BEGINNER · 10 MIN
You don't have to be a professional photographer to be an Adobe Stock Contributor. Discover how to create high-caliber images that appeal to Stock customers.
It’s easy to upload images as an Adobe Stock Contributor. But before you agonize over which images to choose, learn what types of images are likely to be approved upon submission. It comes down to a few factors: evocative subject matter, flawless appearance, and some unique qualities.
Picking a subject
Adobe Stock customers are always looking for modern, diverse, and inclusive content that depicts the lives and experiences of people of all races, ethnicities, ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, religions, body and skin types, and more. When depicting people from underrepresented communities, be sure that your content accurately and positively portrays them and their cultures.Also, when considering subjects for your content, keep in mind that some are already heavily represented, such as flowers, pets, sunsets, and famous monuments. If you submit photos in these categories, make sure they’re unique and stand out in a crowd.
Submit exceptional, unique content
Select only the best images from a shoot and ensure that each offers something different. Don’t submit multiple copies of the same image with different postproduction effects applied — users will apply their own creative effects to suit their projects.
Think like a buyer. Visualize how your photo might be used and try to provide some variety. Frame your shots differently and provide vertical as well as horizontal shots to give the user more options.
Don’t crop your images too tightly in-camera — leave some room to add a caption, quote, or headline.
Check the overall composition
Fix basic compositional elements — make sure the horizon is level and remove distracting elements like an awkwardly placed tree limb or a telephone pole with wires. Check out our "Crop and straighten your photos"tutorial to deftly crop, trim, and straighten images.
Make your images look their best
Remove any color cast from your images so they show good color balance. Make your photos appear neutral without an excessively warm or cool tone.
Tip: Try shooting in raw format for greater flexibility to fix color issues in Lightroom.
Set the overall brightness of your image so it isn’t overexposed (too bright and washed out) or underexposed (too dark).
Set image contrast to a reasonable level — a high-contrast image shows extreme levels of light and dark tones, while a low-contrast image can look muted.
Likewise, make your colors look pleasing. Oversaturated colors can look unnatural, while an undersaturated image may appear drab and lifeless. Both Photoshop and Lightroom have professional tools to make your colors pop in some areas, or to tone down colors elsewhere.
Watch our "Adjust clarity, vibrance, and saturation" to learn how to restore your image to a pleasing brightness and color quality.
Eliminate imperfections
Always view your images at 100% magnification or higher to inspect them for dust specks, scratches, and other flaws. Zoom further to fix any artifacts so your images are clean and unblemished. View our "Remove dust and scratches in a photo" to learn how.
Be wary of digital noise, which looks similar to grain found in film photographs. This is often caused by shooting in low light conditions or by using a high ISO setting on your camera.
Tip:Adobe Stock customers have high standards, so you should ideally submit photos that need little or no post-production work.
Look out for unexpected halos or color fringing along edges. This can occur if your camera optics are unable to synchronize colors under certain light conditions. Use tools in Lightroom and Photoshop to correct lens flaws.
Improve focus and sharpen the image
Make sure your subject is in sharp focus — even if other parts of the image are not. And even in-focus images can benefit from a little sharpening to bring important details to life. View our "Sharpen your photos" to learn how to apply sharpening at different points in your creative workflow.
Be aware of intellectual property laws, trademarks, and releases
We require a model or property release for any photos that depict recognizable persons, buildings or intellectual property such as objects, artwork, sculptures, or designs. See our Legal Guidelines
for details. Check Known image restrictions for a list of subjects that cannot be accepted. (This list is updated periodically.)
Use accurate titles and keywords in your submissions
Accurate keywords and titles are essential for helping customers find your content. When your content depicts people, it’s critical to describe them in ways that accurately and authentically represent their identities, particularly when they’re from diverse backgrounds and communities. Please refer to your model releases as points of reference when creating your metadata.
That’s it. We hope you find our guidelines helpful as you prepare to submit your photos to Adobe Stock.
As an experienced photographer and content creator with a deep understanding of stock photography and the Adobe Stock Contributor platform, I've garnered substantial expertise in the principles and practices necessary for successful image submissions.
To address the concepts mentioned in the provided article for Adobe Stock Contributors, let's break down the key points:
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Subject Selection: Emphasize diversity and inclusivity in your imagery. Capture representations of various races, ethnicities, ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, religions, body types, etc., ensuring accurate and positive portrayals.
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Content Quality: Focus on exceptional and unique content. Avoid submitting multiple versions of the same image with different effects. Consider how buyers might use your photos and offer variety in framing and orientation.
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Composition and Presentation: Ensure proper composition by leveling horizons, removing distractions, and providing adequate space for potential captions or text overlays. Utilize tools for cropping, trimming, and straightening to refine your images.
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Color and Tone: Aim for good color balance without excessive warmth or coolness. Shooting in RAW format offers greater flexibility for color correction in post-processing. Manage exposure to prevent images from being overexposed or underexposed.
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Contrast and Saturation: Adjust contrast to reasonable levels and manage saturation to avoid overly vibrant or muted appearances. Utilize professional tools in Photoshop and Lightroom to enhance colors and overall image quality.
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Image Cleanup: Inspect images for imperfections like dust specks, scratches, or digital noise. Address issues at high magnification to ensure clean and blemish-free images. Correct lens flaws and unexpected artifacts.
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Focus and Sharpness: Ensure subjects are in sharp focus and consider applying appropriate sharpening techniques to highlight essential details.
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Legal Considerations: Understand and comply with intellectual property laws, trademarks, and release requirements for recognizable persons, buildings, or intellectual property depicted in your images.
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Metadata Optimization: Accurate and relevant keywords and titles are crucial for visibility. Describe diverse subjects authentically and respect individual identities when creating metadata.
By following these guidelines meticulously, aspiring Adobe Stock Contributors can increase their chances of having their images approved and attract a wide range of potential buyers seeking diverse, high-quality visual content.
