What‘s the difference between a good and great image? Sometimes, it‘s just a matter of tweaking a photograph after the shoot. This, however, sometimes leads to problems, as the gulf between “tweaking” and “manipulating” grows ever wider as you trudge through your editing process. More often than not, over-manipulating can lead to this:

Rejection reason: Effects. We do not allow autotracing, simple filters or artificial framing.

Regardless of any rejection reason you may or may not have received, images submitted to Shutterstock must be of high technical quality. Photos are rarely perfect when taken straight from the camera. Editing is almost as important a skill as creating an image. However, as you pore over your image in Photoshop, plotting and planning how to make your image as perfect as can be, remember to approach it as more of a slight touch-up rather than a full-blown reconstruction.

Let‘s take a look at some images that would be rejected for effects.



It is pretty obvious that this photo has been altered, and not in a way that serves to benefit the image from a marketability standpoint. This is surely over-processed, no matter the good intentions involved. Sometimes, when tweaking an image to improve its quality, less is more. Try to be as subtle as possible.

Now for an example of autotracing:



This is pretty self-explanatory. We do not allow autotracing, as this may create an unintentional issue with copyright (derivative works). The image may also become too simple to be approved. This especially holds true for turning photos into illustrations or vectors.

Artificial framing is pretty self-explanatory: Don‘t bother framing your image. Leave that to the buyer, who will decide whether they need it or not.

Try to rely more on your skills as a photographer/designer/illustrator and less on the software. Although editing is important, if you take this approach, you will be able to spend more time shooting/creating and less time editing – not to mention you will produce your best-looking images.

Remember, with photography, focus on being a skilled shooter first and editor second. The better you become at the former, the less time you‘ll need to spend as the latter.

Is there a rejection reason you‘d like to see addressed in a newsletter? Email atlarge@shutterstock.com.

Past Rejection Reasons:
Color Profiles in Vectors
Why Was My Image Rejected for Keywords?
Why Photos Get Rejected for Poor Lighting
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