Waited 2 months and images got rejected due to quality issues

[maxflags-chris]

Hi. I need help. I uploaded some flag images for Paris 2024, but all images got rejected due to quality issues. I can't figure out why. Shutterstock accepted them within a few days. I look forward to your feedback. Thank you very much.

[daniellei4510]

Adobe isn't Shutterstock. 🙂 To me, the images lack contrast and appear underexposed.

[oleschwander]

Lighten up the Italian flag, maybe a little contrast and resubmit. The German flag should never have been submitted, don't submit a flag which is not waving!

[Jill_C]

I agree with @daniellei4510 that they are bit underexposed. In the first image, the whites actually appear to be gray. 
I agree with @oleschwander that the second image would never sell, even it were accepted, because you can't actually tell which country is represented.

[maxflags-chris]

Okay, thanks. I lightened the flag and increased the contrast. Better?

[daniellei4510]

Sky still looks dead. I'd go even bright with the blues.

[maxflags-chris]

I am still struggling a bit with brightening up the flag. The problem is that the whites will lose dynamic range. I have uploaded the image (underexposed?!?) to achieve the highest dynamic range. My idea was that the customer should brighten the flag or the photo themselves if they wish.

Rejected first version:

New bright version:

Is this an error in my thinking?

Thank you.

[daniellei4510]

I think you could still go brighter. As far as assuming the buyer will make adjustments on their own, there's no guarantee that the buyer would even know how to do that, or they want it done correctly "right out of the box." That's certainly the logic that the moderators are going by. Here's your latest (on top) with my original correction on the bottom.

[maxflags-chris]

Okay. Got it. Thank you.

[oleschwander]

 

[Nancy OShea]

Adobe Stock customers are looking for high quality commercial assets to use in professional projects -- print, digital and textile.

Adobe Stock has 100 pages of Italian Flag in their inventory.  Do they really need more?  As a customer, would you buy yours over these?

Italian Flag

[maxflags-chris]

You have to look for flags on flagpoles and not for all italian flags. We actually sell flags. But since a lot of people are stealing our photos from our online store, we have decided to offer photos directly on Adobe Stock. We already reached 130 downloads this year with isolated table flag photos. That said, yes, they need more. 🤣

[RALPH_L]

The images are not real sharp, there are compression artifacts in the sky and there are dust spots in the sky which can be seen at 300%.

[maxflags-chris]

Yes, you are right, I removed many "dust spots", but overlooked the last one. The "dust spots" are birds flying in the sky. I use RAW in Lightroom and export 100% JPG. I never thought in my life that the requirements would be so high. I appreciate your feedback.

[jacquelingphoto2017]

Hi @maxflags-chris ,

I agree that the first flag seem underexposed. The second flag is not sharp. 

Best wishes

Jacquelin

[Ricky336]

Hello,

For future editing, what programme do you use, are these taken in raw or JPEG?

If using raw - and even JPEG - you should enhance them using a photo editing programme - Adobe Photoshop/Lightroom etc.

You have to look at exposure, contrast, alter the tone curve a bit and so on. The photo you submitted needs work, as it stands, there are reasons which come under quality - in this case, exposure, contrast etc.

Shutterstock accepts almost anything - despite people saying they have high quality standards -  it depends on one's definition of 'quality!

[maxflags-chris]

I use RAW in Lightroom and export in 100% JPEG. I'll have a look at Luminar NEO and Topaz Photo AI in a minute. I think I know what you mean. I assumed that Adobe Stock does not want any editing. My mistake. Thank you for your thoughts.