How to edit my photos so I can post them on Adobe Stock

[Panos29837299m4lf]

Hi, I resently got interested in uploading my photos to Adobe Stock but I realised that the quality of my images whas pretty bad. I tried to edit one image to make the colors a bit better and then I tried AI upscaling it to see if that would make it good enough to upload. 2 days later the image got rejected for "exposure issues, soft focus, excessive filtering or artifacts/noise".
I am curious to see what exactly was the problem with the photo I uploaded because frankly it can just be almost all of them. 
Also if there are other ways to edit/upscale my photo to make it submittable or I should just give up on the images I have taken with my phone and move on to taking pictures with better equipment

[Images :(Original Photo/ Edit with Filters/Ai upscaled)]

[ricky336 · Accepted solution]

Hello,

One very, very important thing to keep in mind - DON'T UPSCALE! Don't add filters!

And read the following links!

https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/reasons-for-content-rejection.html

User guide:

https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/user-guide.html
Exposure:
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/discover/exposure-in-photography.html
Composition:
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/discover/photo-composition.html

[Panos29837299m4lf]

Well the original resolution of the image was really low so I didn't have much of a choice I think

Also does changing the color balance of the image count as a filter? Because I though that staff like that were pretty common in photography

[RALPH_L]

All three photos have the same problems.

The focus is off.

The exposure is to dark. Especially, the shadows.

There are artifacts around the leaves.

The wire at the top should be removed.

The light and the structures at the bottom should be removed.

[Jill_C · Accepted solution]

These look like 3 identical images edited slightly differently. If you submitted all 3, the Moderator could also have rejected them on the basis of "similars". The guidelines expressly state that submitting multiple versions of the same image is prohibited. Zoom in between 100-200% and carefully inspect every section of your image, which in this case will reveal the soft focus and noise. While it's possible to get acceptable quality images from your phone under ideal lighting conditions, this was not one of those conditions.

[Panos29837299m4lf]

Of cource I didn't upvote all 3 of them, just the last one that was both edited and upscaled. I uploaded it because I found it pretty but I guess it was a long way from being good enough to be uploaded. 

You said "it's possible to get acceptable quality images from your phone" but I think that the resolution of the first image (the one without the color edits) was pretty bad, are you really sure under better conditions a photo of that resolution would get accepted?

Anyways, thanks a lot for the reply, it seems there is a lot more to learn about photography than I originally thought so I will be more carefull with taking feature photos

Thanks for helping!

[Jill_C]

I should have said "it's possible to get acceptable quality images from A phone", not "your phone", because I don't know what type of mobile phone camera you used, nor did I check the resolution. You'll need to compare the physical specs of your phone camera to the Adobe minimum requirements to confirm whether it meets the criteria. I have had images accepted from my iPhone8, which I bought in 2017 and also more recently from my iPhone 12, though I primariliy shoot with a professional level DSLR - Canon 5D Mark IV.

[Panos29837299m4lf]

ok thanks for clarifying. 

I checked the images and it is 0.6 MP and the minimun resolution for Adobe Stock is 4MP so yea not even close

[Jill_C]

I think your camera resolution must be higher than that; Adobe would not even allow you to upload an image that was less than 4MP.

[Test Screen Name]

You sure it's 0.6 MP? Do you understand the difference between MP and MB? Some people mix these up. 

[Nancy OShea]

To add to what's already been said, there is little or no commercial value here.  Adobe Stock customers expect high quality professional images for use in commercial projects. Emphasis on commercial use.

Avoid low % sellers like clouds, trees, plants, flowers, pets and sunsets/sunrises.  Those keywords are already over-represented.  Hang them on your wall if you wish.  Or share them with friends & family on social media.  But Stock is a business.

If you wish to learn more about photography & editing, I urge you to enroll in some courses.  A community web forum can't teach all you need to know.

Start with these links:

• https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/reasons-for-content-rejection.html
• https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/quality-and-technical-issues.html
• https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/user-guide.html/stock/contributor/help/photography-illustr...
• https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/how-to/tips-stock-image-acceptance.html

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Model/Property Releases:
https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/model-release.html
https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/property-release.html

[Panos29837299m4lf]

Thanks for sharing those links! I will read through them before I try uploading again. I didn't know that photo editing went that deep to be honest so there is lots more learn!

[jacquelingphoto2017]

Hi @Panos29837299m4lf ,

All three file are underexpose, have white balance issue and, noisy and similar.

Here are some additional information you will find useful.

Do's and Don'ts

Tips to get your photos accepted

Stock Contributor Learn And Support

A list of what to look out for and correct

Best wishes

Jacquelin

[Abambo]

Your starting image (1) needs to be of a quality that shows no or little artefacts and noise, that is well focussed and well exposed. And in addition, the image framing needs to be correct. You see, it starts at the very beginning, to photograph a subject correctly. Don't start with night and sunset/sunrise pictures. Those have their problems. Start with simple objects and train you to produce good pictures right out of the camera. If you can't get it right, connect with a photo club and learn from the veterans.

Now, I have no picture in stock that has no editing, but if your picture is good out of the camera, the editing you need to apply is quite basic:

• Adjust the white balance.
• Add some contrast.
• Lift the shadows a bit.
• Lower the highlights a bit.
• Do some selective adjustments locally.
• Remove disturbing items, like the power line in your image.
• Sharpen a bit.
• Crop adequately.

Do not apply fancy filters. Those filters do not make a bad picture look better. Fancy filters can be easily added by the buyer, if they require it, but undoing the filter effect will be impossible.

And as others pointed it out: I am not convinced that the aim of what you submitted here was to submit all three assets, but to show us, what you have tried to get acceptance? But yes, do not submit to similar images. However, if they get rejected, and you can correct, you may resubmit once or twice. Important here is, that you try to address the errors.