What is the correct order for a stock photography workflow?

Select and cull first, then generate metadata for the batch, review and correct it, embed IPTC into the files, export per-agency formats where needed, deliver over FTP, and verify ingest before starting the next batch. Metadata always goes in before delivery, not after.

Where do most stock workflows break down?

At metadata. Writing a title, description and up to 49 keywords takes five to twenty minutes per image manually, so a few hundred finished files become weeks of work. That is why most portfolios are far smaller than the amount of content their owner has actually produced.

Should I embed metadata or use CSV?

Both. Embedded IPTC travels inside the file to every agency and is the only bulk route Adobe Stock offers. CSV handles platform-specific fields IPTC cannot carry, such as Shutterstock category assignments and Freepik's AI flag.

How many files should I process in one batch?

Enough that automation pays off, few enough to verify before committing more. A few hundred is usually manageable — you can confirm ingest and metadata landed correctly, so a systematic error costs you three hundred files rather than eight thousand.

Which parts of the workflow should stay manual?

Selection and the review pass. Culling requires judgement about what is worth submitting, and reviewing generated metadata catches the things software cannot know — place names, editorial dates, species, brands and the concept behind abstract work.

Stock Photography Workflow: Shoot to Sold

Q: Is FTP better than a web uploader?

Above a handful of files, yes. FTP resumes interrupted transfers, handles large batches without a browser session and can be automated. Web uploaders are fine occasionally and become the bottleneck at volume.

The complete contributor workflow — selection, metadata, embedding, per-agency formatting and delivery — and where each stage usually breaks down.

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Stock Photography Workflow: From Shoot to Sold