The Ultimate Guide to Making Money from Selling Designs and Photos 2025

Turn Your Passion for Design and Photography into an Online Income: A 2025 Guide to Selling Designs and Photos

Hello and welcome! In this guide, we continue our series on ways to make money online. This time, we’ll be focusing on how to earn income by selling designs and photographs.

This detailed guide is tailored for beginners as well as those who already have some experience or knowledge in the field of design.

First, it’s worth mentioning that we previously covered the topic of design in a separate article titled “What is Design and How Can You Profit from It?” In that article, we touched briefly on the concept of selling designs and images as one of the many ways to make money from design.

In this guide, we’ll dive deeper into this specific method and explore it in more detail. By the way, this happens to be my primary source of income working in design and creating visual content. So let’s get started!

How to Make Money Selling Designs and Photos

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Before We Dive In: A Quick Note

When it comes to building your own online project—particularly in the design space—there’s no fixed amount you can expect to earn each month. Your income could be $1,000, $2,000, or even more or less, depending on various factors.

What do we mean by “design” and “selling photos”?

In simple terms, “design” refers to creating visual content using software like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or similar tools. As for “photos,” we’re referring to any images you can capture using your smartphone or a professional camera. Another option is purchasing stock photos, provided you acquire full rights to use them. Generally speaking, any photo you take is your intellectual property as long as it doesn’t infringe on someone else’s privacy.

In essence, the process is straightforward: you create designs or take photos, then sell them for a profit.

What Do You Need to Start Earning Money Online from Selling Photos and Designs?

To begin making money from selling your designs and the photos you capture, here’s what you’ll need:

1. Talent or the Willingness to Learn

If you already have a talent for creating eye-catching (or even simple) designs, or you’re skilled at capturing great photos, then this field is for you.

But even if you’re starting from scratch, don’t worry; skills can be learned. With time, practice, and patience, you can build the experience and confidence you need to get started.

2. A Passion for the Craft

Doing what you love is the key to staying motivated. The internet is full of opportunities to turn your passion or skills into a source of income.

If you enjoy design, working on and selling your creations will come naturally and might even generate income beyond your expectations.
Similarly, if you love capturing beautiful moments, then the world of photo selling might be your perfect match.

3. The Right Tools

In addition to passion and talent, you’ll need a few practical things:

A stable internet connection.
Access to design and photo editing software (e.g., Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator).
A decent camera or at least a smartphone with a good camera.
For post-editing, tools like Photoshop or Lightroom can help improve image quality.
A bank account or an online payment service (like PayPal or Payoneer), depending on what platforms you use to sell your work.

Tips Before Getting Started in Selling Designs and Photos

Before you jump in, take some time to learn about this industry. Do your research on where to sell your work and what tools you’ll need.
Once you begin, keep improving your skills and expanding your knowledge; it will pay off over time.

How Do You Sell Your Designs and Photos? And Where? And How Do You Make Money from It?

After creating your designs or capturing and editing your photos (or even uploading them as-is), the next step is selling them.

In this industry, “selling” usually means making your content available for others to download. This could be one person, or hundreds, or even thousands.

To do this, you upload your work to an online platform or marketplace where users can access your content. These platforms often operate on a pay-per-download basis, or users pay for a monthly or annual subscription to access downloadable resources.

Every time someone finds and downloads your design or photo, you earn a commission. The exact amount varies depending on the platform and other factors.

There isn’t just one website for selling your work; there are many, each with its own advantages, disadvantages, and policies.

We’ll highlight the best platforms for selling stock photos and designs in the next section.

Top and Most Popular Platforms to Sell Photos and Designs

As I mentioned earlier, there are many websites where you can sell photos and designs, each with its own strengths. Based on my own research, there are around 30 (or even more) such platforms.

However, drawing from my personal experience working across several of these sites, I’ll recommend just a few of the top-performing ones. I’ve ranked them based on their monthly visitor traffic, using the latest data from SimilarWeb at the time of writing. Here are the best platforms to consider:

1. Freepik

Freepik is a well-known name in the world of design and stock resources, and it happens to be my personal favorite so far. In the past month alone, the platform received over 100 million visitors from around the globe and holds a strong global ranking.

Freepik hosts millions of resources, including photos, vector illustrations, templates, and PSD mockups for Photoshop. According to the platform, their assets are downloaded about 5 million times daily, and more than 70,000 contributors are actively selling their work there.

While the earnings per download are relatively low—usually less than $0.10 per download, though it can sometimes be higher—the high volume of downloads can compensate for that. In my own experience, Freepik has been my most profitable platform so far.

If you’d like to get started, you can sign up at: contributor.freepik.com

2. Shutterstock

Shutterstock is another major player in the world of stock photography and design, arguably one of the best platforms for selling photos.

According to the same data source, over 58 million users visited Shutterstock last month. The platform offers millions of photos and designs contributed by creators worldwide. Over the last 15 years, Shutterstock has paid out more than $1 billion to its contributors.

In addition to photos and illustrations, you can also sell audio clips, music, and videos on Shutterstock.

Earnings vary depending on your contributor level. At the highest level (Tier 6), you can earn up to 40% commission per sale, an excellent rate in this industry.

To join, head over to: submit.shutterstock.com

3. iStock (iStockphoto)

With more than 38 million monthly visitors, iStock by Getty Images is another platform that shouldn’t be overlooked. You can sell photos, illustrations, and even videos here.

iStock is owned by Getty Images, which also runs a separate platform under the same name that receives around 15 million monthly visitors.

According to Photutorial, contributors can earn between $0.10 and $16.20 per download, depending on the content type. Extended licenses may generate as much as $113.40 per item (though this can vary widely and should be taken with caution).

Personally, I haven’t worked with iStock, so I can’t confirm exact earnings from firsthand experience.

To apply as a contributor, visit: istockphoto.com/workwithus

4. Adobe Stock

It’s hard to imagine working in design or selling photos and graphics without having heard of Adobe, the most iconic company in the world of graphics and animation. Adobe is behind industry-standard software like Illustrator and Photoshop.

Back to the topic Adobe Stock is Adobe’s dedicated platform for selling and licensing creative assets. You can upload your photos and designs and make them available for purchase there. While Adobe’s main site receives over 300 million visitors per month, Adobe Stock alone is estimated to attract more than 40 million monthly visitors.

Based on my own experience, earnings per download on Adobe Stock usually range between $0.33, $0.89, and $1.07, depending on the subscription plan the customer uses.

By the way, I’ve had two instances where I earned over $20 from downloads of just two of my designs

To get started, sign up at: contributor.stock.adobe.com

5. VectorStock

VectorStock is a platform specialized in the sale and download of vector-only designs. Last month, the site attracted around 3.4 million visitors and currently hosts over 20 million vector graphics, according to its official statistics.

Earnings vary depending on the type of download. For instance, you can earn $0.20 per download from regular subscribers, while exclusive designs can earn you $0.35 for a standard license and up to $10.50 for an extended license. Additionally, designers may earn $3.75 per standard license sale and $7.50 for an extended license sale. For exclusive one-time sales, the earnings can go as high as $150. To register and start uploading your designs, visit their official website at www.vectorstock.com.

6. More Stock Platforms to Explore

Pro tip: Don’t limit yourself to just one platform. It’s often possible to upload and sell the same design or photo on multiple websites (unless it’s an exclusive deal). Choosing the best-performing platforms—those with high traffic and strong reputations—will increase your exposure and boost your potential earnings.

Here are more reputable stock websites that weren’t mentioned earlier:

Dreamstime
Pixabay
Envato
Depositphotos
123RF
Alamy

Each of these platforms receives over 10 million monthly visitors, and they’re worth exploring if you want to expand your reach.

And of course, there are many others beyond these.

How do I work with these platforms, and how do I get started?

First, make a list (even just mentally) of the platforms that seem most suitable and promising for you. Once you’ve chosen the ones that fit you best, sign up as a contributor or seller. Most of these sites have similar registration processes. You might also consider creating a dedicated email address for your stock media business and securing it with a phone number and recovery email, as suggested by Google.

Next, after signing up, you’ll need to complete your profile by filling in the required details and setting up your contributor storefront. This includes things like your display name, description, and a logo if the platform allows it. Some sites may also ask you to upload an ID and a tax form, but generally, these are standard requirements and nothing too difficult.

Once that’s done, you’re ready to start uploading your designs or photos or both.

When you upload your work (depending on the platform), you’ll usually be required to add a title, description, and tags. These are keywords and phrases that describe your content. You may also need to select a category, though not all platforms require this for every upload.

In the beginning, you’ll need to put in some effort and be smart about how you work. Most importantly, be patient. In my own experience, I didn’t earn anything at first except for Freepik, where I saw returns relatively early on.

Over time, if you do things right, you’ll start to see results. Your earnings will increase as you upload more content and grow your portfolio.

Each platform has its own layout and workflow, but once you start using them regularly, you’ll quickly become familiar with how each one operates.

FAQ:

What types of photos and designs can I sell?

In the world of selling stock photos and designs, there are no strict limitations on what types of content you can publish. However, the most important thing is that you must own the rights to whatever you upload. This means the designs must be your original work and should not be exact copies of someone else’s creations. You also shouldn’t use photos of people without proper rights or permission. Each platform will have its own specific content guidelines, which you can find on their respective websites.

Where can I sell my photos and designs?

There are many platforms where you can sell your photos and designs, including Freepik, Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, iStockphoto, 123RF, and others.

Which is the best platform to sell photos and designs?

There’s no single “best” platform—it depends on what suits you best. Ideally, you want to choose a platform with a high number of daily visitors, strong credibility, and good visibility, such as Freepik or Shutterstock.

Can you really make money selling photos and designs?

Yes, absolutely. I make money from selling them, and you can too. All it takes is creating high-quality designs or capturing appealing photos, uploading them to the platforms, and waiting for downloads to generate earnings.

It’s worth mentioning that each site has its own payout structure. Some platforms may require you to reach a minimum earning threshold (like $100) before they release payments.

Is selling photos and designs risky? Is it a safe field to work in?

As of the time of writing this, I haven’t come across any major risks, and I personally consider it a safe field. The main thing to avoid is using other people’s content or misrepresenting your uploads with misleading titles or tags.

Overall, it’s a safe and legitimate way to earn money online.

Final Thoughts:

And with that, we’ve reached the end of our guide on earning money by selling designs and photos.

Throughout this guide, we’ve covered everything you need to get started—what tools and skills you’ll need, and which platforms are best suited for your creative work, along with additional tips and insights to help you along the way.

Whether you’re a passionate beginner or an experienced designer or photographer, this field offers real opportunities to turn your creativity into income. The most important thing is to stay consistent, keep learning, and never underestimate the value of your work.

Remember: every download could be the start of something bigger. So take that first step, put your work out there, and let your talent speak for itself.

Good luck on your creative journey—and may your designs and photos find their place in the world!

+ 20 Ways to Make Money Online For Beginners.