Adobe Stock CSV: Field Limits, Category Numbers, and a Pre-Upload Checklist

Adobe's CSV is stricter than Shutterstock's in three places: the filename length, the title length, and categories written as numbers. Here are all the limits, the full category table, and a quick check before you upload.

If you already send a CSV to Shutterstock, don't assume the same file will work on Adobe Stock. The columns are different, the categories are numbers rather than names, and there are character limits the Shutterstock file never had to meet.

File requirements

From Adobe's CSV requirements page (last updated June 2026):

The columns and their limits

Trap #1: the 30-character filename

A camera file like DSC_4821.jpg is well within the limit. But editors that rename on export often produce names like 2026-03-14_Lisbon_Alfama_sunset_0042.jpg, which is 40 characters. Adobe won't match that row to the file.

The fix: before uploading, choose a short naming scheme on export (e.g. LIS_0042.jpg). The place name belongs in the keywords, not the filename.

Trap #2: title versus description

On Shutterstock you write a descriptive sentence. On Adobe you write a short title, under 70 characters and with no commas. If you copy your Shutterstock description across as-is, part of it will be cut off or rejected. Shorten it to the core: subject, action, place.

• Too long: "Street vendors sell colorful fresh produce at an outdoor market in the old town, Lisbon, Portugal"
• Works: "Street vendors selling fresh produce at outdoor market"

Trap #3: 49 or 50 keywords?

Adobe's CSV spec allows 50 keywords, but its separate title and keyword guidance says up to 49 per file. To be safe, stick to 49. More importantly, Adobe states that the first ten keywords carry the most weight in search ranking. Keyword order matters on Adobe, so put the main subject, action and setting first.

All 21 Adobe Stock categories

In the CSV, the Category column takes a number, not a name. Choose the one that best matches what a buyer is actually looking for:

A minimal example

Filename,Title,Keywords,Category,Releases
LIS_0042.jpg,Street vendors selling fresh produce at outdoor market,"market,street vendor,fresh produce,fruit,vegetables,outdoor market,lisbon,portugal,city,people,shopping,local,food,colorful,travel",21,
LIS_0057.jpg,Yellow tram climbing a narrow street in old town,"tram,yellow,street,old town,lisbon,portugal,public transport,city,historic,travel,european,architecture,hill,narrow,daytime",20,

Checklist before you upload

• Every filename is 30 characters or fewer and matches the uploaded file exactly, including the extension
• Every title is under 70 characters, with no commas
• No more than 49 keywords, with the strongest ten at the top
• Category is a number from 1 to 21, not a name
• The file is saved as CSV UTF-8, not as an Excel workbook
• If there's a release, its filename matches the uploaded release JPEG

Adobe's guidance is also clear that you're responsible for the metadata, even when AI wrote it. Keywords must be relevant, each should appear once, and they should be in the same language as your account setting.