Adobe Stock is a web service for finding and licensing photos, illustrations, and vector artwork for design projects. It works in a browser and connects to Creative Cloud applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Adobe Stock images can supply artwork for websites, presentations, advertisements, and printed publications, with search tools that consider both the subject and the way an image fits a layout.
Color and depth-of-field filters
A keyword search describes the subject you need. Color controls then narrow the results around a selected hue or a HEX color value, so a search can follow an existing design palette. The Vivid Color slider selects between muted imagery and stronger colors, while the Depth of Field control distinguishes scenes that are largely in focus from photographs with blurred backgrounds.
Visual matching
Find Similar starts from an image rather than a description. You can use an asset already in the Stock results or upload a reference image, then choose whether to match its content, color, or composition. Adding keywords narrows the subject while retaining the visual qualities of the reference.
Composition matching looks for a similar arrangement of elements, such as an object centered against a plain background or a person positioned near one edge. You can also select a detected person or object and change its size or position in the search interface. Adobe Stock uses that arrangement to look for other assets; moving the subject here changes the search request rather than altering the original photograph.
Copy space, orientation and crop previews
The Images with Copy Space filter finds pictures with an area suitable for a headline or other text. That space may be part of the scene, such as open sky, or a blank surface within a mockup. Orientation filters restrict results to horizontal, vertical, square, or panoramic images.
Preview Crop lets you examine a selected image in different aspect ratios before licensing it. Scaling and repositioning the picture within the crop window shows which parts would remain visible in the intended layout.
Library previews
Adobe Stock images can be saved as watermarked previews to Creative Cloud Libraries. A preview can be placed and edited in a design before the image is licensed. In supported applications, licensing replaces that preview with the high-resolution asset while retaining the edits, so the design does not need to be rebuilt around a separate replacement file.
The Libraries panel in applications such as Photoshop and Illustrator also supports Stock searches. Designers can find an image, save its preview to a chosen library, and license it from the application. Shared libraries give collaborators access to a common selection of previews and licensed assets, with library updates visible to the people sharing them.
Image formats
Photos and raster illustrations are available as JPEG files, and the collection also includes PNG images with transparent backgrounds. Vector assets offer AI, EPS, or JPEG downloads according to the selected download option. The vector formats suit work that needs scalable artwork; a JPEG provides a raster image for applications that work with that format.
The image catalog includes standard and Premium photography, illustrations, vectors, and generative AI imagery. The wider Adobe Stock service also carries video, audio, templates, and 3D assets.
Licensing Adobe Stock images
Adobe Stock offers subscriptions and credit packs, with available assets and license choices depending on the purchase option. A Creative Cloud membership is not required to license an image. The separate free collection includes photos, vectors, and illustrations with standard licenses, although it covers only part of the catalog and has download limits.
Royalty-free licensing allows repeated uses within the purchased license rather than charging a fee for each use. The images are licensed nonexclusively. Extended licenses are available for most photos, vectors, and illustrations when uses such as merchandise for resale require broader rights.
Editorial-only images have a different role: they support news and other editorial coverage and cannot be used in commercial advertisements or merchandise. Their editing and attribution conditions also differ from those of non-editorial images.
