What each stock agency requires in 2026: the table
Every stock agency asks for something different: Adobe Stock gives more weight to the first 10 keywords, Shutterstock wants a full sentence and doesn't accept AI, iStock only recognizes Getty's vocabulary and 123RF has no title at all. This table puts the rules of the 7 main agencies side by side, as of October 2026.
The rules at a glance
| Agency | Keywords | Title | Size | AI | Editorial | Upload |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Stock | 5–49 (first 10 weigh most) | ≤ 70 (short, no commas) | ≥ 4 MP, ≤ 100 MP, ≤ 45 MB | Yes, labeled | Illustrative only | Web + CSV (SFTP on some accounts only) |
| Shutterstock | 7–50 | ≤ 200 | ≥ 4 MP, ≤ 50 MB | No | Yes | FTPS + category CSV on its site |
| iStock / Getty Images | 5–50 (Getty vocabulary) | ≤ 100 | ≥ 3 MP | No | Yes | ESP (web or app), no FTP |
| Magnific (Freepik) | 5–50 | ≤ 100 | Not confirmed | Yes, labeled | No | Web; FTP from 500 published files + CSV |
| Alamy | 5–50 (10 supertags on its site) | Caption (carries most weight) | ≥ 5.7 MP | No | Yes | FTP (Stock folder) or web |
| Dreamstime | 5–50 | ≤ 100 | ≥ 3 MP, ≤ 70 MP | Yes, labeled | Yes | FTP + category CSV |
| 123RF | 7–50 | No title (caption rules, 180) | ≥ 6 MP, ≤ 30 MB | Yes, labeled | Yes | FTP + “Upload via FTP” in its panel |
Minimum and maximum photo size. “Labelled”: you must mark it as AI (a checkbox, category or tag, depending on the agency). Taken from each agency's official guidelines and real uploads with contributor accounts, except Magnific (Freepik), which is not tested yet.
What prevents the most rejections
- AI only where it's accepted. Adobe Stock, Magnific (Freepik), Dreamstime and 123RF accept AI-generated images if they are labeled. Shutterstock, iStock / Getty Images and Alamy don't; Alamy may end your contract.
- A sentence, not a list. Shutterstock rejects titles that are comma-separated keyword lists. Adobe asks for a short, descriptive title without commas.
- Order on Adobe. The first 10 keywords carry more weight in its search. Exporting from Lightroom sorts them alphabetically, so “abstract” ends up ahead of the actual subject.
- Editorial in the right format. Shutterstock needs the caption “City, Country - Month D, YYYY: description”. Adobe only accepts illustrative editorial, with date and place in the title.
- Each agency's size. A 3 MP photo passes on iStock and Dreamstime, but not on Adobe (4 MP), Alamy (5.7 MP) or 123RF (6 MP). And 123RF rejects files over 30 MB.
Agency by agency
- Adobe Stock: up to 49 keywords, by relevance. Only some accounts get SFTP; otherwise you upload on the site and load a CSV with title, keywords and category.
- Shutterstock: 7 to 50 keywords, no repeats or padding. Over FTPS it reads the description and keywords from the file but not the categories: you load its CSV (see the “Needs attention” guide).
- iStock / Getty Images: no FTP; you upload with ESP. Keywords outside its vocabulary are dropped and you pick the meaning of ambiguous words.
- Magnific (Freepik): 35–100 character title and 5–50 keywords (about 20 relevant ones are enough). FTP only from 500 published files.
- Alamy: the caption weighs heavily, up to 50 tags, and it doesn't group singular and plural. The 10 supertags are set on its site.
- Dreamstime: reads title, description and keywords from the file; the category is set on its site or with its CSV.
- 123RF: no title: the caption rules. After the FTP upload, press “Upload via FTP” in its panel.
How Tagvora uses them
Tagvora writes one set of metadata with AI and adapts it to each agency with these same rules: keywords ordered for Adobe, a sentence for Shutterstock, Getty-style terms for iStock, no title on 123RF, and AI images never go to agencies that refuse them.
Official sources
- Adobe Stock: titles and keywords
- Adobe Stock: generative AI content
- Shutterstock: description and keyword best practices
- Shutterstock: AI-generated content
- Getty Images: AI-generated content
- Magnific (Freepik): metadata guidelines
- Alamy: captions and tags
- Dreamstime: AI-generated images
- 123RF: describing and keywording
More guides
- Keywords for Adobe Stock and Shutterstock: what's different
- How to upload to iStock / Getty Images with ESP without losing keywords
- Shutterstock: why your photos show “Needs attention”
- How to upload photos to several stock agencies at once
- Alamy: captions, tags and supertags, step by step
- Dreamstime by FTP: how to set categories with its CSV
- 123RF by FTP: no title and the “Upload Via FTP” step
- AI keywording tools for stock photographers (2026)
Try Tagvora in the beta
Free 3-week beta on the Pro plan, no card, and a founding price afterwards.
Ask for a beta spot