Content and rights rules
Quality standards, editorial versus commercial, model releases when people appear, and exclusive RM licensing.
The platform team reviews every file before it is published. Knowing these rules saves you rejections and protects your rights and the rights of the people in your work.
Quality and ownership
| Rule | Details |
|---|---|
| Upload only your own work | You must own the rights to every file you upload. Do not upload other people’s work or content copied from the internet. |
| Enough resolution | Stock photos have a minimum size, currently 2000×2000 pixels. See The minimum image size. |
| Honest details | The description, keywords and category must match what is actually in the file. |
| Technical quality | Clear, sharp, well-exposed photos, and steady video with clean picture and sound. The platform team may reject low-quality files. |
Duplicate files
Do not upload the same file twice. If you send a file with the same name and size as one you sent before, it is refused and its card shows Refused. Delete the duplicate from its card.
Editorial or stock content?
| Aspect | Stock content | Editorial |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Commercial use: ads, designs, websites. | Documenting a real event or news story. |
| Categories | The photo or video categories. | The editorial categories, optionally linked to an event or collection. |
| Minimum size | Yes. | No. |
| Exclusive RM licence | Available as an option. | Not available; sold under RF only. |
If you shot photos at a public occasion or news event and people who have not signed a release appear in them, choose Editorial.
Release forms when people appear
If an identifiable person, or private property such as a house or a venue, appears in stock content, attach a release form they signed, as a PDF, in the Release Form (PDF) field of the review card. Stock content without a release may be rejected.
- Royalty-free (RF): always included.
- Exclusive Rights (RM): an extra option.
- Attach PDF for the release form.
The exclusive RM licence
Every file is offered under Royalty-free (RF) and can be bought by many customers. If you turn on Exclusive Rights (RM), one customer can buy the file with exclusive rights, at the exclusive-licence price set for its category.
If it is bought under RM
The file is withdrawn from sale for good, in every store and under every licence, and no longer shows in search.
If it is bought under RF first
The RM option for that file is removed automatically, since exclusivity is no longer possible, and it keeps selling under RF.
Can I upload a photo I have published elsewhere?
Yes, if you own its rights and have not sold it exclusively to someone else.
I forgot to attach the release before sending. What do I do?
If the product is rejected for that reason, upload the file again and attach the release form before approving it.