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individualistic_Glow5ECF
Participant
October 8, 2025
Answered

Rejected for quality issues - help me improve my photos

  • October 8, 2025
  • 5 replies
  • 632 views

Hello everyone,

I recently made my first submission to Adobe Stock and my photos got rejected for quality issues. I know that these images are very generic and that there are already tons of similar ones, but still, I would like to know what exactly went wrong with these. Any tips or suggestions are greatly appreciated!:)

Correct answer Ricky336

Hello,

Take note of your white balance/colour temperature. In a lot of your shots, they are quite green.

 

White balance:
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/discover/white-balance.html

5 replies

Nancy OShea
Community Expert
Nancy OSheaCommunity Expert
Community Expert
October 8, 2025

This is what you're competing with:

https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=cherry+blossom  3.4 MILLION results

 

Stock already contains billions of flowers, trees, leaves, shrubs, clouds, sunsets, & pets. Find subjects with less representation to submit, to avoid refusals for 'similar content.' 

 

Read your Contributor User Guide for more tips.

Good luck. 

 

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
Ricky336
Community Expert
Ricky336Community ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
October 8, 2025

Hello,

Take note of your white balance/colour temperature. In a lot of your shots, they are quite green.

 

White balance:
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/discover/white-balance.html

Jill_C
Community Expert
Jill_CCommunity Expert
Community Expert
October 8, 2025

20230504_095914.jpg - quite over-saturated and the white balance appears to be too yellow

20230504_100648.jpg - same as above

20230504_100135.jpg - mostly blurry - can't figure out what your focal point was

20250828_1314100.png - if the text is actually printed on the rim of the bowl, you should have rotated the bowl so that the text was level. DOF is too shallow

 

 

 

Jill C., Forum Volunteer
I
individualistic_Glow5ECFAuthor
Participant
October 8, 2025

Really helpful, thanks for being specific, I will be more careful with these

    N
    Notsokute
    Inspiring
    October 8, 2025

    Hello there! 

       I had the same issue recently, after 4 years submitting files with no or very small rejection due to quality. 

     It happens to be, that I applied a " high pass" sharpening layer and even though result looks good, files have been rejected...never again...

       Sometimes... less is more...

    I
    individualistic_Glow5ECFAuthor
    Participant
    October 8, 2025

    Interesting point, I also used sharpening on these images. There are definitely other mistakes on these, but maybe avoiding sharpening could also help. Thanks!

    Abambo
    Community Expert
    AbamboCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    October 9, 2025
    quote

    Interesting point, I also used sharpening on these images. There are definitely other mistakes on these, but maybe avoiding sharpening could also help. Thanks!


    By @individualistic_Glow5ECF

    Doing it right helps. It's not using this or that tool. It's doing too much or too less. You got great advice on your pictures. check thatz, it will be helpful.

    ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer
    daniellei4510
    Community Expert
    daniellei4510Community Expert
    Community Expert
    October 8, 2025

    20230504_100135.jpg: Oversaturated

    20230328_130917.jpg: Depth-of-field too shallow

    20230504_095620.jpg: Oversaturated

    Adobe Community Expert | If you can't fix it, hide it; if you can't hide it, delete it.
    I
    individualistic_Glow5ECFAuthor
    Participant
    October 8, 2025

    Thanks for the feedback, yeah I can see it now

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