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Stock footage checklist before upload

This stock footage checklist before upload turns the rejection reasons Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and Pond5 publish into checks you can tick, grouped by category: file, audio, content, rights, metadata and duplicates. Each line names the agency page it comes from.

By RushPilotUpdated Rules checked against official sources on

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How to use this checklist

We read every rejection page cited below on 13 October 2026. A line only appears if an agency writes the rule down; tips from forums are left out. Where agencies differ, the table shows each one, so you can apply the strictest rule if you send the same clip everywhere.

Run the file checks first, on the export, before you write any metadata: a clip that fails on frame rate does not need keywords. The free video spec checker covers most of the first table from the file itself. The explanations behind each reason are in why stock footage gets rejected.

File and technical checks

Technical checks before upload, with the rule behind each
CheckRuleSource
Resolution on the agency’s listShutterstock and Adobe publish lists; Adobe also takes most widescreen ratios; Pond5 “generally” accepts any resolutionShutterstock technical requirements; Adobe technical requirements; Pond5 footage page
No black barsShutterstock rejects letterboxing, pillarboxing and matting; pillarbox only for archival footageShutterstock resolution / aspect ratio (24 Nov 2025)
Native resolution, never upscaledAdobe: upscaled videos “will be rejected”; Shutterstock: do not up-resAdobe refusal reasons (11 Jun 2026); Shutterstock noise / artifacts (22 Apr 2025)
Accepted frame rate23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94 and 60 at all three; 48 at Shutterstock and Pond5 onlyShutterstock and Adobe technical requirements; Pond5 footage page
No ghosting, duplicate or skipped framesShutterstock rejects bad frame rate conversions, frame blending and jerky motion from shutter speedShutterstock frame rate / shutter speed (14 Jul 2025)
Length 5 to 60 secondsAll three; Shutterstock accepts shorter loops and complete transitionsShutterstock clip length (22 Apr 2025); Adobe technical requirements; Pond5 footage page
File size10 GB Shutterstock; 3,900 MB Adobe; 3 GB HD, 5 GB 4K to 6K, 6 GB 8K at Pond5Technical pages of each agency
ContainerShutterstock .mov or .mp4; Adobe MOV, MPG or MP4; Pond5 MOV or MP4Technical pages of each agency
Focus holdsShutterstock rejects a plane of focus that keeps shifting with autofocus; use single-area focusShutterstock focus (22 Apr 2025)
No visible noise, banding or blocks at 100%Shutterstock quality standardShutterstock noise / artifacts (22 Apr 2025)
Stable cameraAdobe refuses unstable video and jittery camera holdsAdobe refusal reasons (11 Jun 2026)
LOG footage gradedAdobe: simple grade, basic Rec. 709 LUT; Shutterstock prefers Rec. 709; no oversaturationAdobe refusal reasons; Shutterstock technical requirements; Shutterstock post-production (16 Jul 2025)
No transitions, titles or effectsAdobe asks for clean clips; Pond5 prefers clips with no editsAdobe editing page (11 Jun 2026); Pond5 footage page
Correct orientationShutterstock rejects flipped or rotated files; your computer’s preview may hide the problemShutterstock orientation (16 Jul 2025)
File opens everywhereShutterstock File Integrity: corrupt or broken in transferShutterstock file integrity (17 Jul 2025)

Two of these deserve a second look. Upscaling is easy to miss in an edit where a 4K timeline holds HD clips: why upscaled video gets rejected explains how to export at native size. The quality lines are detailed in video quality rejections.

Audio

Audio checks by agency
AgencyRuleSource
ShutterstockNo sound added in post, no copyrighted music or sound effects; dialogue in a commercial clip needs the speaker’s releaseShutterstock audio (15 Jul 2025)
Adobe Stock“Adobe does not accept videos with audio”Adobe editing page (11 Jun 2026)
Pond5Audio preferred removed; in-camera microphone sound will most likely be rejectedPond5 footage page

A silent export clears all three. When sound adds value, the cases are in the audio rules of each agency.

Content and intellectual property

Content checks for commercial clips
CheckRuleSource
No logo or brand in frameShutterstock: no trademarks in commercial video, aerials judged case by case; Adobe refuses logos, brand names and identifiable packagingShutterstock intellectual property (2 Oct 2025); Adobe refusal reasons
No screen contentShutterstock generally rejects real content shown on a screenShutterstock intellectual property
No artwork without a releasePaintings, murals and graffiti need a property release at Shutterstock; Adobe refuses art, street art, fonts and graphics by othersShutterstock intellectual property; Adobe refusal reasons
No distinctive product as the subjectAdobe refuses toys, fashion, electronics or designer furniture as the main subjectAdobe refusal reasons
Landmarks and modern buildingsShutterstock’s Known Restrictions lists; Adobe refuses some landmarks even with a releaseShutterstock intellectual property; Adobe refusal reasons
No personal brandingShutterstock rejects your name, signature, watermark, logo and camera date stamps; Adobe refuses watermarksShutterstock personal branding (10 Jul 2025); Adobe refusal reasons
Clean retouchingShutterstock rejects poorly blurred or cloned logos, faces and textShutterstock post-production (16 Jul 2025)

Logos are the reason that slips through most easily, because they hide on clothes, cars and shop fronts at the edge of the frame. See logos and trademarks in footage for the editorial exception.

Releases and editorial

Release and editorial checks
CheckRuleSource
One model release per recognizable personRequired for commercial use at Shutterstock; a parent or guardian signs for a minorShutterstock legal documentation (22 Jul 2026)
Property release where neededPrivate land, interiors, restricted architecture, artworkShutterstock legal documentation
Release file is validShutterstock: one JPEG per release, handwritten signature, Gregorian dates; Adobe: consistent information, legible signature, never reused across modelsShutterstock legal documentation; Adobe refusal reasons
Release attached on Pond5A missing release sends the clip back as ReturnedPond5 uploading page
Editorial clips markedShutterstock: select Editorial at submission, with date and location in the descriptionShutterstock editorial designation (14 Jul 2025); contextual metadata (26 Feb 2026)

Metadata checks against rejection

Metadata checks by agency
CheckRuleSource
LanguageEnglish at Shutterstock and Pond5; at Adobe, the language of your contributor account, one language onlyShutterstock contextual metadata; Pond5 tagging page; Adobe titles and keywords (18 Aug 2026)
Keyword countShutterstock 7 to 50; Adobe up to 49; Pond5 up to 50Same pages
No repeated wordsShutterstock counts repeated words or stems as spam; Adobe: each keyword once; Pond5: do not repeat one wordShutterstock spamming (18 Jul 2025); Adobe titles and keywords; Pond5 tagging page
Only relevant keywordsIrrelevant terms are spam at Shutterstock and a refusal reason at AdobeShutterstock spamming; Adobe refusal reasons
No brand namesNot in commercial titles or keywords at any of the threeShutterstock contextual metadata; Adobe titles and keywords; Pond5 tagging page
No artist names, government agencies or implied newsAdobe refusal reasonsAdobe refusal reasons (11 Jun 2026)
Foreign text translatedShutterstock asks for an English translation of on-screen text in the titleShutterstock translation required (12 Dec 2025)
Adobe keyword order finalThe first 10 keywords weigh the most, and the order cannot change during moderationAdobe keyword order (11 Jun 2026)
Pond5 title40 to 80 characters, no number codesPond5 tagging page

Paste a title and keyword list into the free title and keyword checker to test length, count, duplicates and brand names against each agency.

Similar takes and AI content

Shutterstock rejects flipped or cropped copies, several color or filter variations, and the same subject at different lengths or camera moves. It allows one horizontal and one vertical version of an unmoved subject, and one color, one black-and-white and one filtered version. Adobe refuses bulk uploads with little differentiation. Send one take per shot; the detail is in what counts as similar content.

AI-generated clips: Shutterstock says they should not be submitted, Pond5 does not allow them, and Adobe refuses them without the generative AI label, as it refuses camera footage labeled as AI by mistake.

Upload-day checks

  1. File names use only a-z, A-Z, 0-9 and underscores (Shutterstock), with no spaces or dashes (Pond5).
  2. Each Adobe CSV file name has 30 characters or fewer and matches the upload exactly, letter case included.
  3. Clips are uploaded before the CSV; Shutterstock warns that the reverse can return File Not Found.
  4. Old rows for clips you are not submitting are removed from the CSV.

Where this check sits in the full chain, from card to review, is in the stock footage workflow.

Where RushPilot fits

RushPilot automates part of this checklist. It is a desktop app in private beta that checks each clip for common rejection reasons (resolution, length, logos, upscaling), writes English titles, descriptions and keywords to each agency’s rules, waits for your approval and uploads to Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and Pond5.

It does not collect or verify releases, and it does not replace your eye on the content lines above. You can join the waiting list.

Sources

Official agency pages. Rules change: when in doubt, the agency's own page wins. Spotted an outdated figure? Tell us from the about page.

  1. [1]Shutterstock: What are the technical requirements for video? · page updated 17 Dec 2025
  2. [2]Shutterstock: Why was my footage rejected for resolution / aspect ratio? · page updated 24 Nov 2025
  3. [3]Shutterstock: Why was my video rejected for clip length? · page updated 22 Apr 2025
  4. [4]Shutterstock: Quality standards: noise / artifacts · page updated 22 Apr 2025
  5. [5]Shutterstock: Content quality standards: focus · page updated 22 Apr 2025
  6. [6]Shutterstock: Content quality standards: frame rate / shutter speed · page updated 14 Jul 2025
  7. [7]Shutterstock: Content quality standards: post-production · page updated 16 Jul 2025
  8. [8]Shutterstock: Why was my content rejected for image / video orientation? · page updated 16 Jul 2025
  9. [9]Shutterstock: Why was my content rejected for file integrity? · page updated 17 Jul 2025
  10. [10]Shutterstock: Troubleshooting uploading errors · page updated 15 Jul 2025
  11. [11]Shutterstock: Why was my video rejected for audio? · page updated 15 Jul 2025
  12. [12]Shutterstock: Content publishing standards: intellectual property · page updated 2 Oct 2025
  13. [13]Shutterstock: Why was my content rejected for personal branding / timestamp? · page updated 10 Jul 2025
  14. [14]Shutterstock: Why was my content rejected as non-licensable content? · page updated 16 Jul 2025
  15. [15]Shutterstock: Content publishing standards: legal documentation · page updated 22 Jul 2026
  16. [16]Shutterstock: Why was my content rejected for editorial designation? · page updated 14 Jul 2025
  17. [17]Shutterstock: Content publishing standards: contextual metadata · page updated 26 Feb 2026
  18. [18]Shutterstock: How are keyword and title spamming defined? · page updated 18 Jul 2025
  19. [19]Shutterstock: Why was my content rejected for translation required? · page updated 12 Dec 2025
  20. [20]Shutterstock: Why was my content rejected for similar content? · page updated 11 Jul 2025
  21. [21]Shutterstock: How do I include existing metadata with my content submission? (CSV) · page updated 8 Sep 2026
  22. [22]Adobe Stock: Technical requirements for video submissions · page updated 11 Jun 2026Read from the Wayback Machine copy of September 2026; the live help center blocks automated access.
  23. [23]Adobe Stock: Edit videos for submission · page updated 11 Jun 2026Read from the Wayback Machine copy of September 2026; the live help center blocks automated access.
  24. [24]Adobe Stock: Common reasons for content refusal · page updated 11 Jun 2026Read from the Wayback Machine copy of September 2026; the live help center blocks automated access.
  25. [25]Adobe Stock: Tips for effective titles and keywords · page updated 18 Aug 2026Read from the Wayback Machine copy of September 2026; the live help center blocks automated access.
  26. [26]Adobe Stock: Change the order of your keywords · page updated 11 Jun 2026Read from the Wayback Machine copy of September 2026; the live help center blocks automated access.
  27. [27]Adobe Stock: CSV requirements · page updated 11 Jun 2026Read from the Wayback Machine copy of September 2026; the live help center blocks automated access.
  28. [28]Pond5: How to prepare your footage for uploadPage without a date, read on 13 October 2026.
  29. [29]Pond5: Tagging and pricing your filesPage without a date, read on 13 October 2026.
  30. [30]Pond5: Uploading your filesPage without a date, read on 13 October 2026.
  31. [31]Pond5: Does Pond5 allow AI generated content for licensing? · page updated 5 Nov 2024Read from the Wayback Machine copy of 26 July 2026; the live help center blocks automated access.

Questions

What should I check before uploading stock footage?

Four groups: the file (resolution, frame rate, length, size, no black bars, no upscaling), the content (logos, screens, artwork, personal watermarks, audio), the rights (model and property releases, editorial marking) and the metadata (language, keyword count, repeated words, brand names).

How do I avoid Shutterstock rejection?

Check each clip against the reasons Shutterstock publishes: minimum quality (noise, focus, frame rate, post-production), resolution and black bars, clip length, audio, intellectual property, personal branding, releases, keyword spam and similar content. Every item on this page links to the article that defines it.

Is there a pre-submission check for stock video I can run for free?

The spec part, yes: the free video spec checker reads a clip’s resolution, frame rate, codec, length and size in your browser. The title and keyword checker tests metadata against each agency’s limits. Logos and releases still need a person looking at the clip.

Does one checklist work for Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and Pond5?

Mostly. Apply the strictest rule on each line: no audio (Adobe), 3 GB at most for HD (Pond5) and 3,900 MB for 4K (Adobe), file names with only letters, digits and underscores (Shutterstock and Pond5), 7 to 49 keywords (Shutterstock’s minimum, Adobe’s maximum).

Can I blur a logo instead of reshooting?

At your own risk. Shutterstock’s post-production standard rejects poorly blurred trademarks, faces and business names, and poorly cloned logos or text. Keeping the logo out of frame at the shoot is safer.

Should I resubmit a refused clip without changes?

No. Read the reason first: Adobe shows it in the Contributor Portal, Shutterstock in the Recently reviewed tab, Pond5 by email or as a Returned note. Fix that cause, and check the rest of the shoot for the same problem.

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