Stock video requirements by agency, side by side

Stock video requirements at a glance

The three agencies that publish their rules agree on the basics: a .mov or .mp4 file of 5 to 60 seconds. They part ways on file size, on 48 fps, on the exact list of resolutions and on metadata limits. Each agency has its own page with every rule and its source: Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and Pond5.

File, codecs, audio and color

Motion JPEG is the one codec where the agencies split: Adobe Stock lists it and Pond5 refuses it. H.264 and ProRes in a .mov file appear on all three lists. On sound, Adobe’s editing page (11 June 2026) states that Adobe “does not accept videos with audio”, while its do’s and don’ts page (27 March 2026) asks for a model release for each identifiable voice, or no audio. A silent export satisfies both, and it is the safe default for every agency.

H.265 is accepted by Shutterstock and Pond5, but Shutterstock does not recommend it because of a known HDR compatibility issue, and Adobe Stock does not list it.

Shutterstock’s 10 GB comes from its technical requirements page (17 December 2025). Its older noise and artifacts article (22 April 2025) still mentions a 4 GB limit; follow the technical page.

Frame rates

A clip shot at 48 fps and converted for Adobe brings its own risk. Shutterstock lists visible ghosting, duplicate frames and skipped frames caused by frame rate conversion as quality rejections, and recommends shooting and exporting at the same rate. For a clip meant for all three agencies, record at one of the rates they share.

Resolutions and orientation

Take a 2.39:1 export. Adobe accepts most widescreen ratios at a reduced height. Shutterstock only takes its listed sizes and rejects letterboxing, pillarboxing and matting, so the same clip needs a 16:9 crop before it goes there. 2.7K drone footage at 2704x1520 is on Shutterstock’s list and missing from Adobe’s.

Vertical video has a catch at Shutterstock. Its technical page lists four vertical sizes, but its article on mobile video (13 March 2026) asks you to rotate vertical clips into a horizontal position before submitting. Follow the technical page and check how the portal shows your first vertical clip before sending a batch.

360-degree video is another split. Shutterstock does not accept 360, VR or 3D footage. Pond5 takes 360 VR clips of 45 to 119 seconds in a 2:1 ratio. Adobe’s technical page does not mention 360 video, and Getty keeps its 360 VR rules behind the login.

Titles, descriptions and keywords

Adobe also ranks keywords by position: the first 10 have the greatest influence on search, so order matters there more than anywhere else. The full comparison, with titles and descriptions, is in keyword limits by agency.

AI-generated video

The quoted policies, the conditions Adobe sets and what each agency counts as AI are on the AI video policies page.

Upload methods and limits

Adobe does not define what makes an account “qualified” for SFTP. Shutterstock notes that files sent over FTPS can take up to 72 hours to appear in your account.

In depth: uploading to Shutterstock, to Adobe Stock and to Pond5.

What each agency pays for video

iStock and Getty Images: what is public

Getty’s public “Preparing your content” page covers both Getty Images and iStock. For video, it states only this:

• a minimum of 5 seconds, with a suggested maximum of 30 seconds, longer if the content justifies it;
• a maximum file size of 6 GB;
• no submissions created with AI generative models such as Stable Diffusion, DALL-E 2 or Midjourney, while 3D renders and digital editing tools remain allowed;
• files too similar to others in a series can be flagged as duplicates and rejected;
• visible trademarks and logos should be removed.

The complete video technical requirements and the 360 VR video rules sit behind the contributor login. Keyword limits are not on Getty’s public pages either. Royalty rates are: the iStock rate card, effective July 1, 2026, pays 20% per video license to non-exclusive contributors and 25% to 45% to exclusive ones on istock.com.

In depth: what iStock and Getty Images publish about video.

One export for Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and Pond5

Every item below sits inside the published rules of all three agencies at once:

• a .mov file in H.264 or ProRes;
• 3840x2160, 4096x2160, 4096x2304, 2048x1080 or 1920x1080 horizontal; 1080x1920, 2160x3840, 2160x4096 or 2304x4096 vertical;
• 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94 or 60 fps, recorded at that rate;
• 5 to 60 seconds (Adobe recommends 10 to 20, and Getty suggests 30 at most);
• under 3 GB for an HD or vertical clip, under 3,900 MB for 4K;
• no audio track, no black bars, LOG footage graded to Rec. 709;
• a file name of letters and digits, 30 characters or fewer with the extension: Pond5 refuses spaces, dashes, accents and special characters, Shutterstock allows only letters, digits and underscores, and Adobe’s CSV caps file names at 30 characters.

To check a clip before upload, drop it into the free video spec checker: it reads resolution, frame rate, codec, length and size, and shows what each agency would reject.