Shutterstock: descriptions, keywords and CSV

Last verified: September 2026

Shutterstock shows a photo's description as its title, next to 7 to 50 keywords and one or two categories. You can type them in the portal or attach them to a whole submission with a CSV. This guide collects the rules from Shutterstock's own help pages and walks through one real photo from description to CSV row.

At a glance

What	Shutterstock's rule
Description	Shown as the title; a complete, factual sentence in English, up to 2,048 characters
Keywords	7 to 50, all describing the photo or clip
Categories	One or two from Shutterstock's list
Brand names	Not in the description or keywords of commercial content
Editorial	Marked editorial; the description follows Shutterstock's caption template
CSV header	`Filename`, `Description`, `Keywords`, `Categories`, then optional columns
CSV upload	After the photos, with the CSV button on the Submit page
Video clips	Same description, keyword and CSV rules; MOV or MP4, 5 to 60 seconds; seven categories not available

Description

The description is the title buyers see. Write a complete, factual sentence about what the photo shows.
Shutterstock's metadata standards (February 2026) allow up to 2,048 characters. Start with the subject, so the most important words come first.
Write in English. Exceptions: scientific Latin names, place names and foreign terms common in English.
No spelling mistakes, emojis or spam.
For commercial content, leave out brand and product names.

In a test upload in September 2026, Shutterstock kept descriptions of 168 to 226 characters whole.

Shutterstock refuses commercial titles that are not in English, have fewer than five words, do not describe what is in the image, contain special characters, or read like a list of keywords. A plain English sentence that names the subject, what it is doing and where meets these rules.

Keywords

At least 7 and at most 50 keywords.
Keywords must match what the photo shows: metadata unrelated to the subject is a reason for rejection.
Shutterstock defines keyword spam as "overusing repeated or irrelevant terms". Its example of what not to do is a run of near-duplicates such as "car ride, car road, car drive, car move, car adventure".

One way to avoid this: cover the photo from several sides, the subject, the action, the setting, visible objects, the mood and the concepts it can illustrate. Each word should add something the others do not.

One photo, from description to CSV row

Dentist Smiling and Talking to Patient in Modern Clinic — A photo from AiMedia's demo. The description and keywords below are AiMedia's output for it, unedited.

This is the row AiMedia's Shutterstock CSV gives for this photo:

Filename,Description,Keywords,Categories,Editorial
DSC04067.jpg,"Male dentist with a beard and blue gloves smiles while conversing with a female patient in a dental chair. The modern clinic features a clean design and bright lighting, creating a welcoming atmosphere.","dentist, patient, dental clinic, communication, care, healthcare, modern, dental chair, medical equipment, oral health, smile, consultation, woman, man, trust, hygiene, wellness, office, bright, support, advice, treatment, dental light, computer monitor, interaction, reassurance, examination room, professional, medium close-up, blue gloves, blue accent wall",,no

The description opens with the subject and the action (Male dentist … smiles while conversing with a female patient), then adds the setting.
The photo has 31 keywords, within Shutterstock's 7 to 50.
Categories is empty: you choose one or two on the Submit page.
Editorial is no for a commercial photo and yes for an editorial one.

Editorial captions

Editorial descriptions follow Shutterstock's template:

CITY, STATE/COUNTRY – MONTH DAY, YEAR: Factual sentence that describes the content's subject matter.

Shutterstock's own example: "Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - January 28th 2020 - Photo of folklore dancers dancing in a beautiful traditional dress representing mexican culture." If the photo is from an event, especially one that required credentials, name the event. Approved editorial content is labelled "Editorial Use Only" and cannot be used to advertise products.

Uploading a CSV

Column	What goes in it
A `Filename`	The file name exactly as uploaded (required)
B `Description`	The description (required)
C `Keywords`	Keywords separated by commas (required)
D `Categories`	One or two categories, separated by commas (required)
E `Illustration`	Yes or No (optional)
F `Mature Content`	Yes or No (optional)
G `Editorial`	Yes or No (optional)

Upload all the photos of the submission first.
Add the CSV with the CSV button at the top of the Submit page. A CSV uploaded before its photos can give "File Not Found" errors.
Check each photo: description and keywords filled in. Choose the categories and submit.

Optional columns can be left out; the rest shift left, as in AiMedia's file, which keeps only Editorial.
A file not formatted exactly like Shutterstock's sample is rejected with an error.

Video clips

Shutterstock applies one metadata standard to "photos, illustrations, vectors, and videos". A clip needs the same English description (a complete sentence of at least five words that describes everything in the clip), 7 to 50 keywords and one or two categories.

CSV. Shutterstock accepts a CSV "for image and video submissions", with the same columns. AiMedia writes each clip's original file name, with its extension.
Categories. Seven are not available for video: Abstract, Beauty/Fashion, Celebrities, Interiors, Miscellaneous, Parks/Outdoor and Vintage.
Files. MOV or MP4, 5 to 60 seconds, up to 10 GB. Leave the sound out unless it adds to the clip or the clip is editorial. M4V is not on Shutterstock's list: re-save such a clip as MP4 first.
Editorial video is accepted, with the same caption template as editorial photos.
AI-generated video is not accepted: Shutterstock takes no AI-generated content.

Common mistakes

Too many near-identical photos. Shutterstock does not accept content "too visually similar" to what you already submitted or had approved. Submit the strongest variations; it allows one colour, one black-and-white and one filtered version of the same image.
Repeated or irrelevant keywords, the definition of keyword spam.
A description written as a list of keywords, or shorter than five words.
Metadata that does not relate to the photo: every keyword should name something the photo shows or clearly expresses.
Brand or product names in a commercial description or keywords.
A non-English description outside the allowed exceptions.
A CSV uploaded before the photos, which can give "File Not Found".

Before you submit

The description is a complete factual English sentence of at least five words, with the subject first.
Between 7 and 50 keywords, each describing something in the photo, none repeated.
One or two categories chosen.
No brand names in a commercial description or its keywords.
Editorial photos marked editorial, with the caption in Shutterstock's template.
For a series, only the strongest, clearly different frames.