All PhotoShelter for Brands accounts can store image files, video, audio, or other files and formats.

Supported Files

PhotoShelter for Brands supports the storage of many image file formats, such as:

• JPG, JPEG
• TIFF, TIF
• PNG
• PSD
• AI
• Camera raw photos: most proprietary raw formats, such as CR2 and NEF, and any raw file converted to DNG

PhotoShelter for Brands offers more limited support for other image file formats, such as:

• PDF 
• GIF
• EPS
• SVG
• Font files, such as DFONT, OTF, and TTF

PhotoShelter for Brands can handle video formats such as MOV, MP4, and other common video file types from DSLR and other cameras or those created by video editing software.

PhotoShelter for Brands can also handle audio and other file formats, such as Adobe InDesign, Microsoft Office, and more (in addition to image and video files).

Prepping for Upload

Preparing your files for upload to PhotoShelter requires considerations of file format, color space, and metadata.

Image File Format

Considerations of file format inevitably come down to understanding which format is appropriate for a given workflow stage. Although PhotoShelter for Brands can support a wide variety of file formats, uploading a format that is useful for your intended audience is a key consideration in creating a standard workflow. In many cases, PhotoShelter is used as a distribution/delivery tool. For this reason, JPG and TIFF are the most appropriate image file formats.

You can, of course, choose to upload your RAW (CR2, DNG) or PSD files to PhotoShelter, but they may not be used for distributing to stakeholders.

PhotoShelter for Brands automatically creates multiple re-sized JPEG versions of every file you upload, so there is no need to upload multiple sizes of the same image.

Image Color Space

Computers use a series of RGB values to represent color. How that color is redisplayed is influenced by the color space because the same RGB values can render very different colors depending on the color space.

Although color space might sound esoteric, the concept is pretty clear when considering something like your logo. Organizations and brands spends enormous marketing budgets to ensure consistency of their corporate identities. 

The discussion of color fidelity is moot unless you've calibrated your monitor.

Your color space decision depends on the final output. Generally speaking, for web use sRGB is the most practical and safe color space.

Image Metadata

Metadata, the data that describes your content, helps you and others find specific images. The efficiency with which you or others can find an image increases a library's market value and can save staff time and money.

One best practice is to add IPTC metadata to your images prior to upload. Separate software like Adobe Lightroom, Photo Mechanic (PhotoShelter members take 10% off), and even Mac's Photos application can help you if you'd like to add image metadata before uploading to PhotoShelter. PhotoShelter will pull in and display whatever embedded metadata is on your image at the time of upload.

Upload Methods for Video, Audio, and Other Files

You will be able to upload image, video, audio, and other files to your PhotoShelter for Brands account.

• Audio and other files can be uploaded via the Contributor web uploader or FTP
• The current file size limit for audio files is 20 GB.