Shutterstock is dedicated to defending our contributors and fighting fraud. We monitor high risk activities, such as referrals, and maintain a three month probationary period on earnings accrued from these activities. You can keep track of your delayed earnings here.

Our “Most Popular” search algorithm returns the images that register the highest number of downloads after adjusting for how long they have been available to subscribers. However, we use an adjustment factor to prevent an image that has had a quick five or ten downloads in the first day from showing up in the search results. It would take extremely heavy downloading in the first few days for an image to overcome this adjustment and show up high on the “Most Popular” list. Our “Most Popular” sorting option orders the results based on which ones are popular in a sustained way, as opposed to favoring images that have been on the site longer or were initially popular but had no staying power. The same holds true for footage.

Yes. You can login to your account to see real time statistics at any time. Each image and footage clip that is downloaded is logged into the detail section in your account.

Images will be sold from our main Shutterstock.com website. Footage will be sold on the Shutterstock Footage site. To reach the largest possible number of customers, we also distribute our content through some third party affiliates. You will earn money from downloads from affiliate sites at the same rate as from Shutterstock.

Yes. As long as you can receive and cash checks by air postal mail, and your pictures are 100% yours, you can contribute. If your country isn’t listed on the signup form, please contact support@shutterstock.com and submit your portfolio. We may also require references. Checks will be drawn in U.S. dollars, so please make sure your bank is capable of cashing this type of check.

You are responsible for choosing keywords for your own images, but we do not recommend using a thesaurus, and keyword-spamming (using unrelated words) in order to be included in more searches is against our rules. We will disable your account if we see keyword-spamming on your images. Please see our Guidelines Page for more information.

Yes. Simply go to your list of approved or pending photos and click on the pencil icon. Any modifications to the description, categories or keywords will result in the re-queuing of your photo for approval.

The higher the better. We suggest using scanning images at a minimum of 300 DPI, but obviously you will have to increase the DPI dramatically if you are scanning negatives. Use a DPI to reach a target size of around 3000x4000 pixels.

Your ID could have been rejected for any of the following reasons: It is not a valid form of ID, it did not upload properly, the same individual already has an active account with us, the same individual has a disabled account with us, the ID is already pending in another account, the ID is illegible, the name is not in English; the name on the ID does not match the name on file, or the country on ID does not match the country on file. Keep in mind that the best ID is always a passport valid for international travel.

We have 3 different upload methods: FTP, a browser plugin, and HTTP. After you create an account, you will see instructions for each method.

Yes. Shutterstock does not require contributors to work with us exclusively. You can read more in our Contributor Terms of Service.

We require JPG or JPEG files for images and model releases. However, you are also welcome to upload TIFF’s. TIFF files are ultimately converted into a JPG file by our system. Please note: All JPG files are converted to sRGB for online display. For vector files, we also accept EPS file formats compatible with Adobe Illustrator 8 or higher. If you’re submitting a vector, we require that a low-res JPG file is also submitted for online display.

The size requirement for new contributors is 4.0MP. (Contributors who have been uploading to Shutterstock for some time may continue to upload 2.5MP images until further notice.) There is no maximum size limit for photos, but illustrations cannot exceed 25MP. To determine the amount of pixels in an image, multiply the width by the length. For example: a photo that is 2400x1800 adds up to a total of 4.32 million pixels, so a photo of this size is valid. However, a photo which is 1000x1600 adds up to a total of 1.6 million pixels, which is smaller than our minimum size requirement for new contributors.

Images and footage clips are usually approved or rejected within 48 hours. During busy times, it could take a few additional days.

We place watermarks of the Shutterstock logo over all previews of our images and videos. (The watermarks do not appear on the files customers pay to download.) We also respond aggressively to unauthorized distribution of Shutterstock files and to copyright infringement. If you believe your Shutterstock work has been infringed, please contact us immediately at submit@shutterstock.com with as many details as possible.

Our customers are not required to report how they use the images they download, so there is no way to know how your images and footage clips are being used. However, buyers must follow our Customer Terms of Service, which limit how they can use Shutterstock content. Customers cannot resell your content, for example.

Yes. Our review team inspects all uploaded images and footage for acceptance into our library.

Simply visit our Sign-Up Page, fill out a short form, and start uploading content.

No. It’s free to contribute and you earn money when your images are downloaded.

No. We have strict guidelines that determine what you can upload into our system. Please visit our Guidelines Page for more information.

No. Uploading images or video that you did not create is prohibited. Please visit our Guidelines Page for more information.

You will need to upload two files for each vector illustration you want to submit. One file is the vector in Adobe Illustrator 8 or higher EPS format (with a .eps extension). The second file is a JPEG preview of that vector. The preview should be approximately 400x500 pixels. The two files should have identical names except for the extensions. (For example: vector_example.jpg, vector_example.eps) To make sure our system recognizes your vector submission, please wait until both files have uploaded before visiting the submission page. We support EXIF data in the jpg and in the eps file. Please keep your vector files under 15 megabytes and be sure to save them for compatibility with Adobe Illustrator 8 or higher. A file that is saved for a lower version of Illustrator is not backwards compatible and it will be rejected.

Yes. Feel free to upload them. You are allowed to upload vector illustrations into two categories: one must be Illustrations, and the other can be any category of your choice depending on the subject of the image.

You can submit as many images as you like as long as they meet our guidelines. For footage, no single batch should contain more than 20 clips.

No. Our system automatically created the different sizes for our customers. You should upload the largest version of the file that you have.

We receive thousands of submissions per day and our acceptance standards are high. We reject images for a variety of reasons, including quality and commercial value. When Shutterstock declines to accept an image or footage clip but we believe your submission could be improved and resubmitted, our reviewers will provide a rejection reason in the e-mail you receive. Please visit our Guidelines Page for more information. We also recommend you visit our forums to get advice from other contributors or to search for archived discussions about rejection and acceptance.

Image payout rates range from $0.25 to $28.00 USD per download. Footage contributors earn a 30% commission each time a clip is purchased. A chart outlining payout rates can be found here.

Shutterstock is different from other stock image sites. We do not sell images one at a time. Instead, we sell subscriptions to volume customers who download lots of images. Because of the high number of downloads on our site, Shutterstock contributors often see their earnings add up fast. The larger and more diverse your image portfolio, the more you’ll earn.

Each time a user downloads one of your images or footage clips, a commission is added to your earnings. The more popular your portfolio, the more money you earn. You will be able to see detailed statistics in the members area.

Yes. You must accumulate at least $75 to be paid by Paypal or Moneybookers, or $300 to be paid by paper check. All earnings are brought forward into the next pay period until you reach the minimum, at which time a payout will be issued automatically. If you close your account before your earnings reach the minimum, you will forfeit those earnings. The default minimum payout is set to $100. You can change this to $75 if you would like within the ‘My Account’ part of the website.

Every month, checks are sent out for the previous month’s payouts. For example: On the 15th of March, payments will be sent for February downloads. If during any period you haven’t reached the minimum payout, your earnings will be brought forward to the next pay period.

Most people do not incur fees when receiving their commission payments through these e-payment platforms, but it depends on your geographic location and the type of PP/MB account you have. Please contact them directly to inquire about fees and services in your geographic area.

No. Once you reach the minimum earnings amount for your payment type, a check or e-payment will automatically be processed. Please make sure we have accurate information so that payments aren’t delayed. You may set your minimum payout to be as low as $75 for Paypal or Moneybookers payments.

Payments are issued mid-month. Checks can take up to 4 weeks to arrive at their destination and 6 weeks if sent internationally. If you still do not have your check 6 weeks after the end of the calendar month, please e-mail support@shutterstock.com and we will send you a new check. We can only reissue payment in the original form of payout.

Yes. All editorial photos will have a disclaimer below them indicating that the image may need additional releases to be used in a commercial manner.

Commercial stock images are used in advertisements, promotions, and anything that would endorse a product or service. Editorial stock depicts some newsworthy subject. Unlike commercial images, editorial images may contain recognizable people without model releases, and trademarked designs such as logos, vehicles and buildings.

Yes. We have a special category for editorial photographs. Examples include photos of news events, concerts, athletes and celebrities. To submit an editorial image, select ‘Editorial, does not need release’ at the keywording phase of the submit process. Editorial images must have a proper caption. For more information, please see this Shutterstock forum post.

Not necessarily. This category consists of newsworthy images. Think about anything you would see in the newspaper that isn’t endorsing a product or service. If you have studio-shot, non-newsworthy stock photos of people without model releases, do not upload them as editorial images. Submissions of generic family snapshots or other portraits will not be accepted as editorial.

No. However, images with releases are likely to appeal to more customers and have better sales. You should obtain model and property releases whenever possible.

Usually. Many of our customers are commercial image buyers who are unlikely to download editorial images. Editorial images may be used by newspapers, magazines, TV, and other news organizations that aren’t endorsing a product or service.

For more information, please see this Shutterstock forum post, see this Shutterstock newsletter article and our Guidelines Page.

Please see the forum rules on our Guidelines Page.

Yes! Visit our Contact Page and send it to us by email.

Yes. You can earn money referring customers and contributors to Shutterstock. Learn about our affiliate program.

The critique forum is a part of the Shutterstock forum where your fellow contributors can offer tips about how to improve your images. They have seen what gets accepted here on Shutterstock and also what sells well over time. Always post your images for critique with a 100% crop.

Yes. We don’t take your old images down.

We accept tasteful nudes at our discretion. Any nude photo depicting an identifiable person (showing definable features such as a face, scar, or tattoo) must be accompanied by both a model release AND a valid ID stating that the model is 21 years of age or older.

Yes. The easiest way to do this is to opt out of all image sales from within your account settings. This will halt all your Shutterstock sales and you will have the option to reactive your account if you change your mind.

Yes. You can remove any content you submit any time. Removal is immediate and not reversible. Please note that we cannot stop a customer from using an image or footage clip if they have already downloaded it.

Yes. Visit the Shutterstock Forum.

A warning puts you on notice that a large percentage of your images contain flaws. Please see our Guidelines Page for rules to follow to avoid warnings.

Yes. Shutterstock reserves the right to remove any image from the site, at any time, for any reason.

Your portfolio should reflect your best work, not your learning curve. We encourage you to periodically look at which of your images are selling and which aren’t. If you have older photos that are not selling well and do not reflect your current abilities, we encourage you to remove them from the library.

In most cases, problems are resolved without a series of repeated warnings. In cases of severe or consistent violations of our guidelines, we may suspend an account or place a contributor on probation, requiring them to reapply and get 7 of 10 images accepted.

Any photo depicting an identifiable person (showing definable features such as a face, scar, or tattoo) must have a model release for commercial license. If you do not have a model release, you can upload the photo as an editorial image.

The next of kin or a close relative must sign the release on their behalf.

Our upload system provides an option to upload scanned releases with your photos. This is the only way to provide Shutterstock with releases.

The need for property releases varies from location to location, and it is the photographer’s responsibility to determine if one is necessary. For more information, please see this Shutterstock Forum post.

Our Legal Documents page contains sample release forms.

Yes.

Yes, but you must upload these photos as editorial images. These photos will be considered editorial photos.