Understanding the concept of "Similar Images"

[coffeeman_L]

Hello.

The above pencil tiger portrait failed review due to "Similar Images Already Submitted".

When I searched my archive of images named tiger that I had previously submitted to Adobe Stock, I found the following:

I still can't understand what is meant by "Similar Images" and what is not.

For example, about a week ago, another friend opened a topic on the forum because he couldn't see his own work, me and other friends said that he couldn't see it because there were some restrictions for Turkey, maybe you remember.

When I looked at that friend's archive, his approved visual portfolio consisted of a groom and a bride's designs, in the form of drawings from beginning to end, with small differences. Hundreds of images like this.

Or at one point, I somehow came across another participant's portfolio, there were maybe 30 photos of a young woman and a young man in a factory, again with small differences, approved: The location is the same, the people are the same, their clothes and accessories are the same, etc.

As I said at the beginning, what are "Similar Images" and what are not, how can I learn this?

Thank you.

[Moderator moved the thread to the correct forum]

[daniellei4510 · Accepted solution]

No one can understand this recent development. Over the past seven days, I've had two dozen "similar" images rejected. Mostly photorealistic portraits, which I specialize in, but never of the same model. Poses can be similar, yes, but they simply don't "jive" with the description of what is meant by similar (e.g., different colored backgrounds of the same image, or the same model in similar poses, and no more than three, etc. My abstract and wallpaper images (which I loathe making) have been regularly accepted. I also suspected some portraits would be rejected along with others, but they were accepted.. There is simply no logic or pattern that I have been able to determine as to why this is happening.

A month or two from now, I will be resubmitting a couple of the rejected images, along with new titles and more extensive keywords, to see if anything changes.

[coffeeman_L]

Moreover, this issue is quite important, as far as I know, the "Similar Images" problem can even lead to the closure/suspension of the participant's account.

[daniellei4510]

No. Won't happen. I suppose that if I re-submitted all 24 rejections to date, without making any changes, that might raise a flag. But given that so many individuals are experiencing this issue at the moment, that's not likely to happen. Email contributor support. I have. Maybe if enough contributors experiencing this issue do so, Adobe will look into the issue. Maybe. 

[Jilmary]

I have the same issue. I had a bunch of pics rejeted but the thing is I never posted anything similar or even close.

Like I posted a toothbrush with toothpaste and a mint leaf, and I have never posted toothbrush, toothpaste or mint leaf. I have posted a paper umbrella for cocktails, and I have never posted that before, or a real umbrella.

I have written to the support because I don't understant why they are rejected either but I don't have an answer yet.

[coffeeman_L]

Looking at the panel of participants, the explanation for the rejection due to the “Similarity Problem” mentions a similarity problem limited to each participant's own archive.

However, when I sent an email to the support team about the issue, the response was that the similarity benchmark covers the entire Adobe Stock archive: That is, hundreds of millions of photos, illustrations, etc.

[daniellei4510]

You will likely receive a generic response to your request for an explanation as to why your assets are being rejected as similar. Your images are supposedly being compared to ALL the assets in the database, not just your own. We believe that the process of doing so is flawed in that many assets rejected for this reason are not in fact already highly represented and in fact are unique. Some contributors have slowed down or stopped submitting assets altogether until Adobe explains further why this is happening or until the matter is fixed.

[Jilmary]

Stopping submiting won't be a leverage, Adobe don't care. And they won't tell us if there is a flaw in the process so for those who are stopping, they won't know when to resume.

[daniellei4510]

That's why I'm not stopping to submit, as I'm still having assets accepted. I upload 3 to 5 per day, which is what I've been doing for the past year or longer. I'm sure people who are slowing down or stopping are not doing to make a point to Adobe. They just consider it pointless to spend the time doing so if their assets are being summarily rejected. They will know when it's over (if it ever is) when contributors report it here.

[Jilmary]

It's pointless to submit though, because no one is in capacity to know how to select the pictures to upload. If we contributors can't check all the data base by ourselves with a tool, we are blind when we submit. I don't know how Adobe except us to improve on submissions when they are setting up traps like that...

[daniellei4510]

Even images that aren't overly represented in the database appear to be arbitrarily rejected as being too similar.

[Jilmary]

And even more, in the Adobe rejection message, it is said that the rejected image is similar to another one previously uploaded by me. Meaning they don't speak about all the database but about my personal portfolio. So it makes no sense

[daniellei4510]

Read the top line.

[Jilmary]

Thanks. Can you copy-paste the link of "What is in demand"?

[daniellei4510]

Well, there this:

https://contributor.stock.adobe.com/en/insights/best/contributors

It shows what is selling well. But that won't help with regard to the recent spate of "similar" rejections. As I posted previously, the red asset was rejected for being too similar. The other asset was accepted. There is simply no logic to their rejections.

[Jilmary]

I know the best contributor page thanks.

For me, those 2 pics have nothing to do with each others, but I guess they know better than us. I was wondering if it's not IA selected

[daniellei4510]

They don't compare. One is abstract, the other is realistic. My realistic portraits are now the ones (normally) not being accepted. Now and then, one will be approved, apparently at random.

[liubov_1440]

Приветствую. Да я согласна с вами, что непонятны причины отклонения по похожести. Вот загрузила иллюстрации и фото первый раз всего полсотни и у меня не приняли половину - нет качества(с этим я согласна) и также пишут симиляры. Не пойму полярный медведь на льдине, лиса в лесу  и пасхальный кролик - это симиляры? разве что все  животные. И я же вижу написано что отклонено так в моем портфолио ранее высланы похожие картинки. А уменя только эти животные и первый раз. И получается что сравниваютя картинки не только в моем порфолио но и со всем архивом Адобе сток или есть другая причина отказа. Хотелось бы понять какой алгоритм сравнения и как его применить. И можно ли удалить непринятые изображения с аккаунта?

[Jill_C]

You cannot delete the rejection. They will remain as tiny thumbnails on your "not accepted" tab as a reminder to both you and Adobe that they have been rejected.  There really is no way to comprehend the current level of rejections based on "similars". It seems rather random at the moment.

[Jilmary]

Je ne sais pas si on peut les supprimer, je ne l'ai jamais fait, je les garde pour mémoire.

[Jill_C]

No they cannot be deleted.

[daniellei4510]

"I would like to understand what the comparison algorithm is and how to apply it."

Don't we all.

[Jill_C]

Even though I haven't submitted any new content, I still have 30 waiting to be reviewed, some of those for >11 months. I remain active in this forum and in the Adobe Stock Discord channel, so if there is a change in their reviewing standards back to something more even-handed, I will know about it and can resume new uploads.

[coffeeman_L]

Just now, my minimalist image - the jumping fish on the left above - was rejected again for similar content. When I searched for "fish" among my previous submissions, I found the following:

I couldn't find anything similar in searches like "minimalist", "vector", "dolphin", "sea".

I can't understand anything.

[daniellei4510]

It's gotten so bad, I went ahead and created a whole new category in Lightroom.

By the way, for some silly reason, I can't "Upvote" anymore. Anywhere, including Reddit. Except from my laptop. So just assume I upvoted any of your posts until I figure this out. 😉