Confusing Statement posted in Rejection Response/letter for Images

[steveeyes]

I'm a little confused with the statement I now see when an image is rejected. The statement says:

"We are looking for imagery intended to illustrate articles on current events and news, focused on conceptual imagery using real brands and products to convey strong ideas."

The parts  above that says "Current events and news -- real bands and products" does that mean I can include products that has a company logo or a company brand? For example I can now include a drawing/illustration of brand name product like Mustang, McDonalds, Honda, an image of Pittsburgh Steelers Helmet, etc.

I can include current events like images of the Presidential race, images of Trump, Images of Harris, etc

If you are reading this and would like to give a few examples of how to  use the above statement, it might clarify things for me. I was under the impression that using company logos, brands, etc would be rejected. As well using images about news and current events. Sorry, I just find it confusing.

[RALPH_L]

Did you mark as "editorial" content?

[daniellei4510]

"does that mean I can include products that has a company logo or a company brand? For example I can now include a drawing/illustration of brand name product like Mustang, McDonalds, Honda, an image of Pittsburgh Steelers Helmet, etc.

I can include current events like images of the Presidential race, images of Trump, Images of Harris, etc"


Not unless it is marked as Editorial content.

[Nancy OShea]

This is not a workaround for signed property releases.   See restrictions for Editorial use only below.

https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/help/usage-licensing.html

Example of an Editorial use only asset.

Tesla building, JHVEPhoto - stock.adobe.com

Restrictions & limitations for customers:

Given these restrictions on use, customers are less likely to buy them unless they work in news, journalism, TV or movie industries.

[steveeyes]

Thanks for the reply. I guess it is over my head. My gut says that I should stay away from including any images that are actual brands of other products (i.e. Mustang Car) or to stay away from current news and events (i.e. Presidential race).

[daniellei4510]

Correct. 😉

[Jill_C]

You can submit images with brands and logos for the Illustrative Editorial collection. They do not accept any images of people in that collection.

[steveeyes]

I ask chatgpt to explain it as if explaining it to a 5th grader. Here is what chatgpt told me.....do you agree?

Sure! Imagine you’re reading a news article online, and there are pictures that help explain what the article is about. Adobe wants images that tell a story or represent a big idea clearly—like a picture that shows how technology is changing our world or how a popular brand is doing something important. These pictures should be about real things like well-known brands or products but presented in a creative way that makes you think.

For example, instead of just a simple photo of a soda can, Adobe would prefer an image where the soda can is used creatively to make a strong point, like showing how much people love that drink or how it affects daily life. So, they want pictures that are not just about showing what something looks like, but about making a bigger idea or message come across using real brands.

Then I ask chagtp what did they mean by real brands and it replied:

ChatGPT when you say above: "So, they want pictures that are not just about showing what something looks like, but about making a bigger idea or message come across using real brands." What do you mean by "real brands"

ChatGPT said:

By "real brands," I mean well-known companies, products, or logos that you might see in everyday life. For example:

• McDonald's: The golden arches or a Big Mac burger.
• Nike: The swoosh logo or a pair of Nike shoes.
• Coca-Cola: The red can with the Coca-Cola logo.
• Apple: An iPhone or the apple logo.

So ChatGpt seems to be saying that Adobe is telling me I can use the above brands in an image and it is ok. Not sure Adobe agrees but that is how I was interpreting Adobe's statement but still not sure I can use Apple Logo in an image without it being rejected by Adobe inspectors.

I'm just having a mental block on if I can use brand names in my illustrations or not. My gut says no. I know you guys are trying to explain it so I understand but from what I read and how you explinaed it I just can't grasp what I can and I can't do -- especially when it comes to brand named items.

[Jill_C]

You cannot include a trademark or a brand in a an image for commercial use unless you have a property release from the company that owns the intellectual property. 

However,  you can submit an image to the Illustrative Editorial collection that includes logos or trademarks, as Buyers are not allowed to use such images commercially, e.g. to sell something. Such images can only be used for editorial purposes, for instance in a magazine or news article. 

Here's an example of an Illustrative Editorial (IE) image from my portfolio: I took photographs of container ships in the Long Beach harbor. Since the ships and the containers are covered with logos and other identifying marks I would have had to get property releases from each company (impossible to do) or edit out every logo - hundreds in each image. So I submitted them to the IE collection and they were sold many times during the pandemic years when supply chain difficulties arose, presumably to illustrate news articles on that subject.

[daniellei4510]

As far as ChatGPT goes, ignore anything it tells you about Adobe's rules are Illustrative Editorial. Listen to the experts here. And trust me, I'm not one of those experts when it comes to Editorial submissions, but I do believe I'm correct is saying it must be an actual photograph; i.e., not an illustration created by hand, and certainly not AI, which will not give an actual representation of the logo or product.

[Jill_C]

Most of the ChatGPT posts we've seen here in the forum and either complete nonsense or based on assumptions and false info. Don't trust it.

[Nancy OShea]

If you have to consult Chat GPT, you're nowhere near ready for this gig.  Give up now before you cause problems for yourself.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots like ChatGPT will lie, cheat and dissociate when stressed out, even when they were built to be honest and transparent.