Feature · All agencies

Check before submitting: spot logos, people and property before an agency does

Photos are often refused for a visible logo, a person who could be recognised, or private property. Check before submitting looks at one photo at a time and tells you what is worth a second look.

Try the free rejection checkerTry it with $2 free credits

What it looks for

01 Intellectual property Logos and brand names, product packaging, distinctive designed products, artwork or street art by someone else, and landmarks with image restrictions.
02 Releases People who could be recognised (a model release) and identifiable private property or interiors (a property release). Even small, distant or partly hidden people are listed.
03 Technical quality Blur, exposure, noise, over-processing, signs of upscaling, AI artifacts, and a size below 4 megapixels.
04 Similar content, content rules and metadata Near-duplicates within the same project, watermarks and overlay text, newsworthy events, government insignia, offensive content, and problems in your title or keywords.

How to use it

  1. 1
    Open your project or the review pageThe check is on both. You choose when to run it; nothing is checked automatically.
  2. 2
    Run the checkEach photo is checked on its own. Photos without a result yet are checked; ones already checked are not run again.
  3. 3
    Read the notes for each photoEach note says what was noticed and where, with a suggestion: add a release, crop or blur, remove the logo, or leave the photo out.

What the check sees

WhatOriginal still storedPrivacy mode or original deleted
The image it looks atA JPEG up to 1280 pixels on the long side, made from your originalThe 512-pixel preview
Logos, people, property and content rulesCheckedChecked
Sharpness and noise (technical quality)CheckedSkipped, the preview is too small to judge them

What it cannot do

01 It is not the agency’s decision Reviewers at each agency make their own call. A clean result is not a promise of acceptance, and a note is not a promise of refusal.
02 It does not replace releases If a person could be recognised, the agency needs a signed model release. If the photo shows identifiable private property, check what that agency asks for.
03 It can miss things or flag too much It is an AI look at a resized image. Treat it as a second pair of eyes, not a verdict.

Questions

Does Check before submitting cost credits?

No. It is free, and the code does not charge credits for it. You run it yourself, one photo at a time.

Can it promise my photos will be accepted?

No. It only lists likely refusal reasons. Adobe Stock, Shutterstock, iStock & Getty Images and Alamy decide for themselves.

What does it send to the AI?

A JPEG up to 1280 pixels made from your original while the original is stored, otherwise the 512-pixel preview. In Privacy mode there is no original, so it uses the preview and skips sharpness and noise.

Do I need a model release for a person in the background?

Agencies want a release whenever someone could be recognised, even if small, distant or in profile. That is why the check lists every visible person. Ask the agency if you are unsure.

Is there a free check without an account?

Yes. The public stock photo rejection checker needs no signup. It allows 5 photo checks in 24 hours without an account and 20 with one.