We often complain about Elements destroying the marketplace and the great income we had over the years (I’ve been here since 2011), and of course, I agree with that. But the truth is, we’re not really doing anything about it.
Effective today (though it might take a day or two to update on Elements), I’ve removed all my After Effects project files (48) from Envato Elements, and I encourage others to do the same. I know it’s a bit late, but ever since I added my AE templates to Elements, my income has plummeted significantly.
Think about it—why would anyone pay ~$50 for my news pack, for example, when they can download all my templates for $15 (or whatever the subscription price is now)? I’m aware this might not achieve much, but for me, it’s enough. I’d rather lose money than basically give my work away for free.
At least this way, if someone really needs my template, they might actually consider buying it. Otherwise, we’re all screwed.
Totally relate to this—had a similar experience with digital design assets I contributed. Once they were added to subscription platforms, individual sales tanked. I’ve also pulled back my content recently; sometimes protecting the value of your work matters more than passive exposure.
I believe that both the marketplace and Elements are doomed to disappear. The launch of Envato’s new AI model, combined with the drastic drop in sales, makes the future look bleak. They used our templates, stock footage, designs, and music to train their AI, and now we are obsolete.
