If you have been trying to make money online, especially with AI, then this idea may have come to your mind in some point. Selling AI-generated images on stock footage platforms. Well, it did came to one of my friend’s mind and he tried it as well. And today, I’m going to share his results with you!
The main purpose of writing this post is to show you that you can make money with AI, but that may take some time.
How The Entire Process Worked?
The ideas was simple. Use any of the AI image generator tool to generate high-quality images and list it for sale on stock image sites. And whenever someone downloads or buys the images, you make money. That’s exactly what my friend did as well. He created the images using AI-tools and uploaded them directly to Adobe Stock without editing or making any changes in the image.
How The Journey Started?
He had an idea of selling AI-generated images as a side hustle to see if it works or not. So, he created an account on Adobe Stock and started selling images from January 1, 2025.
His main aim was to see if a person with no prior experience, no money, no social media followers could make money selling AI images or not. His aim was not to get rich quick selling those images, but to try if they actually work or not.
It has been over 70 days that he started this challenge. So, you’ll see whatever happened during that period and how much money he made in this post.
These 11 Apps Can Make You an Extra $300 Every Month Passively!
His First 45 Days Selling AI-generated Images
In the first 45 days, he uploaded a total of 150 AI-generated images. That is an average of 3 images per day. Even though he posted 150 images, none of them were on a random topic. They were all focused on a trending topic like Valentines day. He started posting high-quality images related to valentine’s in hope to get sales and make money. And that did worked!
In the first 45 days or till February 15th, he made a total of $10 and received a whopping 12 downloads. Yep, it’s low! But that’s only his first 45 days.
To be honest, that’s not a bad amount for a brand new account with just 150 images. But the thing was, that $10 proved ensured him that yes, actual money can be made selling AI-generated images.
he took that $10 as motivation and doubled down his effort the next month.
Results After 70 Days
After 70 days, his stats were completely different than the first 45 days. In the next 25 days, he posted a total of 1,319 images, out of which 177 images got rejected and 1,142 were accepted. That means, a total of 1,292 images were accepted for sale. His image approval rate was over 70%, which he considers to be a good rate.
Regarding earnings, he received 13 more downloads in the next 25 days and made $12 from those downloads. In total, he made a total of $22 and received a total of 25 downloads on his images.
What’s interesting is, he earned $8 out of $22 in the first week of March alone. And this income report covers his earnings only up to the 10th of March. That was a sign that, even though it took time to set things up in the beginning, it’s starts picking up over time.
I spoke to him recently and he said his sales have gone up significantly in the last month. This is a proof that success requires both time and effort.
But Is $22 Really Worth It for 1,300 Images?
I know, most of you’ll think that $22 is nothing. Yes, I think the same too, but here’s the twist. All the images he has posted on Adobe Stock are like digital real estate, and with time those images will appear in front on more people increasing the chances of getting more sales and making more money.
Those images now acts like an investment that will make him money forever. It works exactly like compound interest. It does takes time, but once it starts to take off, it’s not going to land anytime soon.
Many people try selling images, but they give up too early. They don’t even post 100 images and think it’s time to quit. And the main thing is, their images are not even of the best quality and not about a trending topic. Because of this they don’t see any changes in their earning graph and quit.
So, if you really want to make money selling AI-generated, list atleast 2,000-2,500 images for sale and not just on one platform, but on multiple sites. And if you don’t see any improvements even after posting 2,000 images, then I’d personally suggest you to quit. That won’t be worth even a second more of your time.
Check out 6 Simple Ways to Make $10,000 Every Month using AI in 2025.
What Should You Learn From His Results?
- Consistency is the only guaranteed way to success in selling AI-generated images.
- Sell on multiple sites – selling the same images on multiple sites can increase your chances of getting sales.
- Quality matters more than quantity (at least in the beginning)
- Niche selection – creating and selling images about trending topics or festivals can boost your sales.
- Your acceptance/rejection rate affects how fast your images gets reviewed. If you have a high-acceptance rate, then your images will get approved fast and vice-versa.
Wrapping it Up
So, that was all about, how much money can you make selling AI-generated images. If you’re considering to sell AI-images, then don’t take it as a demotivating factor. Selling AI images is like running a marathon. If you start sprinting from the very beginning, then you won’t even survive half the race. So, have patience and remain consistent.
Btw, if you missed how much he made, then let me tell you again. He received a total of 25 downloads and made $22 in his first 70 days of selling AI-generated images.
This is a real story of my friend Pranit Naik. He’s a photographer and content writer. If you’d like to follow him on his journey, then here’s a link to connect with him.
