Skip to main content
Participating Frequently
June 28, 2025
Answered

Best file format for Adobe Stock upload: EPS or SVG? Transparent background or not?

  • June 28, 2025
  • 3 replies
  • 835 views

Hello everyone,


I’m looking for advice on best practices for uploading vector files to Adobe Stock I usually upload SVGs but many recommend EPS 10.


-Is EPS still preferred over SVG by contributors and buyers
-Should vectors have a transparent background or a solid color
-Does resolution like 1000 by 1000 versus 5000 by 5000 pixels affect previews or search ranking despite vectors being scalable.


Thanks in advance for any tips

 

[Moderator moved the thread to the correct forum]

Correct answer Abambo
  • Vectors should have a transparent background, as Adobe then offers also PNG files.
  • the size of your artboard determines the JPEG and PNG resolution, so more is better.
  • Adobe suggests to use SVG for single icons. If you have an icon collection, you should use Illustrator.
  • I would prefer Illustrator format, with the embedded PDF file, to give non-Illustrator vector programs a chance to open the file.

3 replies

Nancy OShea
Community Expert
Community Expert
July 25, 2025

Preferred file type is native Adobe Illustrator .AI which maintains color profiles.

SVG is smaller for use on the web. No color profiles so it's rarely used for commercial print. 

EPS is a zombie file type that has no color profiles & is seldom used much anymore.

 

Transparency varies by design, content & artist.

Some T-shirt graphics contain transparency, while others are 100% opaque.

There are no hard & fast rules about when to use transparency in Stock images. That's the designer's decision to make.

 

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
Abambo
Community Expert
Community Expert
July 26, 2025
quote

Transparency varies by design, content & artist.


By @Nancy OShea

A transparent background allows Adobe to add also the PNG file format. So instead of adding a white box, you should add no box at all. Visually, from the JPEG perspective, both will be equal, for a PNG file, there will be a huge difference. 

 

And if the printing process includes white, the look of the pint on the T-shirt will also be different…

 

 

 

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer
Abambo
Community Expert
AbamboCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
July 25, 2025
  • Vectors should have a transparent background, as Adobe then offers also PNG files.
  • the size of your artboard determines the JPEG and PNG resolution, so more is better.
  • Adobe suggests to use SVG for single icons. If you have an icon collection, you should use Illustrator.
  • I would prefer Illustrator format, with the embedded PDF file, to give non-Illustrator vector programs a chance to open the file.
ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer
Community Expert
June 28, 2025

The SVG format has certain limitations I don't like, such as no native support for CMYK. EPS supports RGB and CMYK color modes, but doesn't truly support transparency effects. However, many vector graphics images make no use of transparency effects. EPS is a format widely supported by numerous graphics applications, not just those made by Adobe. The Adobe Illustrator .AI format natively supports the most features and effects (including real transparency) and can include PDF compatibility in the AI file.