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FAQ | Usage and licensing

General licensing

Terms of use can be found here.

You can use Adobe Stock assets, except for the ones marked “editorial use only,” in any creative project, such as print ads, brochures, presentations, posters, book covers, commercials, websites, and annual reports. For the complete Adobe Stock image licensing terms, see http://www.adobe.com/go/stockterms.

Yes. When you use a watermarked preview image or video and then license the asset, the watermark is removed and you receive the asset in its highest available resolution.

No. We do not offer exclusive licenses.

Yes. You are welcome to edit the non-editorial asset in any way you deem necessary. Note, however, that your modifications must not violate or infringe on the intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity, nor place the author or the model in a bad light or depict them in any way that might be deemed offensive. See http://www.adobe.com/go/stockterms.

Editorial assets are subject to certain additional restrictions. For details, see Do any special restrictions apply to editorial assets?

Yes. You may purchase an extended license for most Adobe Stock photos, vectors, and illustrations. Extended licenses provide unlimited impressions/print runs, and the ability to create derivative products for resale, such as coffee mugs, t-shirts, etc. Extended licenses may be purchased by clicking the image on the Adobe Stock website and selecting the Extended License tab. If you have already licensed the image, you can click your name in the Adobe Stock navigation bar, open the License History page, scroll to find the desired image, then click License Again.

No. You need to have complete ownership of the image you use for your company logo, since logos are intended to be registered and protected to prevent other companies or organizations from using the same image. Because Adobe Stock only grants a right to use images and does not transfer the ownership, these images cannot be used in or as a logo.

All assets intended for commercial use and containing recognizable people are uploaded with a signed model release allowing the image to be used commercially within the limits of the license agreement. Editorial images don't have model releases and are therefore not cleared for commercial use. 

Yes. You can license an asset on behalf of a client. However, please note that if you want to use the same asset for different clients, the asset must be licensed separately for each client use.

Your asset will get a new badge (green with the label "Transferred") that will be visible by the other members of the organization so they know they must purchase this asset again if they want to use it.

Your asset will get a new badge (green with the label "Transferred") that will be visible by the other members of the organization so they know they must purchase this asset again if they want to use it.

We require a photo credit to be added only when using the image in an editorial article. When editorial images are used in print, websites, blogs, etc. you must include the credit line mentioned on the Adobe Stock website and contained in the IPTC credit line field. For example, “Agency Name/Author Name - stock.adobe.com."  

Editorial assets

The Illustrative Editorial collection focuses on conceptual imagery that uses real brands and products to convey strong ideas. Illustrative Editorial content spans photos, illustrations, and vectors, and includes imagery that features popular consumer brands.

Illustrative Editorial assets are designated for “Editorial use only” and are marked “Editorial only” when you hover over them in the search results. Additionally, you can see this information under the “Restriction” section in the image information. 

Illustrative Editorial assets are for “Editorial use only.” These types of assets are subject to certain additional restrictions:

  • Editorial assets may not be used for commercial purposes such as advertisements, promotions, advertorials, merchandise, etc., even if you have obtained an enhanced license for them. 

  • Editorial assets may be used in any context that is newsworthy or of cultural interest, typically in newspaper or magazine articles, news blogs, or similar event-based media. 

  • Editorial assets may not be edited, except for minor adjustments for technical quality, or slight cropping or resizing. While making such changes, you must maintain the editorial context and meaning of the original asset. 

  • When editorial images are used in print, websites, blogs, etc., you must include the credit line mentioned on the Adobe Stock website and contained in the IPTC credit line field. For example, “Agency Name/Author Name - stock.adobe.com." 

  • When images or videos are used in films, TV shows, podcasts, and so on, you must include the credit “Image(s) and/or video(s) used under license from Agency Name/Author Name - stock.adobe.com.” 

Audio assets

You can use Adobe Stock audio with a standard or extended license for training material, online ads, wedding films, paid advertising, and social media among others. 

An extended license purchase is needed if you use Adobe Stock audio in film, broadcast, SVOD, apps, games, or point of sale.  

The stand-alone use of Adobe Stock audio is not permitted. You must sync it with a visual or other audio (such as in a podcast). For more information, see License Terms page or Terms of Use.

For users with an Individual or Team plan, Adobe Stock audio tracks can only be downloaded with a Standard License. Extended Licenses are available for Enterprise users. For more information, see Enterprise website.

Yes, you can post a video that includes Adobe Stock audio tracks to YouTube. Each licensed track comes with a license validation code. When you post a video with Adobe Stock audio tracks, you may receive a YouTube copyright claim. You must submit an Adobe Stock license code for every licensed track. For further details, see License codes.

You can follow the instructions in Google’s help documentation to file a dispute of the copyright claim with YouTube. In the dispute, include the license ID that you received after you purchased your Adobe Stock Audio track. You can find the license ID on stock.adobe.com. Select the profile icon, and then select License History. 

Yes. All Adobe Stock assets are royalty-free and can be reused for multiple projects. 

While minimal modifications such as pitch shifting, or time compressions are allowed. You can’t modify an audio track to create a new song, remixes, or mashups. For more details on allowed uses, see License Terms page and Terms of Use.

No. Adobe Stock audio is available for previewing on the Adobe Stock website and in Premiere Pro without audible watermarks.

No. You don’t need to obtain additional licenses from Performing Rights Organizations. Adobe Stock audio tracks are not registered with PROs.

Understanding IP Indemnification

IP indemnification is protection against legal claims that your Firefly output violates someone else’s intellectual property rights, subject to the terms and conditions of the customer agreement. 

You can see which Firefly features are available for IP indemnification here.  Which features are covered for you may vary by plan. 

  • Enterprise customers may obtain IP indemnification for the listed features under specific Adobe offers. Contact your Adobe account team or click here to learn more.

  • Adobe Stock Individual, Creative Cloud Team, and Creative Cloud Enterprise customers with sufficient Stock credits may obtain IP indemnification for Text to Image outputs downloaded from the Stock Generate page. This does not apply to plans that provide unlimited downloads (e.g., Pro Edition). Terms apply.

See also

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