Quote from: mike123 on February 06, 2026, 16:39
I had to buy the photo subscription recently because my codes ran out. After all the write offs (VAT and income tax) it will be around 10-12 € per month, which is not so bad. But still, we never know when the next price hike hits, so I will start reducing my dependence on Adobe software: for example I use a few automation scripts/plugins for PS and LR to render images for my website - will move that part to Photopea soon.

Give Krita a try - it's a free open-source image editor similar to Photoshop in some ways.

I pretty much stopped uploading to both SS and Pond5. Continuing uploads at this point just feels like adding insult to injury. They decided that they don't need happy contributors anymore - perfectly fine, their choice, it was a great run at some point. Its time to move on now.

I had my long established adobe portfolio blocked in 2024 ago for the exact same reason. I only had about 100+ AI images. And yes, it was super frustrating to get just canned replies and no explanation on why exactly it was blocked. Then it was suddenly unblocked a couple months later. My downloads tanked after that.

My only guess is they have a team of paranoid lawyers that made a policy to block portfolios on any suspicion and to never admit any wrong doing, so adobe staff routinely ignores requests for any detailed explanation. Could be even handled by canned reply script and then sent straight into trash to save employees time, so no live person is even seeing it, who knows.

Needless to say I didn't submit a single AI generated image since then. Knowing how adobe handles it, submitting AI to my photo/video portfolio feels like walking on a mind field. But still, I have a few ideas that I would like to experiment with in regards to AI video. I remember that Adobe allowed to have more than one contributor account earlier, then changed their rules. I was wondering if its allowed to create a separate account for AI content these days?

Quote from: aprott on September 23, 2023, 19:29

Quote from: Konstantin Sutyagin on September 23, 2023, 18:54

I am wondering about it too. From the first glance I was unable to find any images missing.

So you don't even know which images where in question?

No 

Quote from: aprott on September 22, 2023, 22:16

Did they remove any images when unblocking your account?

I am wondering about it too. From the first glance I was unable to find any images missing.

Quote from: aprott on September 22, 2023, 21:42

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on September 22, 2023, 20:19
So the email restates the general prohibition, but does not specify which of your images violates this rule?

And they can't just rescind the approval of the images in question - assuming there are any?
.

Exactly. I think the email is just an intermediate information triggered by my urgent second email. I think (or better hope) that the process is still in the making - a positive interpretation of the phrase ,,Your account will remain blocked until further notice."

Amazing. I've experienced EXACTLY the same sequence of events. On my second email marked "Urgent" I've got exactly the same response, signed by Diego Gomez. That was the only piece of communication I got throughout the whole time my account was blocked. The account was unblocked three weeks later without any "further notice". I am still waiting for the explanation...

I don't see any noticeable increase in downloads since April. Perhaps it was because of summer season. Then my port was blocked for three weeks and all sales tumbled hard.

Quote from: JustAnImage on September 14, 2023, 14:23

Quote from: Konstantin Sutyagin on September 14, 2023, 12:56
Thank you Michael!
How are your sales, did they pick up to their prior levels?
Do you submit new AI stuff after all this? I feel uneasy about contributing anything AI now 

My account has been back online for about 2 weeks now and is now at about 45%-50% of the level before the 8-day block - at the current "recovery speed" I would say it could take another 2-3 months to reach the level of say the 2 months before the block, if this very slow increase continues.
Currently, of my previous Top25 images, only a few are selling, the sales since reactivation seem to be mostly images that were never or very rarely sold before.

And yes, I will continue to upload AI images, because this market is currently still very active, but this will probably not last forever - I think "real photos" will become more important again.
However, I am doubly careful about the keywords, titles and filenames I use - everything is now double-checked on my end. Because my account would probably not survive another block like that.

Currently I have about 4300 photos/videos/AI-images mixed in the queue (3001 files - my submission limit - since up to 3 months) and in the upload area and since the account block I have between 5 and 10 checked files per day - so it's going very slowly to maybe boost the account again.

And now I have to make sure I get to the airport - a few days' holiday :-)

Thank you for the update. So far I am seeing a number of downloads a day that I normally had on a weekend day before the block 

Have a great getaway!

Quote from: cobalt on September 14, 2023, 09:09
3 week block could be several thousand dollars. But in any case it is nearly one month income missing.

If there really was NOTHING wrong with the port, then Adobe should seriously consider compensation. Because then it must have been their algos that made a very serious mistake.

This is the most important buying season. You don't just lose the sales you also lose on the lightboxing of your files for future sales.

I am amazed that Adobe is not understanding that stock is not a hobby for the producers but actually their main income. At least for the old timers who have been uploading for years.

There must be a different way to handle this problem.

example:

- Notify the contributor that their account is under investigation. Give them a case number and communication place to ask questions.

- Give then a time frame estimate when a human will look into the problem.

- Until them let them access their account, their money and also give them the ability to delete files themselves.

- After the process is complete give them a real report what happened, what the problem was and how it was resolved.

That would certainly ease the process if Adobe implemented your suggestions, let alone show a bit of mutual respect and appreciation.
Until then, unfortunately, the way it is handled gives us a reality check that artists are really dime a dozen for a big agency.
After all, why would they still need us if they have Firefly out to do most of our work?

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on September 13, 2023, 22:37

Quote from: Konstantin Sutyagin on September 13, 2023, 18:51
I have an update - my account was unblocked yesterday, which is great, of course.
Unfortunately I got no letter of any kind notifying about it and, most importantly, providing the actual reasons behind the 3-week block, besides one generic response about it being related to AI copyright infringement. I can't seem to find if any images were deleted from the portfolio.

Glad to see that you are freed from the block, but IMO it is absolutely imperative that you get details on (a) what the suspicion was; (b) how many images were affected; (c) what action, if any, was taken. If the answer is that no action was taken, then (d) there should be a sincere apology. Adobe Stock should remember that 3 weeks of earnings could be several hundred dollars - this is bad in all circumstances, but unconscionable if it was all a "mistake".

Given how broken this process appears to be, it really does bear repeating that a better response would be to suspend upload privileges and leave all images in the portfolio live except for the "suspect" ones (which could be rejected temporarily if the software team can't figure out a quick way to render them offline).

This is people's livelihood in many cases. This is a serious issue for contributors. Adobe Stock needs to improve this process, especially for established contributors who've been with them for (let's say) more than one year.

Thank you Jo Ann, all good points!

Quote from: JustAnImage on September 13, 2023, 21:37
@Konstantin:
I'm very pleased to hear that your account has been unblocked again.
I know from my own experience how unsettling such an account block can be, so it's very good that it's now active again :-)

Good sales to you!

Thank you Michael!
How are your sales, did they pick up to their prior levels?
Do you submit new AI stuff after all this? I feel uneasy about contributing anything AI now 

I have an update - my account was unblocked yesterday, which is great, of course.
Unfortunately I got no letter of any kind notifying about it and, most importantly, providing the actual reasons behind the 3-week block, besides one generic response about it being related to AI copyright infringement. I can't seem to find if any images were deleted from the portfolio.

Seems like the relative ease of creating AI images led to a huge amounts of such content fooding Adobe reviewers. The easy fix could be in setting a limit on the number of AI images one can submit in a week. It should balance the review capacity and promote submitting only the best generations at the same time.

Quote from: JustAnImage on September 06, 2023, 18:51
Just to keep you all up to date:

My account (which was blocked for 8 days) was reactivated late last Thursday evening - 19 images were removed that contained an illegal term/trademark - Thanks again for helping me out here @Mat/Adobe.

Since the account has been reactivated, I have noticed a massive drop in downloads - from an average of 23 per working day (yes, that's not soooo many for some of you) to now 8 per working day on average, a drop to about 35%.

Almost all my images that were doing well before the account are now not selling at all - only one image from my Top20 list had two sales today.

The question I'm asking myself now is: Will the account block also expose you to further mechanisms afterwards that will throw you completely back to the end of the queue (or close to it) in the ranking?
Because before the 8-day block, the account was doing increasingly better.

Ouch! If your images are punished in search and not presented to the customers somewhere in the first pages, it is not much different from banning the entire portfolio. I really hope that it's not the case and the situation will change to the better.

As my portfolio remains blocked for two weeks now, your case gives me hope and chills at the same time 

I would also like to thank you for being so open, speaking out and sharing the important nuances your case, so we have a way to timely learn about the issues and be updated on what to expect. This is the level of communication we would love to see from Adobe.

I found myself in the same boat. Have been a Fololia/Adobe contributor for 16 years. I had a few AI images accepted, but my portfolio consists mostly of "handmade" photos and videos. Thursday my port was blocked. It's frustrating that there was no warning, no communication, no reply for three days.

Thank you so much for the information!

Do those principles apply equally to any type of content (e.g. images and videos)?

I price at 250/85 usually.

I was honestly puzzled and disappointed to read that email. It lacks to provide any points on why we should consider this offer.

Many events accept press to get free publicity in media. You just have to apply as a press to get the badge. It will allow you a free access and the right to license what you have shot there.

Better, but it's time consuming to calculate by how much

Don't blame the market. Make great clips and sales will come.

The market is still good, no to need panic and submit to istock.

I usually set it to 250/85 (4K/HD). Buyers don't seem to mind that.

Review times suck and I started getting a few rejections here and there, but can't complain about sales.

Same here. I guess their search could be favoring new authors, or new clips. Who knows.