Use stock images in your Photoshop documents

Last updated on Oct 4, 2026

Learn how to add watermarked Adobe Stock previews to your Creative Cloud Libraries, use them in your projects, and license them when you are ready.

Adobe Stock integration gives you access to millions of royalty-free images directly in Photoshop. When you license an asset from the Libraries panel, Photoshop automatically replaces all watermarked instances in your open documents with the high-resolution version.

  • Internet connection for browsing and downloading Stock assets
  • Adobe Stock credits or subscription (required for licensing assets)

Search for Stock assets

In Photoshop, select File > Search Adobe Stock.

Enter your search terms in the Adobe Stock website that opens in your browser.

Browse the search results and preview assets by selecting thumbnails.

Add watermarked previews to your library

On the Adobe Stock website, locate the Save to Library icon on the asset preview.

Select Save to Library, then choose a library from the dropdown menu or create a new one.

Open the Libraries panel in Photoshop by selecting Window > Libraries.

Use watermarked assets in your documents

In the Libraries panel, locate the watermarked Stock asset.

Drag the asset from the Libraries panel into your document, or right-click the asset and select Place Linked.

Position and transform the asset as needed, then press Enter to confirm placement.

Note

Assets from Libraries become library-linked layers. Library-linked layers maintain their connection to the library asset and update automatically when you license the image.

License Stock assets

In the Libraries panel, right-click the watermarked Stock asset.

Select License Image from the context menu.

Confirm the licensing in the dialog box that appears.

Note

Photoshop automatically replaces all instances of watermarked content in open documents with the licensed version.

Alternative method for free Stock images

Open a document in Photoshop.

In the Contextual Task Bar, select Add Free Stock Images.

To keep Stock images editable, go to Preferences > General and enable the Always Create Smart Objects When Placing option.

Browse the free Stock collection.

Select an image to add it directly to your document.

Tip

Free image limits vary by subscription type.