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How to Become an Adobe Stock Contributor — Ultimate Guide (2024)

How to Become an Adobe Stock Contributor — Ultimate Guide (2024)

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Adobe has become a household name in the design industry. Every designer, artist, photographer, and creative knows what Adobe is. For you to be considered a professional, you generally have to be skilled in using the Adobe Creative Suite or an Adobe alternative.

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The programs that are included in the Adobe Creative Suite have become the industry standard. And one of these is Adobe Stock. Starting in 2015, Adobe Stock has served creators, both amateurs, and professionals, through images and videos. Since then, it has become the go-to source of most creators and artists for different kinds of media.

Aside from being an awesome resource for media, it’s also a great platform for earning passive income for different kinds of creatives. The people who sell their content and media in Adobe Stock are called Adobe Stock Contributors. With this opportunity, they get to earn and get involved in a community of like-minded creatives.

What is an Adobe Stock Contributor?

It’s a perfect space giving an opportunity to join the Adobe community and sell your works or images. Since Adobe is a fastest growing and demanding community, you can easily earn by licensing your works.

Through Adobe stock contributor, you can even upload the images directly from lightroom. This way you can save your time. Since it’s free, you can sign up to the Adobe stock artist account and start uploading your images. But an important point to consider is that you should be the only owner of those works that you are contributing to adobe. 

As an artist, you can upload vectors, images, clips, illustrations etc. after being a part of the community. You are free to go for contents with high quality including themes  like videos, drone footage, technology, etc. Learn how to use adobe stock video content to create remarkable contents. 


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The software also provides royalty-free assets in which the license fee has to be paid only once. There are also more assets available with Adobe Stocks. However, a few additional assets would need a license.

If you want to get more familiarize with the best Adobe software, we’d recommend you to have a look at our full Adobe software list.

Guidelines to Follow When Submitting Content to Adobe

Guidelines to Follow When Submitting Content
Guidelines to Follow When Submitting Content

Aside from all the requirements and guidelines above, Adobe also states the guidelines users need to follow when submitting their content. These guidelines are helpful in guiding Adobe Stock Contributors in figuring out if their content will be accepted or rejected by Adobe.

Follow the Law and Adobe’s Rules

This includes local and federal laws when creating and submitting your content to Adobe Stock. Aside from that, all the rules in your Adobe Contributor Agreement must also be followed at all times.

Follow the Rules on Nudity 

If there is any content that contains nudity that has artistic value, the model must be at least 18 years old. The model release must also include the model’s photo ID so Adobe can verify their age. With all of that said, content that contains sexually explicit, pornographic, or immoral material should never be submitted. This includes material that sexualizes minors.

Be Mindful When Submitting Content 

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Content must be age-appropriate, non-sexualized and non-exploitative. Adobe will review content that have features under strict guidelines. If Adobe determines that the content is sexualized, exploitative, or abusive, it will be removed.

Content that violates these rules or has a high potential for abuse will be removed. Adobe has the right to remove these files from Adobe Stock.

Don’t Leave Out Personal Information 

Your content should not have any personal or company logos, watermark, name, tracking information, or any other kind of personal information.

Visit our blog and learn how to download adobe stock images for free. 

What are the Requirements for Becoming an Adobe Stock Contributor?

First, we will be discussing the requirements you need to have to become an Adobe Stock Contributor. These include:

  • Be at least 18 years old.
  • Valid government ID (passport, driver’s license, etc.).
  • Set up an Adobe ID
  • Submit a tax form
  • Agree to the terms of Adobe’s Contributor Agreement
  • Submit signed release forms (Model releases, Property releases and Known image restrictions)

Image Requirements

As for submitting images, here are the requirements that you need to follow:

  • The image format should be JPEG
  • Color space should be sRGB
  • The minimum image resolution should be 4 megapixels
  • The maximum image resolution should be 100 megapixels
  • The maximum file size should be 4 megabytes

Vector Image Requirements

If you’re submitting vector images, here are the requirements that you need to follow:

  • The vector file must be organized with useful labeled layers and groups.
  • The size must be accurate to the intended file use.
  • Anchor points must be optimized by simplifying paths or combining objects.
  • Outline all strokes as paths or shapes.
  • The text must be minimized but if needed, should be outlined.
  • The backgrounds should be clean so it’s easier for users to use the file both as a vector and a JPEG file.

Video Requirements

If you’re submitting videos, here are the requirements that you need to keep in mind.

  • Videos must be 5 to 60 seconds in length.
  • Shots must be stabilized.
  • Do not include audio unless these are atmospheric sounds like trees rustling or waves crashing. If the video contains any recognizable voice, you need to submit a model release.
  • Include some padding at the beginning and end of the footage so users can trim the video as needed.
  • Color correct your video as needed.

 

Prohibited Activities

Adobe also provides clear guidelines on activities that should be avoided by users. Engaging in these kinds of activities will result in getting a warning from Adobe. Further engagement may end in possible account suspension and ultimately, termination of your account.

  • Adobe holds its contributors to the highest standards when it comes to content. Here are some activities that could result in warnings, account suspension, and/or account termination:
  • Submitting content downloaded from free websites like Unsplash or Pixabay
  • Content spamming (i.e., sending multiple submissions of identical or almost identical files)
  • Using irrelevant keywords or titles for your content
  • Purchasing your own content to increase sales rank and boost search results
  • Copying other contributor’s files or keywords
  • Submitting content created by other contributors
  • Submitting content that’s partially based on the work of other contributors.
  • Submitting infringing, illegal, or pornographic content.
  • Submitting material that sexualizes minors.

If you want to know more, you can read more about Adobe Stock limitations at the Adobe Stock information here.

 

What Can You Sell on Adobe Stock?

Lots of creatives sell their content in Adobe Stock. The type of content that you can sell on Adobe Stock includes images, vectors, illustrations, photographs, and video clips. As for the subject of your content, Adobe Stock welcomes a wide variety of subjects. These include technology, drone footage, establishing shots, food, portraits, lifestyle, business, and lots more.

 

How Much Can You Earn in Adobe Stock?

If you’re selling photos and vector art, you get a 33% commission. If you’re selling videos, you get a 35% commission. You can cash out via PayPal or Skrill once you hit $25 in royalties.

 

How Do You Start Uploading in Adobe Stock?

As for answering the question, it’s really relative to how often your content is bought. If your content becomes viral and lots of people purchase it, then your earnings can skyrocket. But realistically speaking, most Adobe Stock Contributors treat this more like a steady drip of passive income.

1. Familiarize Yourself with Adobe Stock

For you to effectively create and market your content, you have to first understand the tool you’ll be using. Familiarizing yourself with Adobe Stock helps you identify what kind of photos, images, and videos are popular with buyers. This gives you an idea of what topics are trending, what aesthetic is popular, and what kind of image composition is good.

All of these little details will help you come up with better content.

Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock. Image Credits: Adobe

2. Sign Up in Adobe Stock

Singing up for Adobe Stock is different from being an Adobe customer. A  common misconception is that you need to be an Adobe Customer to sell content on Adobe Stock. That’s not the case.

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To sell on Adobe Stock, you simply need to go to the contributor page on Adobe Stock and click on “Get Started”. You can then proceed to create an Adobe ID. You’ll need to provide your name, email, date of birth, password, and country, and then accept Adobe’s policies.

If you have a previous Adobe ID, you can use that to sign in.

Adobe Stock Contributor Sign In
Adobe Stock Contributor Sign In. Image Credits: Adobe

3. Start Uploading Content

The dashboard of Adobe Stock is pretty user-friendly. It allows you to see the stage of all your images, whether they’re under review, up for purchase, etc. You’ll also be able to see the analytics of your sales.

Remember the requirements and guidelines that were previously discussed when submitting your content. You’ll have a higher chance of having your content approved if you follow these requirements and guidelines.

Start Uploading Content
Start Uploading Content. Image Credits: Adobe

4. Tag Your Content by Titles and Keywords

It’s important to upload high-quality and professional-looking images, photos, and videos. But no matter how beautiful your content is, if buyers can’t find it, you won’t make sales.

This is where titles and keywords come in. They help buyers and other users find your content. You use these to properly label your content with what people can expect when they see your content.

Adobe’s Sensei helps by suggesting up to 25 keywords and a title for your content. Since these keywords are suggested by an AI, you’ll still need to edit them as necessary.

Tag Your Content by Titles and Keywords
Tag Your Content by Titles and Keywords. Image Credits: Adobe

5. Wait for Review

After submitting your content, you’ll need to wait for Adobe to review them. Newly uploaded files get reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis so if you want to get your content to get approved quickly, you’ll need to submit it as early as possible. Your content can take up to around a week or so to be reviewed.

 

6. Review and Improve Your Content

Once your content has been approved, you can take into account the elements of the photos that got approved. You can compare it with the content that didn’t get approved.

Once you’ve identified what works and what doesn’t, you can then optimize your future content to fit that standard.

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You can also check out Adobe’s trend reports so you can plan your content accordingly. If you discover a popular niche, then make the most out of it by creating more content for it. Filling in the gaps where there’s little content is a great opportunity to make more.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the different license types in Adobe Stock?

Adobe Stock has multiple types of licenses for different uses of content. For example, there's a specific license for using content for web applications only, a specific license for print, and a specific license for merchandise. To find out more, check out the different license types on Adobe's license information page. You can also check out Adobe's usage and licensing FAQs.

What file types are available in Adobe Stock?

For photos and illustrations, they are available in JPEG. For vectors, they are available in AI, EPS, or JPEG. As for videos, they are available in various formats including MOV. Design templates are available in PSDT for Photoshop, AIT for Illustrator, and INDT for InDesign.

Adobe Stock was formerly known as Fotolia. It was changed because they wanted to offer contributors a more streamlined service as well as deeper integration with Adobe's Creative Cloud apps.

 

Become an Adobe Stock Contributor

Becoming an Adobe Stock Contributor is a great way to earn passive income. Although, it may not be a big stream of income since your earnings depend on how many people buy your content. But then again, a stream of income where you don’t really need to do anything sounds like an awesome way to earn.

We’ve covered the requirements and steps you need to take to become an Adobe Stock Contributor. We’ve also discussed the rules and guidelines that you need to follow in submitting your content. These will help you become successful in becoming and growing as an Adobe Stock Contributor.

So what are you waiting for? Become an Adobe Stock Contributor today and start earning passively!

If you are interested in downloading Adobe assets from stock visit Adobe Stock’s official website.

You may also start a free trial of Adobe Stock for 30 days with this link and Get 65% off Adobe software by following our Adobe Creative Cloud discount guide.

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