We accept content recorded with any camera—including a mobile device—if it meets our technical and legal requirements and our quality standards.
- Upload source content at one of the following resolutions:
- 1920x1080
- 2048x1080
- 3840x2160
- 4096x2160
- 4096x2304
- Upload content at its native frame size. Do not down-convert or up-convert from the original camera resolution unless the source resolution is greater than 4K.
- Avoid non-standard resolutions and vertical or square framing.
- Do not convert clips from their native frame rate unless you’re submitting a slow motion or fast motion video.
- Shoot at standard frame rates: 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94, 60
- We accept MOV, MPG, MP4, and AVI formats.
- Use a professional grade transcoding tool such as Adobe Media Encoder to retain original video quality and avoid recompression whenever possible.e.
- Sound that is part of the scene (ambient sound) is acceptable, although you may also choose to remove it.
- If voices are clearly recognizable, you must supply model releases.
- Sound must be set to 48 kHz, 16 bit uncompressed.
- Music is not allowed.
- Progressive scan video is preferred.
- We accept interlaced video if the footage was shot interlaced (for example, 1080i).
- If any processing is performed on interlaced video before submission, be sure to retain the field dominance to avoid artifacts (Upper Field vs Lower Field).
- Deinterlacing is acceptable if performed with a professional grade tool such as the Deinterlacing tools in Premiere Pro or After Effects.
Note:
If you are unsure how to properly deinterlace your content, deliver it interlaced. This way, you avoid introducing potentially irreversible deinterlacing-related artifacts.
You can add title and keyword metadata to your files on the Contributor portal. Alternatively, if you add this metadata in Premiere Pro or Bridge, it will be preserved. The metadata is displayed on the Uploaded Files tab of the Contributor portal. You can review and edit it before submitting your content. You may also decide to submit a CSV file containing the relevant metadata. See Organize with CSV files for more information.
Do not use trademarked names (examples: Porsche, iPad, or Ferrari) or camera specifications (examples: Nikon or 4K) as keywords or in your title. For more information on keywords, see Titles and keywords.
Ask yourself if the person in the video would recognize themselves or if the property owner would recognize their property. If the answer is “Yes”, you may need a model release or a property release. Especially if there is an identifiable property, investigate whether the item is protected by privacy, trademark, or copyright law. If yes, a property release may be required.
Files that contain logos, trademarks, company, or brand names (examples: Apple, Nike, Gucci, and BMW) can’t be accepted. In certain cases, you may be able to submit work where logos, trademarks, company names, and brand names are digitally removed. Partial removal of a trademark or logo is not an acceptable substitute for the full removal of trademarks or logos from content you submit. Files that contain copyrighted material, such as some artwork, sculptures, or architecture, cannot be accepted unless you include property releases from the creator and/or copyright owners. Some buildings and places of interest cannot be used for commercial photography; see Known image restrictions.
Read our Legal guidelines for more.
For your videos to have commercial value, we expect them to be:
- Appropriately lit and exposed
- Free of visual and audio noise
- Minimally processed
- Visually stable unless shakiness is relevant to the content
- Without noticeable wobble (known as “jello” artifacts) or flash banding
For more information on what makes a quality video, see The review process.
Select only the best footage from a shoot and ensure that each submission offers something different. Don’t submit multiple clips with minimal changes in angle or depth, or copies of the same footage with different post-production effects applied. Customers apply their own creative effects to suit their projects. Submitting multiple copies of similar or identical content can be perceived to be spam by our moderation team. Spamming is strictly prohibited and may prompt us to block your account or close it permanently.
Twitter™ and Facebook posts are not covered under the terms of Creative Commons.