How to upload video to Adobe Stock

Before you upload: check the clip

A clip refused for a technical reason still went through upload, metadata and moderation. Adobe's submission page asks for four checks first: the video is correctly formatted and free of technical flaws, redundant content, noise and audio are removed, the metadata is accurate, and any releases are ready.

Two Adobe pages treat sound differently. The editing page (11 June 2026) refuses audio outright; the older do's and don'ts page (27 March 2026) asks for a release for every identifiable voice or the removal of the audio. Exporting without sound satisfies both. Since the preview comes from the 5-second mark, make sure that frame shows the subject clearly before you export. The full list of resolutions is on the Adobe Stock requirements page.

How to upload video to Adobe Stock in the browser

1. Sign in to the Contributor Portal with your Adobe ID.
2. In the top panel, select Upload.
3. Drag your clips into the page, or select Browse to pick them from your computer.
4. Open the New tab. Adobe generates a preview of each video there, and that is where you add the metadata.

The browser suits a handful of clips. For large files or big batches, Adobe itself points to SFTP, which it describes as the better option for bulk uploads and large videos that may not upload reliably through the web interface.

SFTP for qualified accounts

Adobe offers SFTP to qualified accounts only. The page does not say how an account qualifies. To find out whether yours does, open Upload in the portal and select Learn More: that is where Adobe shows the server information and your personal login.

1. Install an SFTP client. Adobe names FileZilla; an existing FTP client works if you switch the connection type to SFTP.
2. Copy the hostname and ID from Upload, then Learn More, and select Generate password.
3. Connect with that password. Leave the port blank, or set it to 22 if your client asks.
4. Upload the clips as standalone files. Files inside folders or archives are not supported.

The generated password works for all your SFTP connections, standard and mission uploads alike, and you can reuse it. If you use a third-party upload tool, enter the new credentials there too. If switching an FTP client to SFTP does not connect, Adobe suggests installing a dedicated SFTP client. A file that failed can be sent again with the re-upload option.

Title, keywords and category

Each clip needs three fields before you can submit it:

Adobe can suggest keywords at upload. Review them: remove anything the clip does not show and move the subject, the action and the place to the top, since the first 10 positions weigh the most in search. The details are in Adobe Stock keyword order.

Metadata for a whole batch: the CSV

For more than a few clips, fill a CSV file instead of typing each field. Upload the clips first, then go to Uploaded Files, open the New tab, choose Upload CSV, pick your file and refresh the page. File names must match the uploaded clips exactly, extension and case included, or the rows do not attach. The Filename column takes 30 characters at most, extension included, so rename long camera files before you upload them rather than after. The columns and a template for video are in the Adobe Stock CSV guide.

The generative AI label

Adobe accepts video made with generative AI tools, under conditions. If any part of a clip was created that way, tick Created using generative AI during submission. The clip must meet the same technical and legal requirements as other footage, with no embedded text or watermark and no artist style or real intellectual property. Mislabeling works both ways on Adobe's refusal list: leaving the box unticked on an AI clip, or ticking it on a clip that is not generative AI. Shutterstock and Pond5 refuse AI-generated content, so a labeled clip goes to Adobe only: see the AI video policies by agency.

Attach model and property releases

A recognizable person needs a model release; private property, artwork or a distinctive object may need a property release. Adobe asks for a release for each person in the clip; group releases and forms combined digitally are refused.

1. In the Uploaded Files tab, select the clip.
2. In the right panel, answer Yes to "Recognizable people or property?".
3. Search for a release you already uploaded, or create a new one with Adobe Sign or Bulk upload scanned releases.
4. Enter the name, email, release language, signing date and your role, then select Review request.

Submit and moderation

1. Check the preview, the metadata and the releases, then select Save work.
2. Select Submit to send the clips to moderation.
3. Follow the status in the Contributor Portal, which notifies you when a clip is approved or refused.

Moderators look at technical quality, intellectual property, commercial value, metadata quality and how distinct the clip is from the collection. Adobe does not publish a review time: it depends on the volume in the queue, and each upload is moderated on its own. Finish the keyword order before you submit, because Adobe does not let you change it while a clip is in moderation.

Approved clips appear in Adobe Stock search and can be licensed. Status, portfolio and earnings are all in the Contributor Dashboard of the portal.

Weekly limits

Since 20 May 2025, Adobe applies a weekly submission limit and a maximum amount of content pending moderation. Reaching either one brings a temporary pause before you can submit more. Adobe has not published the figures for either limit, so plan batches around them: submit your strongest clips first and keep the rest uploaded but not yet submitted. What is known, and how to plan around it, is in the Adobe Stock submission limit.