It can be said that earnings on Adobe Stock are maybe increasing. But the other stock sites in general, especially Shutterstock, are declining for a while now. So the total contributor earnings are pretty much going down.

Can this negative trend for a contributor be changed anytime soon? Are there any optimists?

Upload a billion AI images a day, and you will get 0.1% increase 

Yes, of course earnings can increase (and do increase).

Depends on a wide variety of factors.
a) You can market yourself/establish relationships.
b) Establish relationships with high earnings partners
c) Figure out how to do something better, faster, etc to create assets (i.e., "ai" stuff, but not the only thing - just improving your own processes, etc).

All those factors contribute.

Sometimes you'll get lucky (I know of some people who have and have done quite well). Other times it is "work" - but if you find it fun/enjoyable - its really nice when you get paid for your (sometimes) hard/time-consuming 'work'.

Of course, just shoot all the content that is missing.

The libraries are riddled with endless duplicates. Dive into a subject you know and understand well and do things that are not there to complete the theme.

If the other 3 billion people on the planet without internet access can ever get online, then even just 0.1 percent (3 million) of these new users who become customers and consumers of stock imagery will boost contributor earnings substantially imho.

It can be said that earnings on Adobe Stock are maybe increasing. But the other stock sites in general, especially Shutterstock, are declining for a while now. So the total contributor earnings are pretty much going down.

Can this negative trend for a contributor be changed anytime soon? Are there any optimists?

Probably not.
There ist high inflation but no increase in price for microstock images.

Not a chance.  Ended years ago When Getty Images launched Premium Access.  Since then it's been a race to the bottom.

Actually it started long before that. It started when Istock created Istock and a ton of cool newbie hipsters swarmed to the celebration of selling their work at low prices -but in volume. It was at this time "editors" got replaced with "inspectors". It was at this time the race to the bottom started more or less. The whole crowd sourcing model was great for a few for a few years but that particular model destroyed the industry for all of us.

And to answer the original post - not a chance.

Quote from: f8 on May 02, 2023, 17:41

Quote from: NobleSavage on April 30, 2023, 13:59

Not a chance.  Ended years ago When Getty Images launched Premium Access.  Since then it's been a race to the bottom.

Actually it started long before that. It started when Istock created Istock and a ton of cool newbie hipsters swarmed to the celebration of selling their work at low prices -but in volume. It was at this time "editors" got replaced with "inspectors". It was at this time the race to the bottom started more or less. The whole crowd sourcing model was great for a few for a few years but that particular model destroyed the industry for all of us.

And to answer the original post - not a chance.

no, it was the invention of royalty free

no it was the invention of stock photography instead of custom

no, it was the invention of photography

no, it was the invention of the printing press


As far as the original question, it is possible for an individual to do well and make money, but it will require a lot of work or originality or research or better access or something. Gone are the days of just shooting a bunch of pics and making good money for it. Even if what we get per sale doesn't continue to go down, inflation will erode our take, and the competition will continue to grow.

WOW that is a lot of hair splitting you are doing. You must exhaust yourself.

I think that pictures will be more special with the development of an AI and there will always be people who would rather support the real pictures. Many hobby photographest will give up because of the low prices. But stock photography is an immortal branch and rather it becomes rare and precisely because of the rarity the prices rise/ stay the same so to this branch of art not to die out. My manifesting way of thinking .
Eventually some reverts to real photography because the AI ​​is so fake. I think authenticity is worth more than fake graphics. Fake is fake, it will never be real. Real is real life, this is what is really important! Real life, real experience.

Sorry for Google translate.

Real pictures are art and NEVER be replaceable by machine, not gonna happen. At least not all of them.

Best wishes from Gen X .