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Three different rejection reasons

Forum|Forum|5 months ago
October 5, 2025
4 replies
823 views

Sometimes it is hard determine why an image was rejected. Regardless of the given rejection reason.

This photo was rejected for "quality" so, I smoothed out the background some and resubmitted. It was then rejected due to "not flagging it as an AI image". Which it is not. I submitted a third time without making a change and it was rejected for "similar content".
Three submissions. Three different rejection reasons. What I am trying to say is: the reason is not so important. Three moderators have determined my photo should not be accepted.

Contributors

Correct answer Nancy OShea

Hmm.
Are you being serious here? Or is this some kind of sarcasm mixed with self-irony that I’m just not catching?

I just have to point out that a 30% rejection rate for “pro” authors is way too high under normal circumstances — considering that each asset represents hours of work, preparation, and practice.

Overall, I believe that as long as an asset meets the declared requirements and guidelines of the stock, it should be approved. The rejection rate should be close to zero — moderation shouldn’t turn into censorship.

As for the rest, I won’t comment. I can accept that point of view, but it still seems rather strange to me.

Stock is Adobe's tea party. They host it, they stock it, they handle all the backend transactions & details. We're merely here as their guests.

Guests can be gracious & appreciative, or opt out at any time & go home. That's the extent to which Contributors control this tea party.

Jill_C

Community Expert

I had the same image rejected first for quality, then for "similars", then for IP. I'm quite sure that none of those reasons were accurate; nevertheless, I gave up !

Jill C., Forum Volunteer

Abambo

Community Expert

All this wacky moderation stuff started with the admission of generative AI. I would suspect Adobe adding hundreds of untrained moderators. And they are still untrained, and the turnover could be very high.

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer

Nancy OShea

Community Expert

Although, a refusal could be for multiple reasons, submissions get only one bite at the apple— one rejection reason per submission.

That's not efficient. Examiners should not have to re-evaluate the same assets multiple times.

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert

AlexBond

Inspiring

That's not efficient. Examiners should not have to re-evaluate the same assets multiple times.

Heh.
Stock for moderators.
Sounds like a state built for bureaucrats.

Starting to feel like this administration has lost touch with reality.
This whole “celebration of art and business” — in other words, this stock exists thanks to royalties earned from assets created and uploaded by contributors.

Sure, You can easily — with reason, without reason, or on some made-up pretext — block a portion of those assets, and neither the business nor the customers will ever notice.

But creating pointless, uncomfortable conditions for contributors will only drive authors away and drag down the overall quality of content. And no amount of “examiners” will save it.

A lose–lose situation, really.

ZALEZPHOTO

Inspiring

But do not doubt for a second, that We Are Adobe's Partners.

By @ZALEZPHOTO

You are a supplier, not a partner. A partner is an equal. Here, Adobe calls the shots.

BTW, Adobe Stock accounts for less than 10% of Adobe's total revenues, Firefly alone makes 4-5 times more. So sorry to crash your tea party!

So cheer up, you're a great contributor partner for Adobe, despite me disagreeing with you more often than not.

Cheers!

By @ZALEZPHOTO

Strange numbers do you have there. Less than 10% means 9%. If it were less, then you would say less than X %.

4 to 5 times is 36% to 45% for Firefly. Nice numbers… Where is your source?

Asked on Fiscal Year 2024:

Total Adobe revenue: $21.51
billion
Digital Media revenue: $15.86
billion
Creative Cloud revenue: $12.68
billion (up 10% YoY; this includes Adobe Stock).
Adobe Stock is estimated to contribute 5-10% of Creative Cloud revenue, or approximately $634 million to $1.27 billion, based on industry analyses of stock asset downloads and licensing trends.

At least put a little effort in getting the facts and trying to understand who you're partnering with... instead wasting time challenging every argument I make.

It's all available information!!!

But I suggest to start understanding that a partnership is much more than what you think it is.

But if you want to insist in seeing yourself as a supplier, that is totally fine with me, and have no interest in changing how you think.

I am a partner, and will do my part to ensure all contributors understand what are commitments and expectations should be..

No more beer for me!

Cheer up!

ZALEZPHOTO

Inspiring

This kind of experiences is what makes me think there's an artificial way to determine what gets selected!

The biggest irony, is that if you ringed this to 30x40 is posible it would sell for $15,000 plus in Art Basel!

ZALEZPHOTO

daniellei4510

Community Expert

Those are the most frustrating ones: first refusal for quality issues, then for similar content after making edits and re-submitting.

Adobe Community Expert | If you can't fix it, hide it; if you can't hide it, delete it.

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