RushPilot for Shutterstock contributors

What Shutterstock asks of each clip

Shutterstock checks two things on every clip: the file and the words attached to it. A tool that writes good keywords for a clip the reviewer will refuse on resolution saves you nothing, so the table covers both.

The full resolution list and codec details are on the Shutterstock video requirements page. The category names Shutterstock offers for footage are listed in Shutterstock video categories.

Where Shutterstock submissions go wrong

Every agency has length limits and release rules. These are the points where Shutterstock behaves differently from Adobe Stock and Pond5, and where a batch prepared for another agency fails.

The description is also the title

Shutterstock has no separate title field: the description plays that role. Its metadata standards (26 February 2026) allow 2,048 characters, but the submission editor caps the field at 150 (9 February 2026). One sentence under 150 characters passes both. Write it like a headline that says who, what and where, without a list of words.

Spam is defined broadly

Shutterstock's spam article (18 July 2025) counts three practices as keyword or title spamming:

• the same word or word stem repeated across keywords, such as run, running and runner;
• a title that repeats words or phrases from the description;
• keywords that do not describe what is in the clip.

The third one is where automatic tools get caught. A keyword guessed from one frame, a place the image cannot prove, or a mood word added to reach 50 all qualify. Shutterstock's own suggestions come from computer vision that looks for visually similar images, so they need the same reading.

English only

Shutterstock requires English metadata, except for Latin names, place names and foreign terms in common use. Adobe Stock, by contrast, takes the language of your contributor account. A tool set to write in your own language for Adobe has to switch to English for Shutterstock.

File names, CSV order and the 21-day window

• File names may contain only a-z, A-Z, 0-9 and the underscore. Spaces, hyphens, accents and brackets can cause an upload error.
• A CSV goes in after the clips, from the CSV button on the Submit page. Sent first, it returns "File Not Found". Its columns are in the Shutterstock CSV guide.
• Clips sent by FTPS can take up to 72 hours to appear before you can add metadata.
• Uploaded clips not submitted within 21 days are deleted from Shutterstock's servers.

Account limits

Shutterstock takes 100 video clips per rolling 7-day period. If your tax form is not filed within 90 days of the first reminder, the Upload and Submit buttons are disabled until it is, whatever tool you use.

What RushPilot does for Shutterstock

RushPilot is a desktop app for stock video contributors, in private beta with a waiting list. You put your clips in a folder. For each clip, RushPilot:

• looks at five frames of the clip;
• writes the English description and the 7 to 50 keywords Shutterstock expects;
• checks the common rejection reasons before anything is sent;
• uploads the clip to Shutterstock, and to Adobe Stock and Pond5 with the metadata each of them expects.

The video files stay on your computer. RushPilot makes no promise of acceptance or sales: the reviewer at Shutterstock still decides on each clip.

Shutterstock keywording tool options compared

Each line about a third-party tool comes from its official page, read on 11 October 2026. Prices change, so check them before you pay. Nothing here is ranked.

For a 60-second clip, Stocktag's published price works out to 12 credits, about $0.12; PhotoKeyworder.ai's to about €0.10 whatever the length. The full comparison, with the criteria, is in keywording tools for stock footage.

Which option fits your batch

• A few clips a week: the Submit page is enough. Type the sentence yourself, take only the suggestions that describe the clip, and test the result in the free title and keyword checker.
• A full shoot, uploaded by FTPS: a web keyworder that exports a Shutterstock CSV, then the CSV button once the clips have appeared. Allow for the 72-hour FTPS delay.
• One desktop app for metadata and upload: Xpiks on any system or StockSubmitter on Windows. Test a few real clips on their free tiers first, since neither documents a video workflow.
• Video only, for Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and Pond5 together: that is what RushPilot is built for, once the beta opens to you.

The upload itself, from FTPS settings to the Submit button, is covered step by step in how to upload video to Shutterstock.

RushPilot pricing

RushPilot charges per clip, from €0.05 to €0.09 depending on the offer. Monthly plans start at €7 for 100 clips, credit packs at €9 for 100 clips, and every new account gets 25 clips free to judge the descriptions and keywords on its own footage. The details are on the pricing page.