Get answers to common questions about nominating content for the Adobe Stock free collection and understanding payments.
These questions typically arise when Contributors receive nomination invitations, evaluate participation in the free collection, or manage content already included in the collection.
The Adobe Stock free collection is a curated collection of photos, vectors, illustrations, videos, and design templates from Adobe Stock Contributors.
Discover this content on our website in the Free section on the navigation bar in addition to our existing free motion graphics templates and 3D content.
- Free collection content meets the same quality standards as paid collection content, including model and property-release requirements, and is downloaded with a commercial license.
- Our free content stands out from other free stock providers because it is curated, and Adobe compensates Contributors for their efforts.
The Adobe Stock free collection allows for more exposure of our Contributors' content. Additionally, they are compensated for its inclusion in Adobe Express.
We are closely monitoring the impact on the paid collection to ensure a healthy balance.
Customers and Adobe Stock Contributors alike value the Free collection for many reasons, including our licensing terms, breadth of content offered, and search powered by Adobe Sensei.
Licensing terms
Content from the Adobe Stock free collection can be used for personal or commercial purposes. Free content meets the same standards as our paid collection (including model- and property-release requirements) and is downloaded with a commercial license. Adobe may also use content in the free collection in Adobe-created templates and other design assets, allowing Adobe’s customers to discover and use the features of our applications.
During limited times, selected Adobe Stock Contributors can nominate content for potential inclusion. If you qualify, you'll see a banner in your dashboard when you sign in to the Contributor Portal.
Yes. All content approved for the free collection operates under a non-exclusive license, so you can continue to use and distribute your content through other platforms.
One-year term: Adobe will have the right to keep your content in the free collection for additional 12-month periods, subject to (1) giving you notice and an opportunity to opt out and (2) paying you an upfront payment for each additional 12-month period that your content stays in the free collection.
Perpetual term: The perpetual term and one-time payment will grant Adobe Stock the ability to keep the content in the free collection indefinitely without subsequent payments.
Yes. Your nominated Adobe Stock content will remain available for licensing in the paid collection unless and until it is approved and moved to the free collection.
If your nominated content is approved into the free collection, you will receive a payment within 30 days after the content is moved to the free collection. You will see the one-time payment in the Earnings tab in the Contributor Portal, and the content is marked as free in your dashboard in the Contributor Portal.
We may move your nominated content to the free collection in batches. In that case, you will be paid for each batch within 30 days after they are moved.
No. Content in the free collection earns only the upfront payment, with no additional royalties for downloads. The upfront payment compensates you for all future use during the agreed term.
There are no minimum or maximum considerations. Our goal is to have a balanced free collection covering a wide range of topics.
No. Content must remain in the Free collection for the agreed term. If you're legally required to remove content, submit a support ticket in the Contributor Portal.
You can view the Free Collection Addendum in the Royalty Details page under Free Collection Payment.
Content in the free collection may also be used by Adobe in templates and other design assets within Adobe applications, allowing Adobe’s customers to discover and use the features of our applications. For example, Adobe could combine any content from the free collection with text and additional design elements to create a template for use in one of the Adobe apps.
No. Data insights in the Contributor Portal only show downloads for paid collection content, not free collection downloads.
In your Contributor Portal Dashboard, accepted free collection content displays a "free" label on the thumbnail image. You can filter by content price in your portfolio to view all free content.
Yes. Adobe can offer free collection content to customers for free or for a fee, for example, as part of paid subscriptions and enterprise contracts. Adobe can also combine your content with text and design elements to create templates within Adobe applications like Adobe Express.
You will receive an upfront payment within 30 days after the start of each agreed upon term where your content is in the free collection. Content in the free collection will not receive any additional royalties beyond the upfront payment.
Beginning April 23, 2025, US withholding taxes (if applicable) are automatically withheld from free collection payments and remitted directly to the IRS on your behalf.
