Our research has shown that notes are mainly used in four types of situations, we ask you to now handle these as followed:
1. "Thank you notes" (i.e. friendly but not relevant to the content or reviewer)
Thank you notes are appreciated; however they can interrupt the review process, so there is no need to include thank you notes.
2. Notes relating to re-submissions of previously rejected content
If you disagree with a rejection and wish to explain why, contact us at submit@shutterstock.com for additional information. If we determine that the image requires a second evaluation, we will provide you with a case number which you can enter following the selection of the option:
"See the following case number for specific information about this image"
3. Information about the origin of the content (mostly illustrations)
If your illustration was created without a source image (usually on a tablet) use this option to explain why no source image is attached:
"This illustration was created using a tablet"
4. Explanation of artistic intent (like "vintage effect", or "soft focus")
Any information explaining an artistic intention is not just important to the reviewer to properly evaluate your content, but is also very useful for a customer to know, so from now on we ask you to put this information in the Title/description. The reviewer will take this into consideration during the review process and, if your image is approved, it will help the customer to better judge the image and your intention.
If you have a submission that requires a note and it does not fall in any of the situations above, please send an email to us at submit@shutterstock.com and we will review this on a case-by-case basis.