Most 123RF rejections trace back to one of three things: the file is physically too small or in the wrong format, the metadata is incomplete, or the frame contains something the agency cannot license to a buyer. The first two you can fix across an entire batch in an afternoon. The third usually means the shot is not salvageable, and working out which group you are in is what saves you a pointless resubmission.
The checks that run before a human sees the file
Some of 123RF's requirements are enforced automatically, which means a file can be turned away without any reviewer forming an opinion about the picture at all. Resolution is the first of them. The agency states that images should be at least 6 million pixels and that anything smaller is rejected automatically. That works out to roughly 3000 by 2000 pixels, so a current camera body clears it comfortably while a heavily cropped frame from an older one may not.
- Photos are accepted as JPEG only, saved at a minimum of 80% quality compression. A TIFF or a PNG does not enter the queue.
- Vector work is accepted in EPS format only, so native Illustrator files and SVGs have to be exported before upload.
- Scanned material needs at least 300 DPI, and higher than that for negatives and slides.
- Keep each file under 30MB. 123RF names that ceiling in its own guidance on reversing rejected submissions.
None of these are judgement calls, which makes them the cheapest category of rejection to eliminate permanently. A pass over the folder that reads pixel dimensions and file type before anything leaves your machine removes the whole group, and the resolution thresholds the major agencies publish are different enough that a file clearing one does not automatically clear the rest.
Seven keywords and a description are the floor
123RF asks for a minimum of seven keywords per image and treats the description as mandatory. A file submitted without both is not so much rejected as skipped: the contributor FAQ says images lacking keywords and descriptions will not be reviewed, which explains uploads that sit in limbo for a week rather than coming back with a decoded reason. The full field reference for 123RF metadata covers what goes in each slot; the point here is simply that an empty description stalls the file.
Keywords have to be in English. 123RF translates for its non-English storefronts itself, so submitting Spanish or Japanese terms does not widen your reach — it produces terms the system cannot match. The other instruction is to be precise and descriptive and to leave out unrelated keywords, which is the polite phrasing of the stuffing rule every agency enforces. The keywording rules 123RF actually acts on go into where the line sits in practice.
123RF rejection reasons, decoded
Each rejection group 123RF names, what it actually means, how to fix it, and whether resubmitting the same file is worth your time. Technical and metadata groups are resubmittable once fixed; content and release groups usually are not.
Quality rejections are about deliberateness, not gear
123RF lists poor composition, poor lighting and blur among the reasons a file comes back, and alongside them something more revealing: unplanned or candid shots. That last item is the one contributors argue with, because the frame may be technically clean and still fail. The reviewer is not grading sharpness there. They are asking whether the image looks like it was made for a buyer to use, and a snapshot does not, however well exposed it is.
This is the one group where resubmitting the same file is close to pointless. A technical rejection means the file never reached a reviewer; a quality rejection means it did, and the next reviewer will read it the same way. The useful response is to go back through the same session and submit a stronger take, or to reshoot the idea with the frame composed rather than caught.
The content rejections no edit can rescue
A separate set of rejections has nothing to do with craft. These are frames 123RF cannot license to a commercial buyer at all, and the agency is fairly direct about them.
- Full nudity is rejected automatically.
- Graphic material covering self-harm, gore and similar extremes is turned away regardless of intent or captioning.
- Images the agency reads as heavily politically charged, or as carrying conspiracy claims, are rejected. This catches more documentary-style work than contributors expect.
- Disrespect toward national symbols and currency is named specifically: stepping on, cutting up or burning a flag or banknotes.
Then there is the category that trips up the most otherwise sellable work: visible brands. 123RF rejects props carrying big, glaring brands and also small, merely noticeable logos — a swoosh on a shoe in the corner of the frame is enough. Softening a logo in post is not a fix if the shape stays recognisable, and the same applies to a distinctive product silhouette that reads as one brand even with the wordmark removed.
Would 123RF take this frame?
Six submission cases judged against the rejection reasons 123RF publishes — resolution floor, format, visible logos, candid composition, release requirements and restricted subject matter. Each answer explains which published rule decides it.
Releases travel with the file, not after it
Recognisable people require a model release and private property requires a property release, and 123RF asks for each one as a single JPG or PDF attached to the images it covers. The sequence matters more than contributors assume. Uploading the batch first and the paperwork afterwards invites a rejection in between, because the reviewer judges what is in front of them. Keeping releases attached to the right files from the start removes a failure mode that has nothing to do with the photograph.
How long you wait, and what the wait tells you
123RF puts review at around three working days on average, stretching to five during peak season, and says approved images appear on the site within about 24 hours of the decision. Those figures are useful as a diagnostic rather than a promise. A file that is still sitting there after a week, with no decision either way, is far more likely to be missing a description than to be stuck in a long queue — the agency does not review files that lack both keywords and a description, so they sit rather than fail.
That distinction is worth internalising, because a silent upload and a rejected upload call for opposite responses. A rejection tells you something was judged. Silence usually tells you nothing was.
A pre-submission pass that removes most of the list
Of everything above, the technical and metadata groups are the ones worth building a habit around, because they are deterministic. A reviewer's read on composition varies. A pixel count does not. Three checks before anything leaves your machine remove most of what comes back:
- Pixel dimensions and format. Confirm every file is at least 6 MP, JPEG for photos at 80% quality or better, EPS for vectors, under 30MB. This is a sort in your file browser, not an inspection.
- Description present, keywords at seven or more, all English, every term defensible against the frame. Empty descriptions are the single most common reason an upload goes quiet.
- A logo and release sweep. Scan each frame specifically for brand marks, then confirm any recognisable face or private property has its release attached in the same submission.
None of that is interesting work, which is exactly why it gets skipped on a large batch and why the same rejection notices keep arriving. The other half of the problem is that each agency draws these lines in a slightly different place, so a file built to clear 123RF's seven-keyword minimum and EPS-only vector rule may still trip a different ceiling elsewhere.
Rastock AI applies each agency's own metadata rules before a file is delivered over FTP or SFTP to 10+ stock sites, which means the keyword count, language and banned-term checks run per destination rather than once for everything. You keep the files and the IPTC or CSV export, and there is no revenue share. You can see how the per-agency rules and delivery work, or start on the 14-day free trial, which needs no card.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum image size 123RF accepts?
123RF states that images should be at least 6 million pixels and that anything smaller is rejected automatically. That is roughly 3000 by 2000 pixels. A file from any modern camera clears it easily, but a tight crop of an older 8-megapixel frame can fall below the line, so check pixel dimensions rather than assuming the camera body settles it.
How long does 123RF take to review submissions?
The agency's contributor FAQ puts the average at three working days after submission, extending to five working days during peak season. Once a file has been reviewed and approved it appears on the site within about 24 hours. If a submission sits well past that window with no decision, missing keywords or a missing description is the usual cause.
Why was my 123RF image rejected without a reason given?
The most common explanation is that it was never reviewed. 123RF says files that lack both keywords and a description will not be reviewed, so they neither pass nor come back with a decoded reason. Add a description and at least seven English keywords, then resubmit. The second possibility is an automatic size or format rejection, which also skips human review.
How many keywords does 123RF require?
A minimum of seven keywords per image, in English. 123RF handles translation for its non-English storefronts itself, so adding terms in other languages does not extend your reach. The agency also asks contributors to be precise and descriptive and to leave out unrelated keywords, which is how it phrases its limit on keyword stuffing.
Can I resubmit a file 123RF rejected?
It depends which group the rejection came from. Technical and metadata rejections are worth resubmitting once the underlying problem is actually fixed, since the file itself was never the issue. Content rejections for logos, nudity, graphic material or political content are not, because the frame is the problem and no amount of metadata work changes it.
Do I need a model release for every person in a 123RF photo?
For commercial licensing, yes. 123RF requires model releases for recognisable people and property releases for private property, and asks that each release be submitted as a single JPG or PDF attached to the related images. Submitting the photo first and the release later is the sequence most likely to produce a rejection.