Stock video rejected for quality issues

Adobe Stock video rejected for quality issues: how each agency reports it

Shutterstock returns technical problems under a single label. The causes are spread across its Content Review help collection: noise and artifacts, focus, exposure, white balance, camera movement, distortion, frame rate and shutter speed, interlacing, aliasing and moiré, editing, distracting elements and post-production. A few use a label of their own, such as “Content contains visible aliasing / moiré.”

Its quality requirements article (17 July 2025) explains what happens next. Reviews mix automated and human checks. A video that meets every legal, compliance and metadata requirement but fails the minimum quality requirements “will only be accepted for data licensing.” A video with an “egregious quality issue” is rejected. Shutterstock also admits that “different reviewers may have slightly different views about what is acceptable content.”

Adobe shows a refusal reason in the Contributor Portal but says its moderation team “cannot provide detailed, individual feedback for every submission.” Its refusal page lists six video problems: unstable video or jittery camera holds, low frame rates, poor lighting or color grading, visible transitions, logos or text, ungraded LOG footage and upscaled video. Its quality page adds rolling-shutter artifacts “such as skew, jello effects, or flash banding.”

Quality problems at a glance

Noise, compression and over-processing

Shutterstock’s noise article covers digital noise, film grain, compression artifacts and macroblocks, pixelation and banding. It names ISO 800, 1600 and 3200 as settings that introduce noise and asks for the lowest ISO you can use, as little compression as possible, and the clip in its captured format, without changing its resolution.

Cleaning noise in post brings its own rejection. Shutterstock describes too much noise reduction as a “plastic wrap” look and too much sharpening as a “crispy” look with halos, and asks for both to be applied selectively. Adobe’s do’s and don’ts warn against over-sharpening and against a drastic contrast increase, which can bring out noise and lose detail.

Banding can come from the export as well as from the camera. Pond5 notes that compression causes banding and artifacting and asks you to export at native resolution, aspect ratio and frame rate. If a sky bands only in the delivery file, export again at a higher bitrate or in ProRes, which Shutterstock and Adobe both list.

Dirt counts as a quality fault too. Shutterstock rejects visible dust and sensor spots, footage shot through dirty glass, prominent moisture on the lens and distracting reflections, including a reflection of you and your gear.

Focus, exposure and white balance

Focus. Shutterstock rejects footage that is out of focus, unintentionally soft, focused on the wrong point or blurred by motion, plus one video-only case: a plane of focus that keeps changing because of autofocus. It recommends single-area autofocus over continuous. A smooth rack focus passes, and so does a focus plane that shifts slightly while it follows the subject. Adobe asks you to cut camera adjustments such as focusing and zooming out of the clip.

Exposure. Blown highlights, crushed shadows, flat light, clouds that change the light during the clip, abrupt auto-exposure changes and color fringing are all listed by Shutterstock. Creative high-key or backlit shots pass when they are balanced and intentional, and Shutterstock asks you to describe the lighting in the title. It recommends checking the camera histogram for clipping in shadows and highlights.

White balance. Shutterstock rejects an unnatural blue, orange or green cast, giving the example of a tungsten setting used in daylight. A deliberate tint passes if it is well done and fits the subject, again described in the title. Adobe asks for correct white balance and exposure, with a grade that stays consistent across frames.

Shake, stabilization and distortion

Shutterstock’s rule: “Camera movement should be intentional and motivated by action within the frame.” Unstable footage, abrupt moves and a jarring or inconsistent zoom are rejected; shake passes when it is a stylistic choice that matches the content. It also warns that panning too quickly can cause a strobing effect. Adobe refuses “unstable video or jittery camera holds” and points to camera supports and in-camera stabilization.

Stabilization in post is allowed at both, with conditions. Shutterstock asks you to preview the result for distortion, and its post-production article asks you to submit clips with subtle or organic movement without added stabilization. Adobe suggests editing tools or in-camera stabilization for handheld and high-motion shots. Stabilize the shots that need it, then check straight lines and frame edges for warping.

Shutterstock files rolling shutter, flicker, wobbly video and objects that move when they should stay still under Distortion / Anomaly. To avoid flicker under artificial light, it advises frame rates and shutter speeds matched to the light’s pulse rate.

Frame rate, shutter speed and interlacing

Shutterstock rejects a frame rate outside its list, ghosting, duplicate or skipped frames from a frame rate conversion, visible frame blending and jerky motion from the wrong shutter speed. Its advice is to shoot and export at the same rate and to avoid conversions. Adobe lists “low frame rates” as a refusal reason, and its list of rates leaves out 48 fps, which Shutterstock accepts. The accepted rates for each agency are in the stock footage frame rates guide.

Interlaced footage is accepted at Shutterstock if the combing is not distracting. Deinterlacing to progressive can introduce frame blending or ghosting, so the agency recommends shooting progressive whenever possible.

Aliasing and moiré

Shutterstock rejects aliasing or moiré that is a noticeable distraction, with the example of a wavy pattern on a laptop screen. Fine stripes, patterns and repeated details cause it. The fixes it lists: a camera with an anti-aliasing (optical low-pass) filter, a different angle, moving closer, or a slower or faster pan or tilt. Since every fix happens on set, check patterned shirts, screens and brick walls in the monitor before you roll.

Grading, LOG and editing

Adobe: “Logarithmic gamma (log) videos should have simple color grading applied,” with a basic Rec. 709 LUT recommended. It advises against oversaturation, vignettes that add nothing, heavy grades and cinematic LUTs unless they reflect the scene as filmed, and any transition, title or effect. Shutterstock prefers Rec. 709 and lists oversaturation, overused noise reduction or sharpening, visible dodging and burning, extreme adjustments, unsuitable filters, digital flicker and rendering errors. Pond5 accepts moderate correction and reminds you that many buyers grade footage themselves.

Editing is reviewed too. Shutterstock rejects partial segments of other clips, excessive black at the head or tail and poorly executed montages, and asks for a small head and tail around the action. Adobe recommends edit handles of 1 to 5 seconds. Pond5 prefers clips without edits and asks you to split a sequence into separate clips.

Resizing is the last trap. Shutterstock lists pixelation from upscaling under noise, and Adobe refuses upscaled video outright: see why upscaled video gets rejected.

Check a clip before upload

1. Confirm the resolution, frame rate, codec and length against the agency’s list. The free video spec checker reads them from the file.
2. Play the whole clip at 100% on a large screen, and pause on shadows, skies and fast motion.
3. Check the histogram on the brightest and darkest moments.
4. Step frame by frame through a fast pan to catch ghosting, repeated frames or combing.
5. Look at fine patterns for moiré and at straight lines for warping after stabilization.
6. Compare the graded export with the camera original, side by side.
7. Trim focus hunts, zooms and black frames, and keep a short handle at each end.

After a rejection, fix the file and submit the corrected version. Do not delete and resubmit a clip that is still pending review: Shutterstock says this may get it permanently blocked. The other rejection causes are on the stock footage rejections overview, and Adobe’s full file specs are on the Adobe Stock requirements page.