What format are the photos in?
All OIS Stock Photos photos are in JPG format.

Do you add photos on a regular basis?
Yes. We add photos as they are taken. Click on "Newest Photos" to see the latest photos that we have posted.

Can I submit photos to sell?
Right now the only photos that we sell are the ones taken by OIS Stock Photos and it's partners. In the future we may consider this.

Do you offer refunds?
Once your purchase is made we can not offer a refund. The reason for this policy is because we offer full access to our entire digital collection of photos and, as such, there is no way for our products to be returned. On a rare occasion we will make exceptions on a case by case basis.

Are there any restrictions on my use of the OIS Stock Photos photos that I download?
Yes. While OIS Stock Photos offers great freedoms and a wide ranges of uses, we do not allow the redistribution of our photos, or allow the use of our photos within products that are mass distributed in any type of archive format.

If I purchase a subscription are there any other fees I will encounter when downloading from the site?
No, an unlimited membership allows you full access to download any photos on our site at no extra charge.

Is account sharing allowed?
No, sharing an account is no different than distributing our materials to others. Individual accounts must be purchased by your friends and colleagues.

I bought a subscription, but it says I'm not activated, what do I do?
On rare occasions our merchant processors may not send the information of your transaction to our system, so your account may not be automatically activated. Therefore, if you have made a purchase of our yearly subscription and you are not able to access photos OIS Stock Photos using your details, send a support request.

The file I just downloaded is not 300dpi, which is the standard for printed materials. Why?
The images you downloaded are output by different cameras, scanners or other equipment. The default resolution on some of them could be lower than 300 dpi. This doesn't mean that the file is not usable. Before you download a file, first make sure you check the "Print size" displayed under the "Download" button in both English and metric systems and for both web and print use. Use any graphical software to adjust its resolution (if you are using Adobe Photoshop, make sure you uncheck the "resample image" option before changing the resolution of the file to 300dpi). Click here for a short tutorial for changing the resolution in Adobe Photoshop.

What does "pricing level" stand for?
The pricing level reflects how popular an image is. Most of the images in the database are level 1 when they are submitted (images submitted in assignments are an exception). When someone downloads an image, the download will be added to the image's total number of downloads. When the amount of downloads per image reaches a specific number the level of the file is increased, increasing its pricing as well (the number of credits you pay for it). This pricing is affected only by the number of downloads the image had, not by how many downloads you have made using your account.

Are the images free of watermarks?
All high-resolution images you download have no watermarks. The only images watermarked are the thumbnails visible on the site. You can download a file by using the Download button located on the Image details page, right below the description. Read the information from the 'Download confirmation' page carefully as it contains useful information regarding how to successfully retrieve the file in various ways.

What does "credit" stand for?
When registering as a member you have access to volume discount packages. This means that you pay for buying credits. A credit is the unit used to download images. For each image a certain number of credits is deducted from your account. The unused credits are kept in your account for future use.

What method of payment do you accept?
We partnered with Authorize.net and PayPal.com to provide you several options for buying the images. You can pay using your PayPal account or if you don't have one, using your credit card via the Authorize.net option. We accept all major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover).

I am confused, why do you have several licenses for a single image?
We provide a regular Royalty Free license which is suitable for most types of usage at a very low cost. However, there are times when this license may not fit your usage. In such cases, you can check one of the additional extended licenses which provides additional rights over the use of an image, for an additional cost.

I want to change my username, how can I do that?
Usernames can be changed from our end exclusively. Send support your request including the new username. When you select this new username, we recommend you always check availability: Registration page - desired login box, check username option.

I cannot distinguish between watermarked and non-watermarked images. When I click on them, they all have a watermark. Can you help?
Our site provides various sizes of small thumbnails and a larger version (comp) that includes a transparent watermark (our logo as a semitransparent layer centered on the image). Note that this is needed for security reasons and the high-resolution version you will download (using the download button) is free of any watermarks.

I have just registered but I cannot access my account, where's the problem?
Please ensure that your browser accepts cookies. The login details can be retrieved from here.

I don't have a credit card nor a Paypal account. How can I buy credits for downloading images?
We strongly encourage you to contact your local bank and request an international credit card. We have customers from all over the world and we accept cards issued by any bank, as long as they are internationally valid. If all these fail, you can contact us at +27 (0) 12 993 5156 for details on how to make a payment using a regular bank check, money order or cashiers check.

I want to buy a subscription package. How many images can I download and when does the subscription ends?
The subscription package gives you access to a very high discount. The levels are no longer applied, thus the bonus can even exceed 100% in specific cases. Considering the high amount of images that you can download, a daily restriction is applied in order to assure an equal split of the consumption throughout the whole subscription month. You may download up to 10 images per day, each day. If you spent all images today, come back tomorrow and continue the download. If you are trying to meet a deadline and need more images today, you can buy credits that can be used right away. The subscription ends after 30 days since you purchased the subscription, it is not related to the calendar month.

I forgot my login details, how do I find them?
In order to retrieve your login details please access this page. Use the email address you provided upon registration.