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11

Update on Similar Refusals

Adobe Employee ,
Apr 30, 2025 Apr 30, 2025

Hello!

You may have noticed in recent weeks more content being refused as “too similar.” This is part of our ongoing effort to maintain the relevancy and discoverability of content within the Adobe Stock collection. 

 

We understand that an increase in refusals can be discouraging, but this is an opportunity to refine your portfolio and submit your strongest content in future submissions.  

 

To learn more about how to submit distinct content that stands out in our collection, please refer to our Learn & Support article.

 

Thank you for being part of our Contributor community! 

 

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Community Expert ,
May 12, 2025 May 12, 2025

Hi @Raul Ceron ,

Thank you for that explanation. In my case I have no problem with similar. However, I find it odd that after submitting more than 4,000 acceptable quality photos, I suddenly do not know how to produce quality that Adobe will accept. What is even more odd, is that I am able to find other contributor's flaws, but not mine. It is as if my account is being flagged for refusals. Recently a work refused by Adobe was submitted elsewhere and was licensed with two days. Frankly, that tells me the quality of that photo is good and the subject is in high demand.

Regards

Jacquelin 

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New Here ,
May 14, 2025 May 14, 2025

This is absolutely unacceptable! It has already crossed all reasonable boundaries! Rejections are coming from completely different content!

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New Here ,
May 14, 2025 May 14, 2025

I appreciate the clarification. This will help to create better content for future submissions.

Thank you for the guidance.

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New Here ,
May 18, 2025 May 18, 2025

found this port today,https://stock.adobe.com/uk/contributor/211620664/muhammad?load_type=author&prev_url=detail,  makes a complete mockery of the refusal for similar images 

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Community Expert ,
May 18, 2025 May 18, 2025

I've seen worse. But this is exactly why many have slowed down or ceased contributing altogether or are moving to other stock platforms.

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Why did Little Miss Muffet step on the spider? Because it got in her whey.
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Explorer ,
May 18, 2025 May 18, 2025

A lot of these kind of ports still submit similar images, and Adobe still approved. 

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Community Expert ,
May 30, 2025 May 30, 2025

This makes so much sense. I've always wanted this. It could be that a faucet fails:

IMG_3168.jpeg

 

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer
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New Here ,
May 19, 2025 May 19, 2025

but its my own generated how it can similar i love adobe but when your content rejected its so harsh because your effort totly destroy

 

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Community Expert ,
May 19, 2025 May 19, 2025

As a Stock Contributor you must learn not to take image rejections personally. This is a business. If Adobe decides they don't want even more similar images in their database you have to accept it or move on to another agency.

Jill C., Forum Volunteer
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Community Beginner ,
Aug 18, 2025 Aug 18, 2025

Hi Raul,

Let’s consider two scenarios:

Someone uses AI heavily to create content, uploads it, and gets rejected due to similarities.

Another person creates original content without using AI, spends significant time on it, and still gets rejected for the same reason.

I think the second case is very harsh on original creators. It’s obvious that if you search for “apple,” many apple images will appear in Adobe’s search results. But that doesn’t mean a new, well-made apple image shouldn’t be allowed to sell simply because the topic already has mature content.

What Adobe should do, in my opinion, is find a way to rotate or balance these situations. For example:

Provide an option for users to easily filter out all AI-related content if they wish.

Provide an option for users to find very fresh content, even if it doesn’t yet have any downloads, to suit unique new projects.

I personally don’t use AI in my account. Over the past year, fewer than 10 of my assets were rejected, while many others were accepted and generated revenue. But in the past few weeks, I’ve been facing a disappointing number of rejections.

I believe Adobe needs to rethink its approach toward non-AI creators.

It doesn’t seem fair to treat AI-generated and non-AI content in the exact same way.

Thank you
Jaya

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Community Expert ,
Aug 25, 2025 Aug 25, 2025

"Provide an option for users to find very fresh content, even if it doesn’t yet have any downloads, to suit unique new projects."

 

There's a specific filter for "undiscovered content" in the filter drop down. And I can assure you, there are contributors who spend a good deal of time editing faulty AI results that also get rejected for being too similar.

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Community Beginner ,
Aug 25, 2025 Aug 25, 2025

Sorry, but the tool* you are using to find similar content doesn't work. As other users have claimed, it is discouraging not knowing if your work will be accepted. It is even worse for contributors who don't use AI, as creating an illustration by hand takes a lot more time and effort.

 

*Be it AI or any kind of algorithm, it's impossible that any human criteria could be involved in these 'false positives'.

CleanShot 2025-08-25-56FQb1WL.jpgCleanShot 2025-08-25-scyy4SKg.jpg

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Community Expert ,
Sep 18, 2025 Sep 18, 2025

Hi @Raul Ceron,

So, targeting and refusing all I submit to this platform "is part of (your) ongoing effort to maintain the relevancy and discoverability of content within the Adobe Stock collection"? First off you started to refuse all my photos, no matter what I do they're refused. So, I start submitting vectors only to receive a similar refusal that no other is in my portfolio. I send a ticket to ask what is it that the refused asset is similar to, but received two generic responses that do not answer my question. Contributors have been complaining that they are not submitting similar assets, but getting similar refusals. Did you investigate any of these cases to find out if it's true?

I submitted a magnetite chemical molecular structure diagram. It was refused for similar. I have absolutely none other in my portfolio? This is what I found on your website:

jacquelingphoto2017_0-1758250582794.png

One molecular diagram asset incorrectly labeled as magnetite. This is in fact showing molecular structure of two compounds. This is no way near to what I did. I created a single molecule that looks totally different from this. So, is it a case you're going off caption? If so are you saying is only one of any subject that must be on the platform and it's the lucky winner that will get the chance to have that subject licensed? Or is it that only certain category of contributors will be allowed to submit to Adobe stock, so you frustrate who you don't want with similar or quality refusals until they get the message and move on? Or, is it a case of overworked reviewers who decide that their pay is too small for the amount of work they have to do, and the only way to maximize pay is to unscrupulous do mass refusals, since the mass acceptance will not work as they wish? You are a staff member, so tell us what's the case.

Regards

Jacquelin

 

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Explorer ,
Sep 20, 2025 Sep 20, 2025

Oh, this topic alleviated some of my concerns. I was sure my account was flagged or something because I was getting so many "similar content" rejections on completely different assets pictures, illustrations, transparent PNGs, etc.

So it's probably just a poorly configured AI deciding if an image is "similar."
The question is .. are they still tuning it, or is this how things will be from now on? And what should we do with images that were already rejected as similar content?

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Community Expert ,
Sep 20, 2025 Sep 20, 2025
LATEST

are they still tuning it, or is this how things will be from now on?

 

We don't know, but we hope so.

 

And what should we do with images that were already rejected as similar content?

 

Every now and then, I will re-submit a formerly rejected asset within a group of new submissions, but with changes to titles and keywords. Sometimes this helps, but it's not a guarantee.

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Why did Little Miss Muffet step on the spider? Because it got in her whey.
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