When 500px inspects a photo for inclusion in Licensing and determines that changes are required before re-reviewing or accepting, a notification is sent to the Contributor and a message is added to the Licensing Manager of their Profile for the contributor to review. The changes outlined must be made before the photo can be re-submitted and re-reviewed or accepted for licensing.
To review the message in the Licensing Manager, first select the photo. Any photos that require changes will have the Changes Required status. Review the message in the right hand side panel.
The reasons photos are set to Changes Required:
Technical / Quality
We noticed a problem with your submission. One or more of the following technical and quality issues was identified by our inspectors:
Poor Composition: Limited Commercial value due to excessive cropping, tilted horizon, and/or composition of main subject matter. This could include that the photo was taken too close or too far away from the subject or that the camera was not held level to the horizon.
Chromatic Aberration: Image contains Chromatic Aberration or Colored Fringing. Fringing can be seen when viewed at 100%, usually on trees, sides of buildings, or outlines of an object
Digital Artifacts / Noise: Over-sharpening / Noise / Overuse of Noise Reduction / Compression Damage (visible pixels) in image when viewed at 100%. Common causes include shooting in low light, using a high ISO, and/or poor post-processing techniques.
Visible Retouching: Quality issues from techniques used in post-production could include: poor isolation, obvious cloning/blurring, uneven or poor separation of background
Sensor Dust or Dust Spots: Images that have visible dust spots will be rejected if you submit them for review. To avoid this, clean your sensor and lens prior to shooting, or remove the spots by cloning them out in post-production.
Exposure: Image is not properly exposed. Issue includes one or more of the following: blown out highlights, overall lighting is too dark, or incorrect white balance settings. The exposure of the image detracts from the quality and/or marketability of the image
Production Issue: Dirty production set-background, floor, or tables, or sensor dust, spots, or scratches from camera equipment. Poor styling could include hair/clothing/makeup/props.
In the case of Technical / Quality issues, if possible, please make corrections and re-upload a better quality version. For more information check out this article from our Licensing Team about images for licensing and technical / quality issues: http://bit.ly/mrkt_Quality
Action to take: retouch the image as necessary to correct any technical or quality issues that may exist (e.g. remove dust spots, reduce noise, etc). Then re-upload the fixed image using the ‘Re-upload’ button in the Licensing Manager.
Watermark and Borders
We noticed a problem with your submission. High resolution photos for inclusion in the 500px collection must not contain photographer watermarks, signatures, or borders. Please remove them and any other creative/personalized text before re-uploading your photo.
Action to take: remove the watermark, logo, or border from the image, then re-upload the fixed image using the ‘Re-upload’ button in the Licensing Manager.
Model Release Issue
We noticed a problem with your submission. For commercial purposes, you must submit a signed model release for each recognizable person(s) in your photo, even if it's a self portrait. Although a person’s face may not be visible, other details such as location, clothing, or physical characteristics often provide enough context to qualify for identifiability. Releases must be English language and fully completed (signatures, address, model’s date of birth , etc). Once done, please upload your commercial model release(s) in JPG or PDF format (http://bit.ly/500pxMR). For more information about working with releases check out the following links: http://bit.ly/500pxReleases
Action to take: have all recognizable people that appear in the image sign a model release, then upload the model release(s) in the Licensing Manager under the specific photo
Property Release Issue / Artwork
We noticed a problem with your submission. Since you have a recognizable building or location in your photo, or a recognizable work of art in your photo, we need a signed property release in order to make this photo available for licensing. Please find a copy of the standard 500px property release here: http://bit.ly/500pxPR
Action to take: have the property owner(s) or artist sign a property release, then upload the property release(s) in the Licensing Manager under the specific photo
Ticketed / Sporting Events / Museum - Release or Press Pass Requested
We noticed a problem with your submission. Ticketed events, museums, and other locations that charge admission (incl. professional sports, concerts, artistic performances, car shows) are often restricted to accredited media, press, or contracted photographers and may not be suitable for licensing without permission. To license your image please submit one of the following: press pass, property release, photography permit or letter issued by the event manager. We also suggest asking a representative of the location about any commercial photography restrictions they have in place, and if possible, secure a photography permit or release signed by the property manager and/or an approved representative. Our 500px standard property release can be downloaded here: http://bit.ly/500pxPR.
Action to take: obtain a press pass, property release, photography permit or letter issued by the event manager/property owner giving you permission to use the image commercially. Then upload the property release(s)/permit in the Licensing Manager under the specific photo.
Copyright / Intellectual Property Issues
We noticed a problem with your submission. All visible branding, logos, and registration numbers must be removed from buildings, clothing, electronics (all visible buttons, icons, recognizable details such as speaker, headphone, camera), sporting equipment, store fronts, boats, trains, vehicles, and animal tags (e.g livestock or pet tags) before re-uploading your photo for commercial licensing.
Action to take: retouch the image as necessary to remove any logos, branding, registration numbers or anything else that may violate Copyright/IP. Then re-upload the fixed image using the ‘Re-upload’ button in the Licensing Manager.
Once you take the required action, your image is re-submitted for inspection by 500px to be considered for licensing.