Anna Shutterstock

Hi everyone, Thank you again for all the comments and feedback you have provided. We understand the importance of having embedded metadata recognized during the upload process as well as the change in workflow when working with large files. We have collected all of your input and are actively working with our product and engineering teams to come up with the best path forward. While we continue to delve into the numerous points that were brought up in your responses, we will postpone the release of the 4MP requirement and the auto generation of JPEGs from EPS files. We’ll continue working on perfecting the tools that empower and support all of our contributors, and we’ll be back with an update soon. Thank you again for all your input and for being such an active part of our community of artists!

Hello everyone, Based on the feedback we have received from contributors, we are making changes to the requirements to accept an even larger variety of content. In order to test these new changes we are pushing back the release of our new uploading process to next week. The revised timeline is: On April 15th 2019, all EPS files will need to be at least 4 MP with a new maximum MB size. We are currently working to determine the optimal limit, but it will be greater than 50MB. Our goal is to ensure contributors can continue uploading vectors of various complexity. On April 17th 2019, a JPG will automatically be created for your vectors when you upload. We thank you for being an integral part of our creative community, and for sharing your feedback with us. We are pleased to represent your creative work on our platform, and we thank you for your continued support!

Hi everyone, Thanks again for all your feedback, which we are closely reviewing! In light of the information that has been shared here, we are postponing the implementation of the 4MP requirement as we continue to look into ways to accommodate the needs of all artists and their artwork. We should have another update tomorrow.

Hello everybody, Thank you for all the details and feedback you’ve provided. I’ll offer some answers to your common questions below. 1: Why make this change? In our original post, we didn’t really clarify WHY we’re making these changes. My bad! For years, vector contributors have been asking us to allow uploading of an EPS file on its own with no JPEG preview. After we looked at the survey of feature requests from vector contributors, the ability to upload EPS with no JPG was always near the top of the list. (The other top request was more general: “make uploading easier”.) The core reason we are making this change, is because contributors asked us to. The JPEG we generate from your EPS will be salable on Shutterstock and serve as the preview for your vector. Salable JPEGs must be at least 4mp, so we are requiring the artwork dimensions of your EPS to be at least this big. We found in our tests, that if we upsized the artwork on your vector to create a 4mp JPEG, we risked pixelation and other quality problems. However, we are continuing to explore our options to create high-quality previews from artwork with smaller dimensions. Using the examples you’ve provided will help us know that we’re covering more bases. 2: What about complex vectors? If the dimensions are 4mp, the file size will exceed the max limit Shutterstock allows. We tested with a LOT of vectors, but, you’re right. We didn’t necessarily test with files exactly like yours. These new requirements are not set in stone nor permanent. We decided on these numbers as a starting point - with confidence that they will provide high-quality jpeg previews for most cases. At the same time, we are open and willing to make changes to accommodate the types of vectors you want to submit. After we launch these changes next week, we all need to continue to work together to find the sweet spot. I ask that you give it a try… see how it goes. Can your creations be sized to meet these requirements? And reach out to us with more examples of what isn’t working. 3: Without the JPEG, my metadata won’t be imported. Yes, this is going to be uncomfortable for a few weeks. I know. It’s our team’s next priority, and we will waste no time in resolving this. Our plan is to allow embedded metadata in the EPS files to be imported with the image, just like we do for JPEG illustrations and photos (and yes! Videos will be coming also!). Another option would be to upload your metadata using a CSV. While this is typically used for videos, it will work for image uploads also. Please see this page for details on how to do this with video. Note - you will need to use correct image categories. 4: What about Inkscape drawings. The requirements conflict with previous recommendations. Thanks for bringing this up. Our previous best practices for Inkscape are out of date now and should be disregarded. Please follow the same exact directions as everyone else and make your artwork 4 MP.

We have made some exciting new updates on how you upload vectors to Shutterstock. Starting on April 8, 2019, we will require the dimensions of your EPS files to be at least 4 megapixels. We will be measuring the dimensions of the bounding box around your art - not the dimensions of your artboard. Here is what we mean: To calculate your megapixels, multiply the X (width) by the Y (height) of your image or artwork. For example: 2000 x 2000 pixels = 4 megapixels. We have also increased the EPS file size limit for uploading vectors to 50MB, making uploading vectors easier than ever. Starting on April 10, 2019, Shutterstock will automatically create a JPG for your vectors. You will no longer need to provide a JPG when you upload. Here are the details on this new release: On April 8, 2019, all EPS files will have to be at least 4 MP. On April 10, 2019, a JPG will automatically be created for your vectors when you upload. The new EPS file size maximum is now 50MB. Your JPG preview will be rasterized to the dimensions of your EPS . If you save your EPS in RGB mode with CMYK PostScript, your JPG preview will be rendered in CMYK mode. This may result in some slight color-shifting. Therefore, we recommend you to not include the CMYK PostScript in your RGB files. Your vectors will still be available for sale as JPGs. This process is being updated to make uploading easier than ever as contributors with Shutterstock. We can’t wait to see what content you upload next!

We are excited to announce that as part of our ongoing site upgrades, approved video clips will now be visible and accessible via the Catalog Manager. This will allow you to perform all the functions currently available for images (sorting and filtering), except for creating Sets. We plan to introduce Sets for video clips later this year. Clips that are pending review and that were rejected can still be viewed on the Approval Status page. Improvements for the Approval Status pages are also in the works and will be coming shortly -- stay tuned!

We are excited to announce that we have launched the Contributor Support Center in 8 additional languages: French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Russian and Thai. We are still working on additional translations for all the articles currently available on the English version of the Support Center, but we hope this will soon become a valuable resource for our English-speaking, as well as our international contributors. You can find answers to technical requirements, troubleshooting tips, as well as detailed explanations of content rejection reasons and content policies. As always, if there is a topic that you still have questions on, you can always contact our contributor care team. We thank you for your continued support and participation in our marketplace!

@cpaulfell yes, these are the guidelines that we will refer to going forward.

With the recent growth of our community we felt it was important to publish a set of guidelines. We believe in the power of positivity and want to ensure our Forum is a welcoming place for everyone. With a fresh set of guidelines, we can help grow a Forum where contributors are respectful, insightful and inspire one another. Some of you were kind enough to help us review the guidelines, and, we can always update them as needed. Thank you for your commitment to Shutterstock and for participating in the lively conversation on our Forum!

This Forum is an online community where Shutterstock Contributors can inspire and support each other, share ideas and knowledge about Shutterstock, and build relationships with other creative individuals from around the world. Shutterstock makes the Contributor Forums available to members of our community so they can encourage and support each other’s efforts to be successful in our marketplace. New members’ first few posts may be moderated. It may take 2 business days for your initial posts to appear. Moderators may step in to keep the Forums organized, and to remove inappropriate content.When you post on the Forum, you agree to follow the Forums Terms of Service and to: Participate with positivity. Use your energy to encourage and support others. Be polite. Be inclusive. Our community is diverse and always growing. Welcome new users! We were all new once. Provide honest, constructive feedback without being disrespectful or mean. Refrain from using the forum to call out other contributors’ work in a negative light. Constructive criticism is welcome, when contributors have asked for feedback. Post messages in the appropriate category and stay on topic. Don’t hijack a thread, just start a new one if you want to discuss something unrelated. Be respectful of our members’ privacy and protect yourself. Don't post any private or personally identifying information about yourself or other members. Refrain from posting solicitations for the sale and promotion of products, events or services. Report harassment, threats, or illegal activity of any kind using the Report feature. These types of comments are not allowed. Refrain from making defamatory remarks about Shutterstock, our contributors, our customers, or our competitors. Please report inappropriate comments using the Report feature. Members who repeatedly fail to follow forum guidelines may be banned at our moderators’ discretion.

We are looking into all the reported issues with connecting Payoneer accounts now. Thanks for your patience!

Thanks for reporting, it's been fixed!

We’re always looking for the most relevant and up-to-date content. That means listening to our customers and passing their requests on to you. These requests are now even easier to access and act on with our new resource for contributors. Take a look at the images and footage in demand this month, along with tips and advice on how to be even more successful. See what to shoot: https://www.shutterstock.com/special/theshotlist

Be sure to save your profile picture in exactly a square format, like 300x300 pixels for example. Let us know if you continue experiencing issues!

We just launched a new look to the contributor Account Settings page. The new design brings all the existing features together in more cohesive sections, so you can easily update your details, contact info, payment settings and licensing options. We hope you enjoy the new look!