Sell Your Designs on Shutterstock, Adobe, Freepik & Vecteezy

Why Selling Designs Online is a Good Opportunity 

If you’re a graphic designer creating artwork for clients or a company, you’re likely producing valuable designs—vector or raster—that can be sold online. Did you know that you can turn your existing and future designs into a source of passive income? 

By applying as a contributor on popular stock platforms like Shutterstock, Freepik, Adobe Stock, and Vecteezy, you can sell your designs globally. These platforms handle storage, customer access, and licensing—allowing you to focus on creating. There’s no upfront investment required—just your creativity and consistency. 

Why Sell on Stock Platforms? 

Passive Income Potential 

As mentioned, you don’t need to invest money or worry about storage. Once your artwork is uploaded, it can earn income even while you sleep. 

Exposure to Global Buyers 

Your designs will be available to millions of users around the world. These platforms receive huge traffic, increasing your chances of getting license purchases. 

Building a Digital Portfolio 

Your uploaded designs also serve as a public portfolio, showcasing your skills and style to potential clients or employers. 

Learning Market Trends 

Many platforms provide insights into trending topics and keywords. This helps you create content that people are actively searching for. 

What You Need Before You Start 

• A portfolio of high-quality vector designs and photos
   If you don’t have one, start organizing your best work to showcase your style and quality. 
• Knowledge of file formats (AI, EPS, SVG, JPG, etc.) 
   Understanding the right formats and how to export them properly is essential for submission.  
• Basic understanding of licensing 
  Licensing means others can use your designs (for commercial or editorial use), and in return, you get paid. 
• A PayPal, Payoneer, or Skrill account 
  These are common payment methods used by stock platforms to send contributor earnings. 
• Time and consistency 
  Building a portfolio and getting your first download may take time. The more content you upload consistently—especially with market demand in mind—the better your chances of earning. 

Shutterstock 

Shutterstock is a leading American stock platform that offers photography, footage, music, and editing services. It was founded in 2003 by programmer and photographer Jon Oringer. Over the years, Shutterstock has grown into a massive content marketplace, hundreds of millions of stock photos and millions of videos, and acquiring major brands like Bigstock, Giphy, and Pond5. 

With millions of monthly visitors, Shutterstock has become one of the most trusted platforms for creatives to earn money by licensing their work. Since its inception, the company has paid out billions of dollars in contributor earnings. 

How to Sign Up as a Contributor 

Becoming a Shutterstock contributor is simple: 

Search “Shutterstock Contributor” in your browser.

Click “Get started” and sign up using your email address. 

After creating your account, you can begin uploading your photos, illustrations, vectors, videos, or even music. 

Before uploading, make sure to carefully read Shutterstock’s Contributor Guidelines to avoid common mistakes and ensure your submissions meet their quality standards. 

Technical Requirements

Photos

File Format: JPEG (.jpg) 

Minimum Resolution: 4 megapixels or higher 

Maximum File Size: 50 MB 

Color Profile: sRGB  

Vector Files (EPS) 

File Format: EPS (compatible with Adobe Illustrator 8 or 10)

Dimensions: Minimum of 4 megapixels, not exceeding 25 megapixels 

Maximum File Size: 100 MB 

Color Profile: sRGB  

Make sure your vector files are clean, well-organized, and free from unnecessary anchor points or hidden objects. For the most up-to-date and detailed requirements, visit Shutterstock’s official technical guidelines page. Your images should be well-composed, sharp, properly exposed, and free from logos or copyrighted elements. 

Adobe Stock 

Adobe Stock is a popular stock content platform, operated by Adobe—the same company behind Adobe Creative Cloud. It offers millions of curated assets, including stock photos, videos, illustrations, vector graphics, 3D assets, and templates. What sets Adobe Stock apart is its seamless integration with Adobe Creative Cloud, making it easy for users to search, preview, and license content directly within Adobe apps like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro. 

How to Sign Up as a Contributor 

Becoming a contributor on Adobe Stock is simple: 

Search for “Adobe Stock Contributor” in your browser or go to contributor.stock.adobe.com. 

Click “Join Now” to create a new account. 

If you already have an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, you can select “Link My Adobe ID” and sign in with your existing email and password. 

Once signed in, you’ll be guided through setting up your contributor account where you can start uploading your content. 

No subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud is required to contribute—you only need a free Adobe ID. 

Technical Requirements 

To ensure your content is accepted and performs well on Adobe Stock, follow these technical guidelines for each file type: 

Images (JPG) 

File format: JPEG only 

Minimum resolution: 4 MP (megapixels) 

Maximum resolution: 100 MP 

Maximum file size: 45 MB 

For more information, check the Adobe Stock image requirements.

Vector Files (AI, EPS, SVG) 

File formats: AI, EPS, or SVG 

Minimum artboard size: 4 MP 

Maximum artboard size: 25 MP 

Maximum file size: 45 MB 

Make sure your vectors are well-organized, with no stray points, and are compatible with Adobe Illustrator standards. 

Refer to the vector guidelines for complete details. 

Transparent PNGs 

File format: PNG only 

Background: Must be transparent (no solid backgrounds) 

Minimum resolution: 4 MP 

Maximum resolution: 100 MP 

Maximum file size: 45 MB 

Transparent images are especially useful for UI kits, icons, and design elements. 

Videos 

Accepted formats: MOV, MP4, MPG, AVI 

Minimum resolution: 1280 × 720 (HD) 

Recommended resolution: Full HD (1920×1080) or 4K 

Codecs: H264, ProRes, PNG 

Duration: Minimum 5 seconds, maximum 60 seconds 

Maximum file size: 3.9 GB (3900 MB) 

Make sure your footage is steady, well-lit, and free of compression artifacts. More info in the video requirements. 

Freepik 

Freepik is a stock photography company based in Málaga, Spain. It offers a large collection of AI-generated images, stock photos, illustrations, and vector graphics. The platform operates under a freemium business model, which means many resources are available for free, while premium users get access to higher-quality content. 

How to Sign Up as a Contributor 

Go to your search engine and type “Freepik Contributor” or visit this link. 

Click on “Become a contributor” and sign up with a valid email address. Choose your contributor name wisely—it cannot be changed later. 

Technical Requirements 

General Rules: 

Freepik requires you to submit 150–200 of your best works to get approved as a contributor. 

You will be assigned a contributor level (from Level 1 to Level 3), which affects your upload limits and review speed. 

Photos (JPG) 

File size: min 1.5MB, max 250MB 

Resolution: min 4MP, max 100MP 

Color mode: sRGB, Adobe RGB, ProPhoto RGB 

Vector Files (EPS) 

Must be accompanied by a JPG preview file with the same name (e.g., design.eps and design.jpg). 

File size: min 0.5MB, max 80MB 

Color mode: RGB 

Photoshop Files (PSD) 

Must include a JPG preview file with the same name. 

PSD file size: min 1.5MB, max 250MB 

Preview resolution: min 4MP, max 100MP 

Color mode: sRGB, Adobe RGB, ProPhoto RGB, or P3 (use CMYK for templates, brochures, and flyers; the color profile should be Coated FOGRA 27). 

Vecteezy 

Vecteezy is an online stock platform that provides design resources such as vector graphics, stock photos, and stock videos. It was founded in 2007 with the goal of helping designers access high-quality resources to improve their creative work. 

Vecteezy offers both free and premium content. Free downloads may come with limitations or require attribution, while premium users enjoy access to advanced licensing and more features. 

How to Sign Up on Vecteezy as a Contributor 

To become a contributor on Vecteezy, you must first have a design portfolio. Here’s how the process works: 

Go to the Vecteezy Contributor page or search for “Vecteezy Contributor” on your browser. 

Click the “Get Started” button and sign up with your email. 

You’ll receive an email confirmation—click the link to verify your account. 

Fill in your profile details and submit your stock portfolio for review. 

Your portfolio can be a personal website, a Behance or Dribbble profile, or existing contributor pages from platforms like Shutterstock or Freepik. To increase your chances of approval, make sure your portfolio includes at least 10 high-quality vector designs. 

Once approved, you’ll be able to submit your designs directly to Vecteezy for review and publishing. 

Technical Requirements 

Vecteezy allows contributors to submit a wide range of file types, including EPS vectors, JPG photos, PSD templates, PNG graphics, and even videos. Below are the main technical requirements for each file type: 

Vector Files (EPS) 

Format: EPS, saved as Adobe Illustrator 10 compatible. 

Maximum File Size: 50 MB 

Image Size: Minimum 3 MP, Maximum 25 MP 

Color Profile: sRGB 

Important Notes: 

Ensure high visual and technical quality. 

Use clean and organized layers. 

Avoid stray points, autotrace, or live-traced vector files. 

Do not submit vectors with extreme or skewed aspect ratios. 

Photos (JPG) 

Format: JPG 

Minimum Resolution: 4 MP 

Maximum File Size: 50 MB 

Color Profile: sRGB 

Important Notes: 

Photos must be properly exposed, color balanced, and in focus. 

Avoid excessive editing, lens issues, noise, chromatic aberration, distortion, or compression artifacts. 

PSD Files 

Versions Supported: Compatible with Adobe Creative Cloud (including CS5 and CS6). 

Mockups & Graphic Elements: Use RGB color mode; profiles: sRGB or Adobe RGB. 

Templates: Use CMYK color mode. 

For U.S.: CGATS (ANSI or SWOP), FOGRA27 or FOGRA39 profiles. 

For other regions (except Japan): ISO TC 130 profiles. 

PNG Files 

Color Profile: sRGB or Adobe RGB 

Maximum File Size: 50 MB 

Image Size: Minimum 4 MP, Maximum 25 MP 

Videos 

Formats: MP4 or MOV 

Max File Size: 4 GB 

Minimum Resolution: 1080p (1920×1080); 2K, 2.5K, 4K also accepted 

Duration: At least 5 seconds, less than 2 minutes 

Frame Rates Supported: 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 47.96, 48, 50, 59.94, 60 

Codecs: PhotoJPEG, H.264, ProRes (422 / 422 HQ / 422 LT / 4444), R3D (.r3d) 

Important Note: 

Do not submit videos with alpha (transparency) channels. 

Ensure proper composition, luminance, white balance, motion, and stability. 

Tips to Maximize Sales 

Focus on niche and seasonal content 

Create artwork around events like Christmas, Black Friday, Earth Day, etc. 

Use strong keywords and titles 

This helps your design appear in searches. Think about what users might search for. 

Upload regularly 

Regular uploads keep your portfolio fresh and active in the algorithm. 

Analyze what sells and adapt 

Study your most-downloaded designs and create similar content. 

Promote your portfolio externally 

Share your contributor page on Instagram, Pinterest, or your own website for more visibility. 

Common Mistakes to Avoid 

Submitting copyrighted or trademarked content 

Never upload logos, brand names, or designs copied from others. 

Poor file organization or missing metadata 

Always name your files properly and include accurate keywords and descriptions. 

Inconsistent quality 

Focus on quality over quantity. Platforms prioritize well-made, professional designs. 

Ignoring platform guidelines 

Each platform has its own technical and content rules—make sure you follow them.