Becoming an Adobe Stock Contributor Talking Points and Useful Links

General Tips for Success (Photography)

• Avoid/remove Intellectual Property (IP)
• Shoot a variety of angles/distance (shoot wide/shoot tight)
• Include space for copy
• Aerial/worm's eye view
• Tell a story (a day in the life)
• Authentic locations
• Keep it real
• Diversity and representation (people want to see themselves represented in advertising)
• Stay up on current events (gas prices, elections, food scarcity)
• Submit the best of the batch (be your own worst critic)
• Shoot what's around you
• Shot what you love
• Plan for seasonal events/occasions

Don'ts

• Don't spam!
• Don't crop one image in several ways and submit them all
• Don't use inaccurate keywords
• Don't over-process
• Don't up-res your work

Editing Tips

• Less is more
• Choose Vibrance over Saturation
• Subtle editing
• Remove logos and trademarks
• Preview at 100%
• Submit full colour
• Don't submit more than 3 similar variations (Spam alert!)

Uploading Files

• Upload via Contributor Portal (drag and drop)

• Import from Lightroom (CC)
• Upload from Lightroom Classic
• Upload from Adobe Bridge
• Upload via SFTP (mandatory for video uploads)

Model Releases

People

If there is a recognizable person in your photo/video you must submit a signed model release.

• Over-communicate with your models during the release process (accuracy is critical)
• Sign release upon arrival (don't wait until after the shoot)
• Paper release
• App - Easy Release ($10 USD, not affiliated with Adobe)
• Adobe Sign through Contributor Portal

Places/Things

• Recognizable Property requires a property release
• Unique architecture, building is primary subject, unique indoor locations, shopping malls, art galleries require a release
• Avoid IP whenever possible, or be prepared to retouch afterwards
• Watch out for trademark colors (John Deere, Duracell Coppertop, Purina checkerboard)

No property release is required in generic urban photos (city street where you are not on the owner's property, cityscapes. Likewise for generic objects/products, indoor spaces.

Getting Found!

Keywords/Phrases

• Be descriptive but don't write a novel
• Be accurate - don't spam
• 15-25 keywords per image
• List keywords in order of relevance
• Top 10 keywords have the greatest search impact
• Adobe Sensei will auto-create 25 keywords (not perfect, but helpful)

Titles

• Titles are searchable
• Should read like a sentence
• Incorporate main keywords into title
• Avoid brand, product and people names

Getting Paid!

Your Royalty

• 33% of price paid by customer
• 35% for HD and 4K video
• Prices vary depending on plan or license (minimum royalty rate is $.33)
• Don't focus on individual sales/downloads - focus on the aggregate)
• Compare sales trends month-to-month

Tip: Consider cross-promotion through Behance, Adobe Portfolio and Social Media

Rejection

It happens to every contributor; don't let it get you down. Common rejection reasons include:

• Model or Property Release Missing or Invalid
• Indexing Issue
• Too Similar
• Aesthetic
• Non-Compliant
• IP Violation
• Technical Reasons: poor exposure/focus/artifacts

MOST COMMON rejection reason is Oversaturation!

Q & A

Jim Babbage

This Presentation