FAQ #809: What are DeviantArt's stock image guidelines?

• Size must be a MINIMUM of 1000x1000pixels (excluding vintage portraits that are relatively small and of low quality)
  
  IMHO: Really in this day and age of technology, how difficult is this? Seriously? The day is long past for the 640 x 778 px stock photo. There are cell phones out there that people take goofy "selfies" on for their you-twit-face-space pages that have a higher pixel resolution. The rule allows for smaller vintage images, but even those can be scanned at massively high resolutions these days. Remember: This applies to both Preview Images and Resource Submissions. This also counts for cut out stock elements.  We do not accept a tiny element pasted into 1000 x 1000 png to get around the minimum sizes.  Your actual cut out must be acceptable in size and quality.
  
  
• No heavy distortion due to blur/noise/grain (this rule is case-by-case and at the staff/volunteers discretion for the usability of the image in question.)
  
  IMHO: For this one, We believe the word "Duh" applies. lol If you're going to provide a resource, you need to make sure that people will be able to actually use the resource. Overly blurred or grainy images are basically useless, especially for photomanipulators. (I'm going to toss in a personal pet peeve of mine with this, which is overly manipulated "resources." If you've manipulated the crap out of a resource with heavy black vignettes and other effects that blow out pixels, etc, how is an artist supposed to create their own original art from it? You might as well just stick it in the photomanip gallery, because that is exactly what it is.) 
  
  
• No webcams or cell phone images
  
  IMHO: Really because just.. NO.
  
  These types of photos are better reserved for your facebook or tumblr page, not our Stock gallery.
  Keep in mind that the Stock & Resources Gallery IS NOT A DUMPING GROUND. There are many who believe that the stock and resources galleries are the "low man on the totem pole" which is simply not true.  The community works incredibly hard to not only maintain good standards but also endevour to raise them along the way.  By posting poor quality images, selfies and other things that are inappropriate for the gallery you are effectively lowering the standards.  Please respect your fellow community members hard work and take as much pride in your work as they do with theirs.
  
  
• No sexually explicit imagery
  
  IMHO: Seriously just no. Your penii, saggy boobs swinging in the air, hairy butt cracks, etc, are not really stock. The Stock and Resources gallery is not your own personal fetish exhibition gallery. We are not porn stars that will take requests for your foot fetishes, etc. (I swear to all that is holy and unholy if you request a foot shot from me, you are going to get a photo of the nastiest, gnarliest hairy old foot that will make you puke and scar you for life I can find. Honestly, I'll really just ignore your request, but it's still a thought.)
  
   There is a MASSIVE DIFFERENCE between an artistic nude pose, and a disgusting porn fetish pose. Artistic nudes can be useful for artists that need references of body angles and styles. If you do not know what an ARTISTIC NUDE looks like, visit the galleries of: mjranum-stock and ArtReferenceSource Their galleries are perfect examples of what IS ACCEPTABLE insofar as the artistic nude. 
  
  If your "stock photo" looks like it came off a porn site or from the pages of Hustler Magazine, it does not belong in our gallery. WHILE WE ARE ON THE SUBJECT: DO NOT DISRESPECT THE MINORS that provide model stock. You do NOT need to be commenting "oh so sexy" on a child's stock photograph. That is disgusting and disturbing. We are referring to "child" here as anyone under the age of 18. DO NOT send them perv "requests" hoping to take advantage of their innocence. 
  
  
• No celebrity images or "editions"
  
  IMHO: Just because you "cut out" your "renders" DOES NOT MEAN IT MAKES IT YOURS. You did not take the photograph, you do not have the model release. You do not have the permission to redistribute these types of images. We realize the vast majority of the people distributing these types of images have the "I don't care, I'll do whatever I want" attitude. They won't stop, no matter how many times they've been talked to, disciplined, or deactivated. Our only hope is that we can help educate the people that do want to learn, but have been following what they see in the gallery. We wish they'd stop. (I'd like to slam tumblr, flickr, and anything else that ends in r without a vowel behind it like the Hulk slammed Loki in Iron Man's penthouse suite for letting this get popular.) Just because something is Popular, DOES NOT MAKE IT RIGHT. Just because everyone else is doing it, does not mean you should. (Now you've gone and made me sound like my mom. )
  
  
• No anime "renders"
  
  IMHO: Our opinion on this is the same as above. STOP IT! You are only hurting the artists that use these images when you distribute them. It might be a "get popular quick" scheme, but over all, it discredits you as a provider and hurts the artist that uses the images in your gallery. As a stock and resource provider, you have a responsibility to the artists that use your stock to provide images that you have the necessary permissions to redistribute. 
  
  Definition of a Render: Rendering is the process of generating an image from a 2D or 3D model (or models in what collectively could be called a scene file), by means of computer programs. Also, the results of such a model can be called a rendering.  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renderin…
  
• No images taken from search engines such as Google
  
  IMHO: Seriously. We know how to use google too. If we reverse search your image and find that it's been taken from another photographer, etc. you are SOL on a DD from us. This is another "get popular quick" scheme that only undermines you as a provider. If you can find it on google to upload in five minutes, we can find it too. It is NOT THAT DIFFICULT to go outside with a camera and take your own photo. It doesn't take long to learn how to enhance your skills as a photographer. There are people here that are willing to help you learn, us included. The gallery is filled with hundreds or maybe thousands of tutorials on photography and stock photography. We would much rather help you learn to be a stock provider, than have to say no to a DD suggestion because it's not really your own photograph.
  
  
• No "premade" or "precut" images taken from stock sites that do not allow redistribution
  
  IMHO: This goes hand in hand with the no Anime or Celebrity junk that's clogging our galleries and preventing real stock providers from being seen. We are MORE than aware that your "own original photograph" of that pre-cut corset is actually from the corset-story retail site. (Oh yeah, I just said that.) Do not use those types of images for pre-cuts. Again, you are only discrediting yourself as a provider and negatively impacting the artist that uses images from your gallery.
  
  ON THE OTHER HAND: We realize that these topics are frustrating for stock providers, but creating flaming lists and shaming journals for your followers to whip out the torches and pitch forks is not the way to go. It just makes you look like an arrogant jerk, and it's another "get popular quick" scheme that drives us nuts. Some of these people genuinely may not know what is going on, and why what they are doing is not permissible. Take time and effort to teach them. Show them the faq, show them how to do it properly. If all else fails, send them to Elandria, PirateLotus-Stock, or CelticStrm-Stock. We are always happy to help guide newbies to the light. They might be willing to learn and that might just mean 200+ less items of junk in our gallery. They might start providing real resources that are a credit to our community instead.
  
  
• One thing We have seen all to often is this sense of entitlement just because it's in the resources gallery. There's this idea of "oh I'll do whatever I want with it because it's stock" out there, and that is not the case. We allow you to use our photography, etc. based on the honor system that you will follow the terms of use we set by our resources. When you download our resources, you are electronically agreeing to abide by our terms of use. 

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