Offset Artist FAQ

The Offset Collection on Shutterstock

Offset is the go-to source for premium visuals that pack a punch and captivate audiences. Since the launch of Offset in 2013, the collection has established itself as a valued brand among our agency and enterprise clients. To make it even easier for more of our customers to discover this meticulously crafted and curated content from award-winning artists, the Offset collection of images has been migrated to the Shutterstock e-commerce and Enterprise sites.

Offset is a destination for exceptional photographers and illustrators to share their craft with the world, influence aesthetic direction, and help narratives take shape. Offset is committed to giving world-class artists a platform where their imagery can easily be licensed.

Applying to be an Offset Artist

As an Offset artist, we encourage you to stay true to yourself and show us imagery that represents your unique perspective. We love originality and concepts that only you could create.

Offset looks for portfolios that are primarily model released, cutting-edge images with high end production. We prioritize:

Authentically inclusive and diverse perspectives
Explorations of community and society
Business, technology, and industry content
Candid lifestyle and real people
Elevated concept, product, abstract, and still life
Underrepresented groups and geographic regions

As with all Shutterstock content, customers expect premium, publish-ready images without technical flaws. Visit this support article to review our technical standards.

Offset is a collection of content that is distinct from our vast offering of creative images. You can apply to join this global network of award-winning artists who provide the absolute highest-quality visuals in the industry. After receiving your application, we will be in touch if your work meets Offset customer interests.

Review Guidelines

Our editing team’s philosophy is based on a number of variables with customer satisfaction as a principal theme. All content is reviewed with consideration of the following:

Intellectual Property - content is evaluated for potential trademark or intellectual property violations, as well as possible copyright infringements.

Releases - all content is evaluated for any necessary property or model release requirements and each release is reviewed for adherence to our release requirements.

Policy - submissions are monitored for adherence to Shutterstock content policies, like similar content and spamming.

Metadata - titles and keywords are reviewed for accuracy and relevance, as well as compliance restrictions.

Aesthetic Curation Standards - the Offset collection features inspired, high-quality visuals that engage the viewer and evoke emotion. In addition to being compositionally sound and technically flawless, we provide our customers with images that have a strong sense of storytelling, showing a narrative from beginning to end. Imagery should have realistic and contemporary styling so the images do not appear to be dated. Strive for more natural poses, and nothing too staged - capturing a genuine moment and not altering the moment too much after the fact. Shoot in spaces and homes that appear to be lived in, unstaged, contain a bit of controlled chaos, and feature artwork in background (with property releases). Intriguing, unique, and captivating images that appear to be in the moment with a level of subtle spontaneity.

Technical Curation Execution - this includes factors like lighting, focus, and noise for photos. For illustrations, factors such as gradient and blend rendering, as well as path construction are evaluated.

Editorial Content - designating images that cannot be commercially licensed to advertise or promote a product or service.

Known Image Licensing Restrictions - a reference list of currently known subjects that infringe on intellectual property.

What are the Offset Price Points?

Advertised price points for Offset images are $349 per image at 300dpi and $249 per image at 72dpi. They are available for both standard and enhanced licenses. We are always investigating other ways to get your images in front of more potential customers while maintaining the premium Offset price point.

Offset Content Requests and Briefs

We work to fulfill our client requests through your images on Offset. We share particular content requests directly through emails. Offset contributors are given access to creative briefs, which outline specific content requests received directly from clients. Our clients are from a wide range of backgrounds and are looking for exceptional creative content that stands out.