As you probably know, content was, is and always will be King! Especially these days, with the explosion of social media - it will be imperative for the content creators to be able to protect their work.
One way to protect one's work, is to create an NFT out of a specific digital asset (image or digital art).
NFT stands for Non Fungible Token and is a very recent but important disruptor in the crypto world
A non-fungible token (NFT) is a special type of cryptographic token which represents something unique; non-fungible tokens are thus not mutually interchangeable. This is in contrast to cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, and many network or utility tokens that are fungible in nature. source
Photographs
It is very easy to make a good photograph, even if the photographer is equipped only with a smartphone. The Internet is full of amazing images that can be found in a variety of websites. Some of the websites offer images that you can use for any reason, even commercially and some other websites offer stock images at specified prices.
Tokenizing Photographs
I have been thinking of NFTs for a long time, and I think that 2021 will be the year of NFTs. As I try to learn more about it, I will also be posting my findings, my experience and review of the websites I will be testing.
The first website I will be using is of course the hive powered https://lensy.io/?r=katerinaramm (this is a referral link)
Lensy.io
Lensy first started its operation 5 months ago - August 2020
It is using Hive-Engine's second layer NFT smart contract platform to create tokenized images.
Lensy.io is the marketplace for scarce, collectable, tokenized photographs!
You can stay up to date with our progress by visiting Lensy.io as well as our official Hive blog.
Once again we are using Hive-Engine's layer 2 NFT smart contract platform to generate provably scarce, collectible, tokenized photos.
We have taken the same clean interface of NFTShowroom and created Lensy for you to sell your photographs on your terms, with your price points! Since we are integrated with the Hive blogging platform, you can use peakd.com or similar interfaces to tell your story, describe your process, and advertise your work.
How can someone use lensy.io?
(1) You will need a hive account first.
*If you do not have one, feel free to create a new one from https://hiveonboard.com/?ref=katerinaramm (ref link)
(2) To log in lensy.io you should use KeyChain
Keychain
Hive keychain is a browser extension that securely encrypts your keys and allows you to safely and easily authorize transactions on the platform. Like MetaMask for ETH.
- Chrome/Brave Download https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hive-keychain/jcacnejopjdphbnjgfaaobbfafkihpep
- Firefox Download https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hive-keychain/jcacnejopjdphbnjgfaaobbfafkihpep
(3) Options
After you log in, these are the options you will see
(4) Wallet
You will need some Swap.Hive for your transactions, so I suggest to have at least 10 Swap.Hive to get started.
In the past there were some contests where the winners would get one photograph tokenized for free. Maybe they plan to restart it at some point? (I shall make this suggestion)
Your wallet in Hive Engine is connected by default and you see immediately the Swap.Hive that you will need to create NFTs
https://lensy.io/katerinaramm/wallet
(5) Apply as an Artist
During the alpha they are only allowing verified Photographers with a portfolio to tokenize.
I will make my application now and share it with you
(6) What you can do in the platform, even if you are not a verified artist (yet)
Activity You see the recent activity - who bought what and at what price
i.e. We see that the last activity was 3 weeks ago - however I feel that this platform can have many more users. Let's create some buzz about it :)
.a. Feed - follow artists to see what new is being uploaded!
.b. Gallery - will be our own gallery / items for sale
.c. Collection - our purchased items
.d. Messages - create a message for one user or a group of friends
.e. Profile - you need to fill in all necessary info to apply for the whitelist (I will create my application and share it with you here)
.f. Wallet
.transactions. This is where all the transactions of yours will appear
Let's see a tokenized photograph!
https://lensy.io/gallery/monster-one_dandelion_dandelion-with-blue-tone
We see that the user has created 5 editions of the image and one of them has been sold for 10 SWAP.HIVE
Fee Structure
Fee Structure and Secondary Sales
NFT creation costs 5 SWAP.HIVE + 1 SWAP.HIVE per edition. Upon completion of the initial sale Lensy collects a 10% commission. Upon completion of secondary market sales Lensy collects a 10% commission and pays half of that as a royalty to the original photographer.
We see here that the photographer will also receive a commission after the photograph has been resold for the second time.
Deposit SWAP.HIVE
To make a token you must deposit SWAP.HIVE into your wallet on NFT Showroom before you begin tokenizing.
Go to your wallet tab on NFT Showroom and click deposit.
Keep in mind Hive-engine takes 1% fee for any deposits and withdrawals
Accepted file formats and specs
Current supported formats: jpeg, png, gif and MP4
- jpeg, png gif: Max 30 MB
- MP4: Max 100 MB
Unique and Multiple Editions
In simple terms editions are like prints, or copies of the same photo. On Lensy we offer the option to tokenize single or multiple editions. It is important that you decide the number of editions when you are minting the token because you can't create more later or change the details after the transaction has been broadcast.
Rights
We offer two options
Private means the photographer retains the full copyright to the photo. The buyer may only display the photo as part of their collection or resell it on the secondary market.
Full Commercial means you are selling the token holder a License to reproduce your work for commercial purposes. Depending on what type of photos it is the buyer may or may not want to purchase commercial rights if there are multiple editions available as they will not be given exclusive rights, if you select the Stock category for your photo the only rights option available will be full commercial.
Source of the FAQs - The Discord Server of Lensy here
Join their Discord Server
After adding an image
After adding an image, you can see it in your collection but you need to click the image and then manage, to see these 3 options
- Burn, will burn the image/token (in case you made a mistake)
- Sell it
- Transfer it - Gift it to some other person by sending it to another hive user
Referral System
This was a surprise! Lensy also has a referral system - let's see how this works!
Your referral link looks like this
https://lensy.io/?r=katerinaramm (my referral)
Change to your username and put in your blog - this way anyone who joins using your username will get you a bonus directly sent to your wallet for each photo they tokenize. This bonus comes directly from the minting fees. The referred photographer will pay the same fee as always and we are giving up a portion of that to the referrer as a thank you.
More information & the complete FAQ here @lensy/lensy-user-guide-and-faq
Application!
Now, lets apply! I will show you exactly what information I will use for my application but
(Attention - First fill in your profile information & save them- then you can apply after you read the TOS)
I will have to wait to be whitelisted and if I will be, then one of my next post will be for tokenizing one of my unpublished images!
Who can use lensy.io?
If you are a photographer lensy.io is a very easy to use platform, with low fees. I think it deserves a try.
You may also be a collector or someone who wants to use unique stock images - I think that there will be a lot to be discovered in the platform very soon.
TD;LR VERSION
Lensy.io is an NFT platform powered by hive. It is very easy to create a hive account and use it to tokenize your photographs or to purchase tokenized photographs. Most of
What are you waiting for?
Join Hive now (if you have not) - via https://hiveonboard.com/?ref=katerinaramm
And check out this platform where you can sell or buy tokenized photographs! https://lensy.io/?r=katerinaramm
(both are referral links)
Thank you for visiting!
Who am I?
I am Katerina from Crete, Greece. An enthusiastic content creator with a passion for photography. Interested in the blockchain technology, in new social media platforms and in trying to educate new users who wish to explore the blockchain social media world and its possibilities!
- Follow me on twitter for crypto stuff: https://twitter.com/katerinaramm1
- Blockchain & Personal Development stories at @katerinaramm
- General Stories at @katerinaramm
- Feel free to connect with me on Publish0x
- My photo stories at https://www.pexels.com/@katy-ramm-2914800
- On noise.cash https://noise.cash/u/katerinaramm
- Some of my amateur videos at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY0T7LAdd_WFjKFxGDO97mA?view_as=subscriber
- My personal discoveries and every day experiences: https://www.instagram.com/katycrete/
- My city's account and lovely community: https://www.instagram.com/aboutheraklion/
- I also got a Discord channel, feel free to join me: https://discord.gg/Eeh2s9xraC
My giphy channels - For my city: https://giphy.com/channel/aboutheraklion
- My personal account: https://giphy.com/channel/katyramm