger version of your image before clicking on it by simply holding your cursor over the image
- Select your desired thumbnail size: small, medium, or large
Category Searching
Select a category from the drop-down menu and click the Search button. To narrow down your results you can combine other search options along with your category search. For example, you can keyword search within a category. We recommend you start with just one or two keywords and then add other keywords or search options if you're still getting too many results.
Date Added Top
See what's new on AbleStock.com. Use the Date Added option to search for images that have been added to the site in the last 30/60/90 days.
Color Search Top
To search by color click the Color Search checkbox. A color wheel will display below it. You can either click in the color wheel to select a color,
or type the hexadecimal value for the color you wish to search for in the Web input field below the color wheel. Once you've selected a color you
can fine-tune it by clicking in the Tint bar just above the color wheel. Additionally, you can find the contrast for your selected color by clicking on
the Contrast swatch.
One other way of performing a color search is by finding an image you like and going to the info/download page. There, beneath the keywords, you'll
find a group of swatches representing colors included in that image. Click on any of the swatches to find images containing the matching color.
Combining search options Top
Any number of the preceding search options can be combined to narrow down your results. However, we recommend that you start with only one or two at a time.
Then, if you find you're getting more search results than you desire, you can try adding other options to narrow down your results.
More about keywords... Top
Each AbleStock.com image is associated with several descriptive keywords. An image of a woman with a soccer ball, for example,
will appear in your search results whether you type "woman" or "soccer" in the Keyword field.
Only thumbnails assigned to the keyword(s) you type in the Keyword field will appear in your search results.
If you choose not to use the keyword window, you may have to wade through hundreds of thumbnails to find the image you need.
Choose keywords that best describe the image(s) you are looking for. If you are searching for something as specific as a snowy owl, type "owl" in the keyword window
rather than "bird," a much broader term. Of course, the same image will appear in your search results if you type "snowy" or "predator".
The search engine assigns keywords to its images based on guidelines standardized by The Picture Agency Council of America (PACA).
Most nouns exist in our database in singular form. "Scissors" appears in the plural thanks to common usage, but "cake," "dog," "house" and "insect," for example,
should be typed in singular form. Using "dog" in the singular doesn't restrict thumbnails from containing images with one dog or many dogs. Acronyms such as "USA"
exist in our database without periods.
What to Search
Our keywords are primarily American English, though we retain some international words where appropriate. Consider the basic categories below when searching:
- Basic Subject Matter: agriculture, architecture, art, business, education, entertainment, finance, food, health, healthcare, home life, household object, industry, leisure, lifestyle, medical, military, money, nature, occupation, performing arts, politics, recreation, religion, science, social issues, sports, technology, transportation, travel, wildlife, youth culture
- Basic Concepts: adventure, affection, aging, alternative lifestyle, anger, authority, balance, beauty, caring, celebration, challenge, choice, childhood, communication, community, competition, confidence, connection, cooperation, creativity, culture, customer service, direction, discover, diversity, escape, excitement, fatherhood, fear, fitness, friendship, fun, generations, happiness, health, humor, joy, love, luxury, leadership, motherhood, mystery, old-fashioned, pain, parenthood, peace, pride, protection, provocative, relaxation, retro, romance, risk, sadness, safety, satisfaction, savings, security, serenity, sexy, speed, spirituality, strategy, strength, stress, success, surprise, teamwork, temptation, time, togetherness, victory, vintage, vision, wellness
- People: male, female, man, woman, boy, girl, adult, child, teenager, baby, young adult, mid-adult, middle-aged, senior adult, elderly adult, one person only, two people, small group of people, large group of people, crowd, nobody
- Ethnicity: African American, Caucasian, Asian, Hispanic, Latino, Latina, South Asian, Middle Eastern, Native American, Pacific Islander, etc.
- Ages: 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 0-1 year, 1-2 years, 3-4 years, 5-6 years, 7-9 years, 10-12 years, 13-15 years, 16-17 years, 18-19 years, 20-25 years, 25-30 years, 30-35 years, 35-40 years, 40-45 years, 45-50 years, 50-55 years, 60-65 years, etc.
- Relationships: parent, mother, father, couple (gay, homosexual, lesbian), partner, daughter, son, sister, brother, sibling, spouse, husband, wife, aunt, uncle, grandparent, grandfather, grandmother, grandchild, cousin, nephew, niece, family, etc.
- Attributes: full-length, half-length, portrait, head shot, eye contact, profile, body language, gesture, facial expression, sitting, standing, lying down, arms raised, holding hands, eyes closed, smiling, pouting, muscular, overweight, short, tall, piercing, tattoo, casual attire, business attire, formal attire, etc.
- Animals: wild animal, domestic animal, farm animal, pet, one animal, two animals, small group of animals, etc.
- Locale/Settings/Environment: indoor, outdoor, inside, outside, interior, exterior, day, night, landscape, garden, home, hospital, farm, forest, field, beach, countryside, office, restaurant, school, seascape, body of water, horizon, cityscape, skyline, city, subway, etc.
- Image Attributes: close-up, low angle view, high angle view, aerial view, wide angle view, front view, back view, copy space, cropped, backlit, silhouette, x-ray, high contrast, low contrast, POV, toned, sepia, blurry, motion blur, soft focus, selective focus, fish-eye, lens flare, still life, studio shot, vintage, archival, retro, pattern, background, composite, framed, digital, grainy, etc.
* Hint: Use quotation marks around a search term consisting of more than one word to return exact results; eliminating quotation marks will return results with either keyword in the image. E.g., "hot dog" will return images keyworded as such, while hot dog will return images keyworded with both hot and dog.
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Image Specs
| Image Types |
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File Types |
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File Sizes |
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Print Sizes |
| Stock Photos |
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jpg |
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25MB |
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8"x12" - 9"x13.5" |
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50MB |
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8"x12" - 11"x17" |
| Photo Objects |
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jpg |
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18MB-25MB |
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7"x10.5" - 8"x12" |
| |
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50MB |
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8"x12" - 11"x17" |
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Buying single images
How do I buy just one image?
How do I buy just one image?
If you don't have access to an image via subscription, you can buy it this way:
- Register or Sign In.
- As you search for images, send the ones you like to your Lightbox by clicking the
 icon beneath the thumbnail.
- Click the Checkout button when you are ready to purchase. If you haven't already logged in, you will be prompted to do so now. The Checkout will guide you through the purchase. (You'll have to accept our Terms and Conditions before the transaction can be finalized.)
NOTE: If you add items to your Lightbox without logging in beforehand, images in the Lightbox will not be saved when you leave AbleStock.com
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Additional download instructions for subscribers
The following instructions cover the most popular Macintosh® and Windows® operating systems.
Windows NT,98,2k,XP-IE version 5.5 and above
Windows (all)-Netscape 7
Mac OS 9.2 and X-IE 5.2
Mac OS X-Netscape V7
Windows NT,98,2k,XP-IE version 5.5 and above
Preferred method:
- Click the Download link on an image details page.
- In the Save As dialogue, browse for a location in which to save the image.
Alternate method:
- Click the Download link on an image details page.
- Choose the Save Target As option in the menu.
- In the Save As dialogue, browse for a location in which to save the image.
Windows-Netscape 7
Preferred method:
- Click the Download link on an image details page.
- In the Save As dialogue, browse for a location in which to save the image.
Alternate method:
- Click the Download link on an image details page.
- Select Save Link Target As from menu.
- In the Save As dialogue, browse for a location in which to save the image.
Mac OS 9.2 and X-IE 5.2
- Click the Download link on an image details page.
- When the image has finished loading in the new window, Control-click on the image and choose Download Image to Disk.
- In the Save As dialogue, browse for a location in which to save the image. Note that the filename in the dialogue may appear as "MemberDownloadImage.do" but the file will be saved with the appropriate image name, e.g. 1833h0068.jpg.
Mac OS X-Netscape V7
- Click the Download link on an image details page.
- In the Save As dialogue, browse for a location in which to save the image.
- Please note that the filename in the dialogue may appear as "MemberDownloadImage.do" but the file will be saved with the appropriate image name, e.g. 1833h0068.jpg.
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Using photo objects in Adobe® Photoshop®
Please note that these are guidelines only. Customer Support cannot provide support for operations in other applications. Please contact the Adobe® technical support team if you require further assistance when using their product.
What's the best way to import photo objects into Adobe® Photoshop® 4.0 or higher?
How do I activate the transparency mask in Adobe® Photoshop® 7.0 or higher?
How do I incorporate the masked image into another image in Adobe® Photoshop® 7.0 or higher?
What's the best way to import photo objects into Adobe® Photoshop® 4.0 or higher?
Download and save the image to a folder of your choice. Within Adobe® Photoshop®, open the image file and use one of the methods below to continue.
Method A
- Go to the Select menu and choose Load Selection.
- Select Alpha 1 (your mask) in the Channel drop-down menu.
- Use copy/paste to place the image in your Adobe Photoshop document.
Method B
- Open the Channels palette and select RGB.
- Hold down the Control key on your keyboard and click on the #4 channel (Alpha 1 in Adobe Photoshop 5.0).
- Use copy/paste to place the image in your Adobe Photoshop document.
How do I activate the transparency mask in Adobe® Photoshop® 7.0 or higher?
- Download both the image and the mask.
- Open both the image and the mask in Photoshop.
- Select the PNG file (mask).
- Select the Channels palette.
- You should now see a black and white thumbnail of the image with the name "Gray". (If the name shows up as "Index", select Image > Mode > Grayscale.) If prompted to Discard color information, click OK.
- Click on the "Gray'" thumbnail in the Channels palette and, without letting go of the button, drag and drop it above your original (JPG or TIFF) image.
- Close the PNG file (mask) and click the image.
To see the image masked, click on the square next to Alpha 1 in the Channels palette (an eye icon should appear). To see the image and the mask, make sure all squares are checked with the open eye icon.
You may now save the image as a TIFF or Targa (TGA). Make sure to select LZW in the Image Compression Save option if you are saving the image as a TIFF.
How do I incorporate the masked image into another image in Adobe® Photoshop® 7.0 or higher?
- Select the masked image that you want to incorporate into another, and choose Select > Load Selection (make sure the channel is set to Alpha).
- Open a new document by going to File > New (make sure Transparent is selected under Contents).
- You can now use the Move tool to drag and drop the masked image into the new image.
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Downloading Single Image Purchases
How do I download an image?
What happens if my connection fails during the download process?
How do I download an image?
When you confirm your purchase on our Checkout page, a Confirmation Download window pops up summarizing your order. Click Download Image next to the image(s) you ordered. Images can also be downloaded the same way from your Purchase History page (you must be logged in to see this page).
What happens if my connection fails during the downloading process?
Log back into AbleStock.com when your connection is re-established and download the image through Purchase History. Click Download Image next to the image(s) you wish to download.
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Managing my account
Please note that you must be logged in to access your personal account.
How do I update my User Profile?
How do I track my purchases?
What happens if I forget my Username or password?
How do I update my User Profile?
- Make sure you're logged in.
- Position your mouse over My Account in the upper left hand corner of your screen.
- A drop-down list will appear. Click Edit Profile.
- Make your changes in the data fields and click Update at the bottom of the page when you're done. Your changes will be saved.
How do I track my purchases?
A record of each purchase is kept on your Purchase History page. Information includes order number, purchase date and price. This feature builds itself automatically, and refreshes itself with every purchase you make.
You can print your invoices from the Purchase History page. Click Printable Invoice, then click Print Now.
What happens if I forget my Username or password?
Forgotten passwords can be retrieved using the Forgot Your Password? feature on
the Log In page.
Type in your Username and and we'll email your password to you.
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About royalty-free images
What is a royalty-free image?
Does my license to use the images expire when my subscription expires?
Why am I getting an error that my account is in use when I try to sign into the site?
I have an AbleStock.com subscription paid for by my company. Can I let other people in my company download images with my Username?
What is a royalty-free image?
Royalty-free images are not priced based on the number of copies produced or sold, but on a single one-time fee for license, paid to AbleStock.com. This means there's no continuation of financial obligation on your part, and you avoid hidden and undefined costs. It also means that once you download and use an image during your subscription period, it's yours to use forever, even after your Subscription expires, so long as your use of the images complies with our Terms and Conditions of usage.
Sites that sell rights-managed content put the burden on the customer to track each use of the image they purchase and provide ongoing reports based on that usage. We chose not to go that way - we want your obligation to be clear and uncomplicated.
Does my license to use the images expire when my subscription expires?
No. When your subscription expires, it means you are no longer free to download images from AbleStock.com, but any image you downloaded and used during your subscription period is yours to use forever, so long as you comply with the Terms and Conditions of usage.
Why am I getting an error that my account is in use when I try to sign into the site?
Each login may only be used on one computer at a time. You may use the service on multiple computers, just not as the same time. If you are receiving this error message and are not attempting to have multiple users, please contact customer service.
If you have more than one person who uses the site, please contact our customer service department about purchasing a multi-seat license.
I have an AbleStock.com subscription paid for by my company. Can I let other people in my company download images with my Username?
The AbleStock.com license covers you the subscriber only, and those images used in any work you create for yourself or for a client. If multiple users in your company or household could benefit from an AbleStock.com subscription, we do offer multiple user corporate licenses (seat licenses). Please contact customer service for more information.
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About Lightboxes
What is a Lightbox?
How do I create a Lightbox?
How do I delete a Lightbox?
How do I add images to a Lightbox?
How do I delete images from a Lightbox?
How do I purchase an image in a Lightbox?
How do I email a Lightbox?
How do I add or change Lightbox text notes?
What is a Lightbox?
Lightboxes are personal folders that store thumbnails with their accompanying details, helping you manage images as your creative projects evolve. You can email or purchase the contents of a Lightbox directly from the My Lightbox feature. Please note that you must log in before you can use My Lightbox.
How do I create a Lightbox?
- Make sure you're logged in.
- Click on My Lightbox in the upper left part of your screen.
- On the Lightboxes main page, type Name, Client and Project details in the fields provided, and click the Create a New Lightbox button.
- The name of your new Lightbox will appear under Current Lightboxes.
You can also create a new Lightbox from any Search Results page. Just click the
 icon beneath any thumbnail image,
choose Add to New Lightbox in the drop-down list, and follow the
instructions in Step 3 above.
How do I delete a Lightbox?
- Make sure you're logged in.
- Click on My Lightbox in the upper left part of your screen.
- On the Lightboxes main page, click Delete next to any Lightbox you wish to delete.
How do I add images to a Lightbox?
- Make sure you're logged in
- From any Search Results page, click the icon beneath the thumbnail image you wish to add to a Lightbox.
- A drop-down list will appear. Select the name of the Lightbox you wish to use, and the image will be added. (You can add the image to an existing Lightbox, or choose Add to New Lightbox to quickly create a new one).
(You can also click the Add to Lightbox button on your thumbnail image's Comp View page.)
How do I delete images from a Lightbox?
- Make sure you're logged in.
- Click on My Lightbox in the upper left part of your screen.
- On the Lightboxes main page, click on your Lightbox name under Current Lightboxes (or click Edit next to your Lightbox). Lightbox details will appear below.
- Scroll to find the image you wish to delete, and click Remove Image.
How do I purchase an image in a Lightbox?
- Make sure you're logged in.
- Click on Lightbox in the main navigation links at the top of your screen.
- If you have more than one lightbox, chose the one with the images you want to purchase
- Select the images(s) you wish to purchase, or click the "Select/Deselect All Items" link
- Click purchase selected items to checkout
How do I email a Lightbox?
- Make sure you're logged in.
- Click on My Lightbox in the upper left part of your screen.
- On the Lightboxes main page, click Email next to the name of the Lightbox you wish to email.
- In the fields that appear, type the recipient's email address, a Subject line and a short message, and click Email.
To email the Lightbox to more than one person, separate each email address by a comma and space.
How do I add or change Lightbox text notes?
- Make sure you're logged in.
- Click on the Lightbox link in the upper left part of your screen.
- On the Lightboxes main page, click on the name of the Lightbox you need (or Edit next to your Lightbox name).
- Type a message in the Notes box and click Save Note to save the message (you can click any Save Note box in a Lightbox, and all new text/text changes will be saved).
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