Image Quality Judgement

[jhphotography]

I've just had this image rejected for "Image Quality" and am confused. If judgement is that it's either a crappy image or that it's been poorly processed, I'll take that ... but might it have been quickly judged as 'out of focus?'

The submitted file was much larger and within required size specs.

I'd appreciate thoughts from other members.

Thanks.

[Abambo · Accepted solution]

There is nothing in-focus. There is no way this did not happen quickly as even the "small" image posted here is out of focus. 

I even first thought you had taken an out of focus picture and processed the way the reflections are. 

Image quality does not refer to the motive but only to technical parameters. And stock images need to be perfectly usable for the buyer. This picture clearly isn't.

[jhphotography]

This was not a helpful response.

I know how to take a focused picture. This image was intended to emulate a watercolor painting with its many layers all in soft focus. It was actually hard to accomplish since the areas of focus were so close to each other.

While the effects of this image were all achieved in camera, as I always try to do, how surprising it is to get a comment like yours from the company most photographers, myself included, rely on to better emulate the original scene, to enhance it, or to alter it completely.

[Jill_C · Accepted solution]

These types of artsy, reflection, out of focus images are pretty, but I find them hit and miss in terms of getting accepted by Adobe Stock. I think the reviewers spend about 5 seconds on an image, zooming in and looking for focus, noise, fringing, etc. If they find any or all of those faults, it's an automatic reject. I just mark it as rejected in Lightroom and move on...

[jhphotography]

Thanks for this suggestion -- it makes perfect sense that some images are just not what certain audiences want, but I just found it surprising to be "rejected" for an out of focus image when I'd worked to achieve that picture's effect intentionally, and I would have thought that the stock area of the company that specializes in providing us with manipulation and enhancement tools would have been more accepting of arty photos.

Moving on is clearly the best path, and I appreciate your insight.