Todays iStockphoto.com topic should be handy to both buyers and contributors. The “lightbox“.
Definition
First of all, what is a “lightbox”? In traditional film terms, and where the “digital” term comes from, a lightbox is a box with a light underneath a translucent top. A photographer would lay negatives or slides on the top to be able to study them while illuminated. Kind of like an x-ray viewbox you see at the doctor’s office. They would use a magnifying “loupe” to get down and peer at the tiny images to make their design decisions. This is why the larger image that pops up when you mouseover a search result at iStockphoto is called a “loupe”.
In todays “digital” world, a lightbox is simply a collection of images, that someone has put together, which is stored in the web site’s database. A lightbox is normally used in conjunction with a photography (stock or otherwise) web site. You don’t make a lightbox on your computer at home.
iStockphoto – Creating
Under every piece of regular content on iStockphoto is an icon of a lightbulb with a tiny “+” sign. When you click on this, it will pop up the lightbox addition dialog.
So, now you can add it to an existing lightbox (collection) from ones you have already created, or you may create a new one. You may give a new lightbox any name you like, but it should be descriptive, like “Summer Camp Brochure Project” or “Smiling People on White”. This will come into play later. Keep in mind just calling it “My Lightbox” isn’t a great choice.
