How to Prepare Your Vector Illustration for Upload to Adobe Stock

Hi everyone! Today, we're diving into the essential steps for preparing your vector illustration for upload to Adobe Stock, ensuring it meets all the necessary criteria for acceptance. We'll be using Adobe Illustrator for this process, so grab your favorite drawing tool and let's get started!

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s briefly discuss what Adobe Stock is. Adobe Stock is a platform that allows creatives like you to sell your high-quality images, videos, and illustrations to businesses and individuals in need of stock content. By contributing your artwork, you stand a chance to earn money while sharing your creativity with a global audience. It’s a fantastic way to monetize your artistic skills and gain exposure!

So, you've created that perfect illustration and are eager to share it with the world. Here are some essential recommendations to keep in mind prior to saving your file:

Image Components: Refining Your Vector Art

- Text Avoidance: Minimize or eliminate text elements, as buyers often require flexibility to use their preferred fonts.

- Autotracing Prudence: Use autotracing sparingly. Excessive reliance on it can lead to messy, unpredictable results.

- Raster-Free Zone: Strictly avoid embedding raster images (JPEGs, PNGs) within your vector files or rasterizing any vector elements. Adobe Stock requires pure vector artwork.

- Signature Exclusion: Refrain from including your signature or name directly within the illustration itself.

Outlines: Precision and Polish

- Optimal Anchor Points: Strive for a balance in the number of anchor points. Too many can result in jagged lines, while too few can make your artwork appear flat and lifeless.

- Closed Paths: Ensure all filled shapes have closed outlines. This prevents unexpected rendering issues.

- Line Weight Variation: Experiment with varying line weights to add depth and visual interest to your illustration.

File Organization: Streamlining for Success

- Artboard Dimensions: Adhere to Adobe Stock's minimum artboard size of 15 megapixels (MP). I recommend aiming for a 4000 x 4000 pixel artboard for versatile use across multiple platforms.

- Layer Labeling: Use clear, descriptive layer labels to maintain organization and facilitate easy editing.

- Cleanup: Delete any hidden or empty layers, as well as unused panel items.

- Unlocked Layers: Ensure all layers and sublayers are unlocked.

- Artboard Containment: Keep all artwork within the artboard boundaries and remove any stray elements outside of it.

Pre-Submission Checklist: Final Touches

- Gradient Integrity: Verify that your gradients are intact and render correctly.

- Bitmap Absence: Double-check that there are absolutely no raster elements present.

- Preview Mode Inspection: Thoroughly review your image in Preview mode to identify any potential issues.

- Anchor Point and Line Review: Zoom in to 100% or more to meticulously inspect for stray anchor points and poorly connected lines.

Step-by-step process of preparing files for uploading to Adobe Stock:

1. Check Illustration: Select your illustration and go to Object > Contour > Convert stroke to curves. This way, you can check your drawing for errors.

2. Document Information Panel: Access Window > Document Info. In the panel's upper-right corner, click the three lines and select "Objects." Check the "Paths" count. Ideally, it should be zero. Any non-zero value indicates open paths that need correction before submission.

- Then select the illustration and type the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + G.

3. Artboard Size: Ensure your artboard is at least 3000 x 5000 pixels (15 MP). As mentioned, 4000 x 4000 pixels is a great all-around size.

4. Metadata Embedding: Enhance your file's discoverability by embedding metadata directly within it.

- Go to File > File Info.

- Fill in the "Document Title," "Description," and "Keywords" fields. The title and description can be similar. Aim for 25-30 relevant keywords, with the first 5 being the most impactful.

5. EPS File Saving: Save your file in EPS format. If you need a refresher on this process, refer to my previous post (Link).

- Ensure your file size does not exceed 45 MB.

- There is no need to archive the file.

If you follow these recommendations, you’ll be well on your way to having your illustration accepted by Adobe Stock without any issues.

Thank you for joining me today! If you found this post helpful, please give it a like and share your thoughts or experiences in the comments below. Happy illustrating and good luck on your journey with Adobe Stock!

Thank you for your time,

YuliDor