Why must you credit your stock?

Mar 7, 201213 min read

Deviation Actions

Aeirmid

Published: Mar 7, 2012

3.5K Views

Hey, photomanipulators!

How are you? Hope everyone is doing well tonight.

I need your help with something, if you don't mind.

I've been digging pretty seriously through deviation after deviation, looking for DDs to feature to show everyone how awesome our community is. And, oh my gosh, you guys, I found two that are BREATHTAKING

that I really, really wanted to feature. But-- you guessed it-- they did not credit their stock resources.

This isn't just a problem that I have as a CV.
_{I still love saying that! I'm a CV!!}

Lack of crediting is a problem that affects the entire photomanipulation community, and you should and must care about it. Here's why:

It impacts what we can and cannot submit to groups, features, DDs, etc.
It is contagious; when one artist does not credit, others tend to follow suit.
It is unethical not to give someone credit for their hard work. Plus, it is against dA policy. Oh, and it violates copyright law.
IT GIVES OUR ART FORM A BAD NAME!

What is dA's policy?

You can read about dA's policy here. Basically, you are in violation of deviantART's terms of service if you use other people's images without crediting them in accordance with the stock providers' rules. [Note that the policy also makes a distinction between allowable and non-allowable "stock" sources. That's a topic for a whole 'nother conversation.]

Pay special attention to the following lines from the policy:

The use of stock imagery at deviantART is permissible if and only if you can provide a link to the source of the stock image along with some kind of proof that you have satisfied the terms of the stock image license.

Failure to obey all of the required Terms and Conditions or License requirements attached to the stock may result in the removal of your submission.

That's right. If you don't credit stock properly, your deviation can be removed.

How can we help, Jade?

I'm so glad you asked! Here is what you can do:

Group admins: Have (and enforce) a group rule that says that artists must credit their sources when submitting photomanipulations. When a piece of art with no (or improper) credits gets submitted to your group, no matter how awesome it is, explain that you cannot accept it until the artist credits his/her sources. Don't just decline it; explain very nicely why you are declining it. (Note: The "direct link to the image" bit is nice but not required by dA UNLESS the stock artist requires it.)
Anyone can post a blog about the importance of crediting stock providers on your own personal page or in your group.
It is OK to note the deviant nicely and ask them about stock credit. This being said, Do NOT antagonize (like, attack) the artist.
Be a leader and set a positive example by crediting your stock in your own manipulations.
If all else fails, you can report the deviation OR... better yet.... tell the stock artist to do so.

By working together, we can continue to make a difference in the community we love!

Resources

Here are some fantastic articles about stock usage that I would encourage you to check out:

Photomanips for BeginnersWhat is a photomanipulation?
Photomanipulations are images that have been composed of two or more photographic elements to create something new.
This is what the gallery description states. But what does it mean?
It means that a photomanipulation is based on photographs.
Not sketches scanned in (like line art for example) or screenshots from a video game. However, if you scan a photograph or for example dried flowers, it would be considered a photograph; while a photograph taken of line art still remains a sketch and is not consiered a photograph. Video game screenshots are copyrighted images btw and as such cannot be used at all.
It means that you need to use more than one photograph.
Retouching work as well as work that uses brushes or texture overlays only to "spice up" a photo that was taken by yourself(!) should be submitted to Photography > Darkroom, while work that uses stock images (i.e. images that you did not take yourself) should be :thumb239861946:

On to brighter things . . . Contest pimpage!

I am happy to promote photomanipulation contests and anything else that needs promoting. Just drop me a note with a short description of the contest, and I'll pimp it for you!