Embedded metadata or CSV for stock video?

Can you embed metadata in video files for stock agencies and skip the spreadsheet? Here is what Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and Pond5 publish about reading embedded IPTC or XMP metadata from footage, and about the CSV files that all three document.

By RushPilotUpdated 11 October 2026Rules checked against official sources on 11 October 2026

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Do stock agencies read metadata embedded in video files?

Read on 11 October 2026, the public pages of the three agencies say this:

Embedded metadata and CSV: what each agency publishes
Agency	Embedded metadata (IPTC, XMP)	CSV
Shutterstock	Not mentioned. The article titled “How do I include existing metadata with my content submission?” (8 September 2026) describes one method: a CSV file.	Documented: columns, upload order, CSV button
Adobe Stock	For images, in a page last updated in 2021: auto-keywords are generated “unless your file already contains keywords”, and keywords added in Lightroom CC or Bridge CC are preserved. Video is not mentioned there, nor on the 2026 video submission pages.	Documented: columns, limits, template
Pond5	Not mentioned on its metadata and footage pages.	Documented: columns, limits, template, Apply CSV page

No page says an agency ignores embedded metadata in video, either. The finding is narrower: no agency promises to read it from a video file, so a workflow built on it rests on behavior the agencies have not documented. The CSV is documented by all three.

What embedding means for a video file

For video, the IPTC points to XMP. Its Video Metadata Hub recommendation (version 1.7, approved in October 2025) names XMP as the format “for metadata embedded into the binary video file”, next to JSON for exchange through APIs and C2PA assertions.

Whether a given editor writes XMP into a .mov or .mp4 file, and which fields it fills, depends on the software. If you embed, open the exported file in a metadata reader to see what is actually there. Then keep in mind the table above: none of the three agencies says it will read those fields from footage.

The CSV, agency by agency

Stock video CSV rules by agency
	Shutterstock	Adobe Stock	Pond5
Required columns	Filename, Description, Keywords, Categories	Filename, Title, Keywords	Originalfilename, Title, Keywords
Optional columns	Illustration, Mature Content, Editorial (Yes or No)	Category (a number), Releases (file name, 30 characters)	Description, City, Region, Country, Specifysource, Modelreleased, Propertyreleased, Release, Copyright, Price, Editorial
Text limits	Description: one sentence, 150 characters in the editor	Title: 70 characters, no commas or special characters	Title: 80 characters; description: 500
Keywords	7 to 50	50 maximum, ordered by importance	10 to 50
File rules	Formatted exactly like the sample; no row or size limit published	.csv only, UTF-8, exact template headers, 5,000 rows, 1 MB	Case-insensitive column names; UTF-8, comma delimiter
When to send it	After every clip is uploaded, with the CSV button on the Submit page, never by FTPS	Through the Contributor Portal	On the Apply CSV page; the blank template can be filled before upload
Row matching	File name in column A	Exact file name with extension, 30 characters maximum	The name the file was uploaded under, with extension

Shutterstock’s metadata standards allow 2,048 characters for the description, but its submission editor caps it at 150.

Adobe contradicts itself on keywords: 50 maximum in the CSV, “5-50” on the video upload page, up to 49 on its titles and keywords page. Stay at 49. Shutterstock rejects a CSV that is not formatted exactly like its sample, and asks you to strip rows for clips you are not submitting. Column by column, the files are explained in the Shutterstock CSV guide and the Adobe Stock CSV guide.

One clip, three CSV rows

The same invented clip in each agency’s CSV
Agency	Header row	Data row
Shutterstock	`Filename,Description,Keywords,Categories,Editorial`	`harbor_sunrise_01.mov,Fishing boats leave a small harbor at sunrise seen from above,"fishing boat, harbor, sunrise, aerial view, coast, sea, morning, port, water, travel","Transportation, Nature",No`
Adobe Stock	`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,`
Pond5	`originalfilename,title,keywords`	`harbor_sunrise_01.mov,"Fishing boats leave a small harbor at sunrise, aerial view","fishing boat, harbor, sunrise, aerial view, coast, sea, morning, port, water, travel"`

Adobe’s title carries no comma, as its CSV page requires; category 20 is Transport. Pond5 needs at least 10 keywords in a CSV, so all three rows use the same ten.

Why one embedded set cannot fit three agencies

Embedded metadata gives each file one title, one description and one keyword list. The three agencies ask for different things:

Shutterstock uses the description as the title: a full English sentence of at least five words, under 150 characters in the editor.
Adobe Stock wants a short title, ideally under 70 characters, in the language set on your account, and gives the first 10 keywords the most weight in search.
Pond5 wants an English title of 40 to 80 characters; the description is optional.

Order is a second problem. Adobe’s 2021 keyword page notes that Lightroom keywords “appear in alphabetical order, so be sure to reorder them according to their importance.” An alphabetical list puts “aerial” ahead of the subject of the clip. A CSV per agency carries each set separately, keyed by file name, and Adobe describes that use itself: videographers “can manage clips from a single shoot with shared keywords and unique titles.” The counts each agency allows are compared in keyword limits by agency.

Auto-keywords and your own keywords

Adobe Stock can generate suggested keywords when you upload, which you then review and adjust. Its upload page for video mentions these AI suggestions next to the 5 to 50 keywords it asks for.
Pond5 runs image-recognition auto-tagging on uploads. You can turn the suggestions off on your Preferences page, and applying a CSV that contains only your keywords is one of the ways Pond5 lists to rely on your own.

In both cases, the keywords you send by CSV are the ones you control. Review the suggestions before you keep any: an irrelevant keyword counts as spam at Shutterstock and can get content refused at Adobe.

A CSV workflow for footage

Name the files once for all three. Shutterstock allows only a-z, A-Z, 0-9 and the underscore. Adobe’s CSV takes file names of up to 30 characters with the extension. Pond5 refuses special characters, accents, spaces and dashes. A name like harbor_sunrise_01.mov passes everywhere.
Upload the clips. Over FTPS, Shutterstock files can take up to 72 hours to appear. Wait for every clip before you send a CSV.
Build one CSV per agency from the same notes, with each agency’s column names and limits.
Send each file through its own page: the CSV button on Shutterstock’s Submit page, the Adobe Contributor Portal, Pond5’s Apply CSV page.
Check a few clips in each portal before you submit the batch, and press Submit once on Shutterstock.

The columns of each file are in the Shutterstock CSV and Adobe Stock CSV guides. For the Pond5 side of the upload, see how to upload video to Pond5.

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]Shutterstock: How do I include existing metadata with my content submission? · page updated 8 Sep 2026
[2]Shutterstock: Content publishing standards: contextual metadata · page updated 26 Feb 2026
[3]Shutterstock: Portfolio: preparing your uploaded content for submission · page updated 9 Feb 2026
[4]Shutterstock: How are keyword and title spamming defined? · page updated 18 Jul 2025
[5]Shutterstock: Troubleshooting uploading errors · page updated 15 Jul 2025
[6]Shutterstock: Why can't I submit or upload my content? · page updated 15 Dec 2025
[7]Adobe Stock: CSV requirements for Adobe Stock · page updated 11 Jun 2026
[8]Adobe Stock: Create a CSV file for Adobe Stock · page updated 11 Jun 2026
[9]Adobe Stock: Benefits of organizing content using CSV files · page updated 11 Jun 2026
[10]Adobe Stock: Submit videos to Adobe Stock · page updated 11 Jun 2026
[11]Adobe Stock: Tips for effective titles and keywords · page updated 18 Aug 2026
[12]Adobe Stock: Keyword tutorial · page updated 27 Apr 2021
[13]Pond5: Tagging and pricing your filesPage without a date, read on 11 October 2026.
[14]Pond5: Preparing your files: footagePage without a date, read on 11 October 2026.
[15]IPTC: Video Metadata Hub Recommendation 1.7Approved by the IPTC Standards Committee in October 2025; read on 11 October 2026.

Questions

Does Shutterstock read metadata embedded in video files?

Its help center does not say. The article titled 'How do I include existing metadata with my content submission?' (8 September 2026) describes only a CSV file and does not mention IPTC or XMP.

Does Adobe Stock read keywords embedded in video files?

Not stated for video. A 2021 Adobe page says keywords added in Lightroom or Bridge are preserved and that auto-keywords are generated only when a file has none, but it talks about images. The 2026 video pages describe entering metadata in the portal.

Does Pond5 read XMP metadata from footage?

Pond5's metadata and footage pages do not mention embedded metadata. They document the Edit Item fields and a CSV applied from the Apply CSV page.

Which columns does a stock video CSV need?

Shutterstock: Filename, Description, Keywords, Categories. Adobe Stock: Filename, Title, Keywords. Pond5: Originalfilename, Title, Keywords. Other columns are optional.

Can one CSV file work for every agency?

No. The required columns, their names and their limits differ, and Adobe's header row must match its template exactly. Build one file per agency from the same notes.

Should I still embed metadata in my video files?

It keeps descriptions with the files in your own archive, but no agency documents reading it from video. For submissions, count on the CSV or the agency's web form.