How to upload video to Pond5

Prepare the files and their names

Pond5 takes MOV or MP4. Convert anything else, AVI included, before upload. Clips run from 5 to 60 seconds, and Pond5 prefers the audio removed unless the clip is editorial or the sound is essential to its use.

File names

Pond5 forbids special characters and accents in file names, and lists examples: &, å, ñ, é, ß, ®, ©, §, ç, ä, ø, ü, quotation marks and commas. Spaces and dashes are not allowed either. A name such as harbor_sunrise_01.mov passes; harbor-sunrise 01.mov does not. Rename before uploading: the CSV identifies each clip by the name it was uploaded under. The other footage rules are on the Pond5 requirements page.

Upload in the browser

1. Log in, hover over your avatar and open your Uploads page.
2. Click Upload New File.
3. Click Choose Files, or drag the clips into the area marked "Drag and drop files here". The upload starts by itself and Pond5 tells you when it is complete.

The browser is fine for a few clips. For a full shoot, FTP hands the transfer to a desktop client, which takes many clips in one drag.

Pond5 FTP upload, step by step

1. In your dashboard, click Account, then FTP. Your FTP username is shown there.
2. Choose an FTP password of at least eight characters, different from your Pond5 login password. You can reset it from the same page or from the Upload New File pop-up.
3. Install an FTP client if you do not have one. Pond5 suggests a tool comparable to FileZilla.
4. Enter the connection details below and connect.
5. When the client shows "Status: Directory listing successful", you are signed in. Drag the clips from your computer into the remote window.

Releases by FTP

Model and property releases travel in their own folder. The FTP article says to put them in the "Release" folder; the releases page says to create a root directory named "releases" if you do not see one. Use the folder that exists on the server. Signed releases go up as JPG or PDF, usually sit in the folder for 2 to 10 minutes depending on server load, then appear on your Releases page.

After the upload: file statuses

Pond5 then processes each file: it reads the resolution, file type, size and duration, detects duplicates and builds low-resolution previews and a thumbnail, which you can change later.

Titles and keywords in bulk with Apply CSV

Clips in Needs Edits can be tagged one by one with the Edit button. The footage form asks for a title and keywords; the description, camera model or software, date created, city, country and image credit are optional. Pond5's image recognition can suggest keywords: review them and remove any that do not apply, or turn the suggestions off on your Preferences page. Batch Edit Footage and Copy Metadata from Item help with series of similar clips.

For a whole shoot, Pond5's Apply CSV page takes a spreadsheet saved as CSV: open your avatar menu, then Uploads, then Apply CSV, choose the tab for your media type and click Download CSV to get a file listing your uploads. You can also start from Pond5's blank template before uploading; it is an Excel file, so save it as CSV when it is filled in.

• Column names are not case sensitive: Title, title and TITLE all work.
• Delete the columns and rows you are not updating, to avoid errors from shifted cells.
• Save as CSV with UTF-8 characters, a comma as field delimiter and a double quotation mark as text delimiter.
• Keep an untouched copy of the downloaded file, in case your changes are not recognized.

The web form recommends 10 to 20 keywords, so 10 to 20 satisfies both. How to write the title is covered in titles and descriptions for stock footage, and the title and keyword checker tests the title and keywords.

Pricing video

Pond5 lets contributors set their own prices for images, music and other media. Video works differently. Footage sells on a tiered price structure: the price you enter is one of several factors Pond5 uses to set the list price, and the system places it in the tier that fits. A price is required for other media types, not for video.

• Set Price, from the Actions menu, changes the price of selected clips.
• Set Downconverted HD price prices the HD file Pond5 creates automatically from your 4K clip.
• Let Pond5 set my price, on the Uploads page, hands pricing to Pond5.

For reference, Pond5 points to the median sold price per media type in the Data and Trends section of its contributor portal. How Pond5 compares with Shutterstock on pricing and payouts is in Pond5 vs Shutterstock.

Releases and submission

Pond5 recommends uploading the release first, so it is approved and shows a checkmark before you tag the clip. Then select the clip on the Uploads page and use Attach Release from the Actions menu.

An editorial clip needs no release but needs a caption, in the title or the description, in the form CITY, COUNTRY (STATE) - YEAR/MONTH/DAY: then a factual description. On the Edit Item page, add a Curator Notes entry asking for the clip to be marked Editorial Use Only.

1. For one clip: on the Edit Item page, click Save and Submit for Review. Save Changes keeps the edits without sending the clip.
2. For a batch: on My Uploads, tick the clips, choose Submit in the Actions menu at the bottom and click Execute.

If an edit will not save, a required field is probably empty. Curators review files in order of submission and send the result by email: accepted, returned for edits, or rejected with a reason. An accepted clip can take up to 24 hours to appear on the marketplace.