So you’re a motion graphics wiz who can’t get enough of making magic with your visuals. You can turn your kid into an action movie hero, reveal a logo out of fire, turn a boring slideshow into an elegant portfolio or simulate text exchanges like a pro.
Then why are you still waiting for assignments when you could be creating your own concepts and making money by selling them on Pond5? Becoming an After Effects contributor on Pond5 is really simple and we’re here to help with anything you need. In short, it just comes down to 3 steps:
– Register: Once you create your account, which shouldn’t take longer than 15 seconds, just register as a seller on our page and you’re done!
– Upload your AE Projects: Just create a single .zip file containing the project file, a low resolution video preview of the project and a full resolution still frame.
– Optimize your information for customers: Check out our tips and tricks here to make sure your content is as easy to find and use as a customer may possibly want.
UPLOADING – When it comes to uploading your project, it’s all about asking yourself: “am I giving buyers everything they need to start working with my project?” Remember: Customers come in all shapes and colours.
Are they running an older version of the CS suite? We prefer projects created in AE6 or higher with a minimal resolution of 1920×1080, but you’ll never know if your customer’s software is compatible to the content you’re putting out there or not. So it’s up to you to let them know if they’ll be able to use it, and that should be done at the time of the upload. You don’t want to cause any disappointments down the road, right?
Not everyone is going to have money to spend on some of the higher-end plugins. That’s why using minimal to no plugins is not only the most user friendly way to produce, it also allow a greater chance for sales. But… if you really really think a certain plugin makes all the difference and you really really want to make your project available for that… there is a way to do it!
That’s the good thing about .zip files: you can always include multiple versions of your project, such as one pre-rendered version and a plugin version, giving more control for the user to choose how to work with it. You are also free to include Comps with alternate resolutions, such as PAL/NTSC, as well as a note with full instructions for the novice AE user. That makes your project easier for everyone to use.
OPTIMIZING – People sometimes say Pond5 is like garage sale, where everyone has something that is of use to other people. If that’s true, then it’s no surprise the way you present your offerings can increase your sales dramatically! That’s why our After Effects curator Brett McAfee brings you today the first episode of our Effect-ED series, in which we give you tips on top selling points for presenting your AE templates to your buyers and boosting your sales like never before.
We know better than anyone how a good soundtrack, image or video can enhance a project. That’s our business after all! So don’t hesitate in using our library as your placeholder library. Indeed, you can use any low resolution preview file from the site as a placeholder in your AE project. Just remember to link back in your description — that’s common courtesy — and to not use them in any other sites.
In fact, it just comes down to keeping a few simple things in mind. And the number one is: think about what your buyers need to know about your templates.
To sum things up, being a great After Effects contributor is all about making it great looking, easily customizable, and labor saving for the end user. And since being a great company is about making it as easy and labor saving for you as it is for buyers, we made sure our Knowledge Base and Customer Service can help you out with anything you need. Whether you have a very large collection that you want to submit in bulk or you want more specifications for uploads, we’re here for you.
See you on the site!