Stock media is an increasingly important resource for businesses and individuals looking to create compelling visuals for their projects. It can provide access to high-quality images, videos, and sound clips that can be used for various purposes.
This blog post will review an online stock service offered by Adobe Inc called Adobe Stock. It is fully integrated into the Adobe Creative Cloud and provides a seamless workflow for designers.
This Adobe Stock review will demonstrate all its features, prices, pros, and cons and compare it to its competitors! Without wasting any time, let’s jump into our article!
Review Summary
Adobe Stock is a stock photo and video service provided by Adobe that offers millions of stock images, graphics, and videos for creative projects. It has a wide range of content, including video intro templates for Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and Premiere Rush. You can browse thousands of royalty-free Video Intro stock images and videos for your next project on Adobe Stock. With its user-friendly interface, high-quality content, and seamless integration, Adobe Stock is one of the go-to resources for professionals seeking visual assets to elevate their creative endeavors.
Pros
- Fully integrated with Creative Cloud.
- Flexible licensing options.
- Over 284 million images with a great variety
- 800,000 free assets
- AI image search.
- Advanced Search Feature
- Easy to use and simple integration
Cons
- Fully integrated with Creative Cloud.
- Flexible licensing options.
- Over 284 million images with a great variety
- 800,000 free assets
- AI image search.
- Advanced Search Feature
- Easy to use and simple integration
Cons
- Prices are to high for low budget users
- The variety of music is not up to the mark
- Poor Customer support
- Expensive premium images
- Extended licenses cannot be bought in bulk.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Adobe Stock is a photo service program launched in 2005 with Adobe Creative Suite 2 software. Now it is becoming one of the largest stock photo platforms, with over 248 million images and 26 million videos.
With the multiple subscription plans, you will get high-quality media for your projects at a reasonable price. But compared to many cheap services available on the internet, Adobe Stock is a little bit expensive.
The advanced feature is that it is fully integrated with creative cloud, which helps the designer to enhance their workflow by allowing them to browse, edit and use stock photos now from their editing apps like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, etc.
Key Features
Adobe Stock has a huge collection of media assets with advanced integrations and flexible licensing and buying options. All the content available on the site is royalty-free. Here we highlighted the key features of Adobe stock:
- You can get a massive collection of free photos, vectors, illustrations, videos, audio tracks, 3D models, and templates
- You can get free videos in HD and 4k high resolution.
- You can remove the background and resize an image in just a few clicks before downloading it.
- Fully integrated within the Creative Cloud platform
- Advanced search filters and sorting options make navigating the site’s content easy.
- Extended License Options for large companies and enterprises.
- You can purchase premium images individually with on-demand credits.
- Creative Cloud users can get discounted subscription plans.
- Free trial for one month, with ten free image downloads
- Finding content is easy because it is divided into two parts: standard (cheaper) and premium (costly).
- You can export content directly in your favorite Adobe apps and edit them.
User Interface and Navigation
Adobe Stock has a simple and convenient interface that users can easily understand. You can search for content by category, media type, and featured media in search engines. On the right corner of the search bar, you will find an option of “Search by Image.” It helps users to find content visually similar to a selected image or video.
It also offers advanced search filters and sorting options to make your results quick. You can filter your results by licensing, pricing, orientation, size, color, etc. Once you choose the file, you can preview it before downloading it in multiple formats.
Licensing Options
Adobe stock offers three types of licensing options Standard, Enhanced, and Extended. All licenses are royalty-free but have different prices, uses, and obligations. But you are not allowed to distribute a stand-alone file of any content available on the site.
Standard license
It is the basic form of the royalty-free license, which means you only have to buy the item for one time, and you can use it forever in your projects worldwide. It only has a limit of 500k copies and unlimited web views. You can not print and sell the asset on a poster, a T-shirt, or a coffee mug. You can get a subscription license or buy standard content with on-demand credits.
Enhanced license
It is similar to a Standard license but has unlimited prints and copies. You cannot create merchandise, templates, or other products and sell the asset on a poster, t-shirt, or coffee mug. You can get it by downloading premium assets and stock footage with credits.
Extended License
It is an additional license to the Standard and Enhanced. The only purpose of the license is to give you all the rights to resell the assets digitally or physically. You can use the content for merchandise or distribution where the product’s main value is associated with the purchase, such as a coffee mug or t-shirt.
Editorial Use
Content labeled as “Editorial use only” in the library has different usage rights and restrictions from the licensing options mentioned above, which include;
- It can only be used to help represent an event or tell a story, particularly in newspaper articles, magazines, news blogs, or similar media.
- You can not use the content for commercial purposes such as advertisements, promotions, endorsements, advertorials, merchandise, etc.
- You cannot modify the file except for minor adjustments like cropping or resizing.
- All uses must include the credit line provided on the website and in the IPTC credit field of the file, such as “Agency Name/Contributor Name – stock.adobe.com.“
Adobe Stock Pricing
Adobe Stock offers all of its content with monthly and annual subscriptions, and you can also buy assets with credits, which you get by purchasing credit packs. Credits are more expensive than subscription plans. In contrast, credits are more expensive, giving you more freedom and flexibility. Currently, the platform has four different options with 10, 25, 40, and 750 monthly downloads. With annual plans, you will get higher discounts on assets and also get a free trial with ten free downloads.
There are three subscription plans on Adobe Stock, and you can either purchase a monthly or an annual subscription.
10 standard assets a month
- ($49.99/month if paid month-to-month)
- $29.99/month with an annual commitment paid monthly
25 standard assets or 3 HD videos a month
- $69.99/month if paid month-to-month
- $49.99/month with an annual commitment paid monthly
40 standard assets (or 6 HD videos)
- $99.99/month if paid month-to-month
- $79.99/month with an annual commitment paid monthly
750 standard assets or 25 HD videos a month
- $249.99/month if paid month-to-month
- $199.99/month with an annual commitment paid monthly
Credit Packs
Credits are the simplest way to buy assets on-demand, so you don’t have to commit to monthly or annual plans with the platforms. You first buy a credit pack in sizes from 5 to 150 credits to get recognition. The large credit packs are much cheaper than the smaller ones. Credits are the best options for inconsistent stock needs and for 4K video, Premium, and extended licenses
- Standard images: 1 credit (Standard license).
- Standard templates & 3D: 1 credit (Enhanced license).
- HD videos: 8 credits (Enhanced license).
- 4K videos: 20 credits (Enhanced license).
- Premium images: 12+ credits (Enhanced license).
- Editorial: 12+ credits (Enhanced license).
Number of credits | Price | Price/credit |
5 | $49.95 | $9.99 |
16 | $149.99 | $9.37 |
40 | $359.99 | $8.99 |
80 | $669.99 | $8.37 |
150 | $1,200.00 | $8.00 |
Pricing for Teams
Adobe Stock offers team subscriptions that differ from individual plans. You can share assets among the team members with the team plan. If you buy a single plan for each of your members, they wouldn’t be allowed to work on the same projects. All the team subscriptions are only available for one year means there are no monthly subscriptions and there is no free trial with team plans. The subscription plans start from ($29.99 to $199.99 per month) with different download options. At the same time, the credit packs are available in the size of 5 to 500 credits.
Enterprise Plan
Adobe Stock for enterprise is ideal for creatives, scaled for business. It gives creative teams access to over 300 million stock footage, templates, illustrations, audio files, images, and 3D assets—all from within the innovative apps they use daily. With such a vast library of creatives can easily find the perfect visual to enhance their workflow and achieve their goals.
Key features
- You can get unlimited access to Adobe Stock assets.
- You can add unlimited users all around the globe.
- Fully integrated with Adobe Creative Cloud and third-party applications.
- Real-time collaboration with your team members
- Allows you to preview high-resolution videos without a watermark.
- It gives you better visibility into your assets with badges and reports. You can also control user access to the library through one centralized console.
Adobe Enterprise plans to solve all the problems of large businesses that need a reliable stock media solution. It gives you an extended license on all purchases. That allows you to use images without expiration dates or any other restrictions.
Free Trial
Adobe Stock offers a 30-day free trial on three of its annual plans. During this time, you can download either ten standard assets a month or 25 standard purchases, or 3 HD videos a month or 40 images or 6 HD videos (depending on your chosen plan) and after this its upto you to continue your subscription or not. You won’t be charged anything if you cancel your subscription within these 30 days.
Adobe Stock Library
Adobe Stock has a massive library of 300 million+ premium digital assets and a huge collection of Free assets. The content available on the site is added by professional contributors all around the globe. You can access everything you want, from stock images and videos to templates, 3D models, and audio tracks, under a royalty-free license. The company is versatile and undoubtedly has high content quality, as it is one of the most popular sites. Let’s look at what Adobe stock got for its users.
Adobe Stock Images
Adobe Stock image library has a huge collection of over 285 million high-quality premium and free images. The library covers various topics and styles. You can also finf thousands of vectors, illustration and clip arts for your work. And can download images in JPEG format, export them directly to your favorite Adobe apps, and edit them. You can remove the background, resize or crop the image before downloading.
Adobe Stock Videos
Adobe Stock Footage library offers a vast selection of high-quality stock footage, including 4K and HD videos and motion graphics. It has a huge catalog of over 25 million video clips. You can directly open the video in Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro. The library covers various topics, including nature, business, love, family, lifestyle, etc. You can browse the collection through file size, time duration, orientation, and shot angle. You can choose from the top curated collection of videos contributed by the top artists. You can download the files in MOV format with various resolutions. If you want Free Video presets for Adobe After Effects or Premiere Pro templates, you should go with MIXKIT.
Adobe Stock Music
Adobe Stock has a vast collection of royalty-free music tracks from more than 50+ Musical Genres. You can easily find tracks that match any mood, from emotional to happy to Nostalgic, Acoustic to suspenseful, hip-hop to Hick hop; you will get everything you need. These genres are further divided into many sub-genres from where you can find new music for your projects. You can filter your tracks by duration, tempo, BPM, or popularity search filters to get more efficient results, and always preview the track before downloading it. The audio quality is high, and Adobe audio library is also partnered with famous stock music platforms like Epidemic Sound, FineTune Music, Keyframe Audio, etc.
Adobe Stock Templates
Adobe Stock has a vast collection of pre-made templates, including social media posts, posters, business cards, marketing, thumbnails, covers, Ads posts, flyers, brochures, etc. You can choose the template and directly open the file in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, or Adobe Express to customize them according to your needs.
Here you can customize the text, fonts, color, background, frames, and patterns to create a stunning design quickly and easily. And download your file in AI/EPS and JPEG formats. If you are not a user of Adobe but want pre-made templates with a drag-and-drop editor, we recommend you go with Canva, Placeit, Visme, Vistacreate etc.
3D Models
Adobe has a good collection of 3D models, lights, and materials. You can download these 3D files in OBJ format and edit them in Adobe Photoshop. You can combine them with other images. These assets are mainly optimized for 3D rendering and design software Adobe Dimension. So you can easily use it to get 3D effects without being a 3D expert.
Adobe Stock Contributor Program
Adobe Stock has one of the largest communities of contributors all around the globe. You can sell videos, images, vectors, illustrations etc.
If you’re a photographer or a designer interested in selling your work online, you may have questions like How much passive income can you make from Adobe Stock? Is it safe to sell your work? How can I upload my work? Etc. In this section, we will clear all your doubts and give you a simple guide on how to sell your content on Adobe Stock.
Adobe Stock contributor program pays over 33% of commissions on your content, but your earning per download always depends on the plan and license the customer uses. Your content always be downloaded with the most profitable plan. Focus on the quality of your content so they are downloaded more often.
How to become an Adobe Stock contributor?
If you have an Adobe ID, joining a community is simple. You can become a contributor in a few simple steps:
- Go to Adobe Stock and sign in with your Adobe ID. If you don’t have an account, sign up first.
- You should be 18 years old and have all the rights to your photos and videos.
- Now accept all the legal guidelines and start uploading your work.
- Always add a title, category, and best keywords describing your work.
- Your content is ready; the team will review your work before approval.
You can manage your account as you want; you can remove or add new content and change the titles and descriptions to make them more engaging. Now wait until someone buys your content, It might take a while, but the earnings will start snowballing once it starts going.
How do I get Paid?
Once you have received at least $25 in royalties, you must match the following criteria:
- It has been at least 45 days since your first sale.
- You have a proper tax form in your account.
- You have a PayPal, Payoneer, or Skrill account.
Overall, Adobe Stock is paying good commissions as compared to other programs. If you need a Quick start guide for Adobe Stock Contributors, follow this link and join the community today.
Adobe Stock Alternatives
Shutterstock
$0.22–$14.50/ image
Shutterstock is a well-known stock photo agency and the best option for finding high-quality assets like images, video, music, SFX, editorial content, etc. Subscription plans suit many users, but individuals with low budgets find it costly. But you can also test it for 30 days using the free trial. Read More…
Istock
$29/mo
iStock is a stock photo and video service that Getty Images provides millions of high-quality images, graphics, and videos for creative projects. It has a wide range of content, including intro stock videos and footage. You can browse 44,000+ intro stock videos and clips available on iStock. Read More….
Stocksy
$15–$125/image
Stocksy is a Royalty-free stock photo and video service that offers millions of photos, vectors, illustrations, and videos. Stocksy does not offer subscription plans or free trials; Users must go with the individual content purchase. However, it is more expensive than other sites, but it has simple and clear licensing options, and the content quality is good. Read More….
Alamy
$9.99 – $639.99/image
Alamy is a stock photo and video service with over 311 million images and videos. Still, the quality is modest, and prices are high compared to other platforms and the complexity of its licensing terms because the usage of the content determines the price. Alamy only sells on-demand images, or you can buy image packs to save money. Despite these flaws, Alamy remains a popular platform for buyers looking for a large collection of stock images and videos. Read More….
Dreamstime
$25/mo
Dreamstime is a stock photo and video service that offers millions of high-quality images, graphics, and videos for creative projects. It has a wide range of content, including intro-stock music and audio clips from professional musicians and producers. You can download thousands of royalty-free intro-stock music audio clips on Dreamstime. Read More…..
Who is Adobe Stock best for?
Adobe Stock is an ideal resource for anyone who needs stock images, videos, fonts, or music. Still, it’s quite useful for graphic designers and other creatives currently working with Adobe Creative Cloud to take full advantage of Adobe stock assets. Besides Creative Cloud users, the platform can also be useful for:
- Content Creators: Video editors, filmmakers, YouTubers, and other content creators can use Adobe stock to find high-quality media assets for their work.
- Marketing: Advertising agencies, marketing teams, and social media managers with high budgets can find engaging visuals and audio for their campaigns.
- Large Companies: Production studios, media companies, and other large enterprises can use Adobe Stock to access an unlimited library of media assets for their various projects.
It is also a good choice for any commercial and non-commercial buyer because of its flexible pricing options or broad royalty-free license. However, It is barely more expensive than its competitors like Depositphotos, Videvo, Storyblocks, and Pond5.
Who shouldn’t get Adobe Stock?
There are better choices than Adobe Stock for individuals with tight budgets. Users who only need a few assets or have started their work are unwilling to do high investments. We recommend cheap sites with unlimited downloads for those users, such as Envato Elements, MotionArray, Artgrid, StockUnlimited, etc.
Conclusion
Adobe Stock has a good review available on the internet, showing that it is one of the best stock photo agencies. Majority of users like high-quality stock photos and Creative Cloud integration. So far, it is the best option for anyone needing stock media, but it’s quite useful for graphic designers and other creatives who can take full advantage of its integration with Creative Cloud.
Compared to many sites, most people complaining about Adobe Stock frequently mention high prices and poor customer support. And it is also not suited for individuals with tight budgets. Are you planning to use Adobe Stock? If it is your first time using Adobe Stock, you can sign up for its 30-day free trial or use its free assets, which can be a great starting point for your creative projects.
And last but not least, here is the recommended list of free and cheaper stock image sites: Pixabay, Unsplash, Canva, 123RF, Bigstock, Picjumbo, etc.
I hope you like this Adobe Stock Review, and we will be back with more informative and creative content soon.
Any questions or thoughts regarding the platform?
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