Adobe Stock CSV: format and template for video

The Adobe Stock CSV format

Adobe publishes the file rules on its CSV requirements page and repeats the main ones on its page about creating the file. They apply to the file as a whole.

The five columns

Adobe's template has five columns in this order. Filename, Title and Keywords are required. Category and Releases are optional, though Adobe recommends adding a category.

How to fill each column for a clip

Filename

Enter the name of the uploaded file, extension included: harbor_sunrise_01.mov. Adobe matches it exactly, letter case included, so Harbor_Sunrise_01.MOV will not find harbor_sunrise_01.mov. The column holds the name with its extension and is limited to 30 characters, so count the extension when you rename long camera files.

Title

A short description of what the clip shows, 70 characters at most, with no commas and no special characters. Write it in the language set on your contributor account, and use one language only. Adobe also asks you to leave out intellectual property, artist names and real people's names.

Keywords

Separate keywords with commas and put them in order of importance. Adobe says the first 10 have the most influence on search ranking, so the main subject, the action and the setting go first. Use each keyword once, in the same language as the title, and leave out technical data such as camera settings. Because the list contains commas, the field goes inside double quotes, as in Adobe's template. To test a list against the limits, use the title and keyword checker.

Category

Enter a number, not a name. Adobe's template says to use the number shown for the category in the Upload CSV dialog. The full list with numbers is in the table below.

Releases

Enter the release exactly as it is named on Adobe Stock, 30 characters at most. Adobe's pages describe this value in two ways: the requirements page asks for the "exact model or property release filename" in JPEG format, while the template asks for "the names you gave to the releases when you uploaded them on Adobe Stock". Either way, the release has to be uploaded to the portal before the CSV refers to it. For several releases on one clip, the template puts the names in a single cell, separated by commas and wrapped in double quotes. If two releases share a name, Adobe uses the most recent one.

The file format is a third point of disagreement: Adobe's page on uploading releases (12 June 2026) says releases can only be PDFs of 10 MB at most, while the CSV page speaks of a JPEG file. Upload the release in the format the portal accepts, then copy the name it shows into the CSV. The steps are in how to upload video to Adobe Stock.

The CSV has no column for the generative AI label. For a clip made with generative AI, Adobe asks you to check "Created using generative AI", which you do in the portal.

49 or 50 keywords? Where Adobe disagrees with itself

Adobe's pages do not agree on two limits. The table shows what each page says, in its own words where it matters.

The safe values meet every page at once: 5 to 49 keywords and a title of 70 characters or fewer. The limits of the other agencies are in keyword limits by agency.

Category numbers

Adobe Stock has 21 categories. The current category page lists them without numbers; an earlier version of the same page, titled "Adobe Stock categories by number", numbered them 1 to 21 in the same order. Those are the numbers below.

A drone shot of a coastline can fit more than one category, such as Travel (21) or The Environment (5). Pick the one that matches the main subject. Adobe suggests a category automatically at upload, and you can keep it or change it.

An Adobe Stock CSV template for video

Adobe's sample file has one photo row and one footage row filled with instructions. Here is the same header with three video rows you can adapt. Keep the header line exactly as it is.

Filename,Title,Keywords,Category,Releases
harbor_sunrise_01.mov,Fishing boats leaving a small harbor at sunrise,"fishing boat, harbor, sunrise, aerial view, coast, sea, morning, port, water, travel",20,
market_walk_02.mov,Woman choosing fruit at an outdoor market stall,"market, woman, fruit, shopping, stall, food, outdoor, fresh, lifestyle, city",12,ana_model_release.jpg
forest_stream_03.mp4,Clear stream running over mossy rocks in a forest,"stream, forest, water, moss, rocks, nature, green, flowing, woodland, calm",5,

• Titles have no commas and stay under 70 characters.
• Keyword lists are in double quotes because they contain commas.
• Category holds a number: 20 is Transport, 12 is Lifestyle, 5 is The Environment.
• An empty Releases cell is fine; the column is optional.

Before you build the file, the free title and keyword checker checks title length and keyword count against Adobe's limits. For Shutterstock's columns, see the Shutterstock CSV guide.

Upload order

The CSV attaches metadata to files that are already in your portal, so it always goes last.

1. Upload the clips by drag and drop in the Contributor Portal, or by SFTP if your account qualifies for it.
2. Upload any model or property releases the CSV refers to.
3. In Uploaded Files, open the New tab and select Upload CSV.
4. Select Choose CSV file, pick your file and upload it.
5. Select Refresh. When it works, the portal shows "Data from your CSV was applied to the related files."
6. Review each clip, then submit it for review.

You can edit the CSV and upload it again for the same batch until it reaches the 5,000-row limit. The clips themselves must meet Adobe's file rules, listed on the Adobe Stock video requirements page.

Common errors and how to fix them

Adobe's final checklist and file rules point to these problems.

A clip refused at review for its content, rather than its metadata, is a different problem. The reasons are grouped in why stock footage gets rejected.