Photoshop Templates Requirements Guidelines FOR ADOBE STOCK Contributors
Adobe Photoshop is one of the most popular apps for imaging and design. This page will go into detail about the specific requirements and best practices for Adobe Stock Photoshop templates.
On this page:
General: Templates Categories
Photoshop Best Practices: File Type | File Setup | Text | Images | Colorspace | Masking | Smart Objects | Frame Tool
General
Templates Categories
Submit templates for the following categories:
- Print category: brochures/pamphlets, business cards, invitations, flyers, packaging layouts, posters, stationery, apparel mockups, desk scene mockups, product mockups
- Web category: desktop or laptop mockups (front & isometric views, environmental & contextual), social media kits, web banners in various standard sizes, web forms (signup, etc.), web UI kits
- Mobile category: mobile mockups - latest phone/tablet devices (front & isometric views, environmental & contextual), mobile UI kits, social media kits
- Art & Illustration category: hand-drawn/painted design elements kits, scene generator mockups
- Photo category: collage layouts, mockups (such as photo frames, photo albums, etc), photo filters/effects/masks
Photoshop Best Practices
Follow these best practices to ensure acceptance of your files to the Adobe Stock marketplace. If you would like to see examples of how files are correctly set up for acceptance, check out these free Photoshop templates.
File Type
Photoshop template files must be submitted as .psdt. The difference between a .psdt and a regular .psd file is that the .psdt will open up as an "Untitled" file. This allows end users to save the template as a new file when they edit it, and ensures that they do not overwrite the original template file.
File Setup
Use standard paper and screen sizes accepted by Adobe Stock. Layout formats that are not listed are subject to rejections.
Do not combine digital and print assets in a single file (such as combining a social media set with a stationery set) - you must submit your template in a single category.
Utilize artboards for multiple pages and screens within a file. Each layout or screen should have its own artboard to allow users to easily export them as separate files. Do not leave elements outside of artboards.
Do not use 3rd-party plugins or add-ons - these are not included in the template and will not work for end users.
Organize layers by grouping Text, Placeholder Images, Graphic Elements, and Background.
Print Layouts
Include bleed for all print layouts, especially if there are background color or design elements that are meant to extend all the way to the edge of the paper. This ensures users can properly print files without running the risk of having a white border (blank paper) revealed along the edge of the printed piece.
Since Photoshop does not include bleed settings, we allow the inclusion of bleed to artboard and canvas sizes and bleed borders or marks on a separate layer to show the bleed area.
Margins should be clear of text and images (unless they are intended to bleed to the edge) to ensure that users can properly print files without issues.
Text
All text must be editable and use Adobe Fonts - do not outline text. Users expect the ability to edit and customize text to their needs.
The minimum acceptable font size is 8 pt. Anything smaller is subject to rejection for legibility reasons.
For more information, see Text in Templates.
Images
Images must be embedded in the template. Adobe Stock templates are single files that do not allow for packaging of external files. Do not link images in your template - they will not appear for the end user.
Embedded images must be saved as .psd, .psb, .jpg, .png, or .tif files. We do not accept images in .ai or .eps format in Photoshop templates because end users may not have access to all Creative Cloud apps.
Make sure that embedded images have the same effective ppi as the resolution of the document - a web/mobile template at 72 ppi must have embedded images also at 72 ppi; a print template at 300 ppi must have embedded images also at 300 ppi.
For more information, see Images in Templates.
Colorspace
A document must be set up in CMYK for print templates, and RGB for screen-based templates.
However, when utilizing Photoshop artboards, use RGB. Artboards in Photoshop are optimized for the RGB color mode and advanced GPU drawing mode.
For more information, see Artboards in Photoshop.
Masking
Masking is used to hide portions of a design or image without permanently erasing it.
Layer masks work in the same layer and give the user more control over what is shown and hidden. It covers a layer with an invisible canvas which tells everything in black to hide that part of the layer and everything in white to show.
For more information, see Use masks to hide layers in Photoshop.
Clipping masks work across multiple layers. This option shows/hides a layer based on the shape in the layer directly below it.
For more information, see Clipping masks in Photoshop.
Use layer masks for fine tuning what to show/hide, such as showing a leaf and erasing the table it is on. Alternatively, use clipping masks for general masking, like hiding the circular screen of a smart watch.
For more information, see Photoshop Masking Tips & Techniques.
Smart Objects
Smart Objects are linked or embedded layers that are used to preserve an image’s original characteristics. They allow the user to perform nondestructive editing to the layer and make it easy to replace images within a design.
Use Smart Objects when you are creating a placeholder image or design meant to be edited or replaced by the user.
Dragging an image into the file will create a Smart Object, but you can convert existing designs and images to editable Smart Objects by going to Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object.
All of your Smart Object images should:
- Open as .PSB files
- Have the layer in the template colored as red
- Be titled “[YOUR IMAGE HERE]”
They should NOT:
- Link to non-Photoshop image files
- Be “nested” (have a Smart Object within a Smart Object)
For more information, see Work with Smart Objects.
Frame Tool
The Frame tool is a new feature in Photoshop (version 20.0) that simplifies the process of masking images by creating a container to hold and shape any image dropped in by the user.
Some uses for the Frame tool are to:
- Create empty placeholder frames for images
- Convert any shape or text into a frame
- Create a mask over an existing image
For more information, see Frame tool for easy masking in Photoshop.
Last Published: October 25th, 2019
Top image credit: Twin Design