• A single photo (the number in parentheses displayed after a photo’s title)
• A single critique (the number in parenthesis displayed next to a critique)
• An individual’s Overall Contributor Rating (the number in parenthesis displayed next to a user’s name).

Let’s explore how each of these ratings is calculated.

A single photo
A photo’s rating is the sum of the total number of thumbs that photo has received. For example, let’s say a photo has received 2 critiques. The first critique was 1 thumb up, and the second critique was 2 thumbs up. The photo has received 3 thumbs, so the photo's rating will be 3. Here’s another example: A photo has received 5 critiques. The first was 1 thumb up. The second was 1 thumb down. The third was 2 thumbs up. The fourth was 1 thumb up. The fifth was another 1 thumb down. The total number of thumbs is (1 + (-1) + 2 + 1 + (-1)), for a total of 2. The photo’s rating will be 2.
Hollow thumbs are not taken into account in any calculation.

A single critique
The critique rating is calculated somewhat the same as a photo rating. Every time someone marks a critique as ’Helpful’, it is counted as +1. Every time someone marks a critique as ’Unhelpful’ it counts as -1. So, a critique that 2 people found ’Helpful’ will have a rating of 2.

An individual’s overall Photo Rating
An individual’s overall photo rating is calculated by taking the total number of thumbs that all of their photos have received. For example, let’s say a person has 2 photos in their portfolio. The first has 1 critique of 3 thumbs up (making the rating for that photo 3). The second has 4 critiques, all of 2 thumbs up (making the rating for that photo 8). The person’s Photo Rating will be (3+2+2+2+2), or 11. Again, thumbs down get subtracted and hollow thumbs don’t count.

An individual’s overall Critique Rating
Again, the Critique Rating is calculated in a similar way, but with a twist. If you write a critique for a photo that has less than 3 critiques, then every time someone marks your critique as helpful, it counts as +3 for your Critique Rating. So, if you have written 2 critiques, one of which was among the first three, and one person found each to be helpful, then your Critique Rating will be (3+1), or 4. Unhelpful marks will also have this multiplier applied. Also keep in mind that your critiques have to conform to the set standards to collect points.

An individual’s overall Contributor Rating
An individual’s overall contributor rating (the number in parenthesis behind everyone’s name) is calculated by taking the sum of this person’s individual photo and critique rating.

A few words about critique points
Don’t confuse ’critique points’ with a ’critique rating’. Critique points allow you to upload photos above your normal submission restrictions (0 for Limited Members, 1 per 72 hours for Basic Members, and 3 per 72 hours for Premium Members). Critique points are granted the same way as an individual’s Critique Rating is calculated. So, if you write one of the first three critiques for a photo, then every time someone marks it as helpful, you will receive 3 critique points. You can upload an additional photo with every 15 critique points you receive. Critique points expire after 72 hours, so they are ’use them or lose them’. You can see how many critique points you have by going to the ’Submit Photo’ page.

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