Rejected for Pixelation: Why Enlarging a Photo Gets It Rejected
Pixelation means individual pixels or blocky edges show when the photo is viewed at full size. It almost always comes from enlarging a file that was too small, usually to get past an agency's minimum size.
What the agency says
Shutterstock
Pixelation
Shutterstock says pixelation "mainly occurs when a raster image is enlarged to a point where its individual pixels become visible." Its noise and artifacts guidance adds: do not upscale, and do not stretch JPEGs beyond their original size. Images under 4 MP are refused at upload.
Depositphotos
Upload requirements
Depositphotos asks for at least 3.4 MP and states that you should not artificially enlarge, distort or stretch a file to increase its size or resolution.
What the reviewer saw
When a photo is enlarged, the software has to invent the missing pixels. At normal viewing size that can look fine. At 100%, where reviewers look, edges turn into steps, fine texture turns into mush, and text and patterns break up. That is pixelation.
The other route to the same rejection is heavy JPEG compression, which creates small square blocks. Both mean the file does not hold the detail its size promises.
How to fix this file
- Go back to the original. Export again at full resolution from the camera file, with no resize setting on.
- If the original is too small, the honest answer is that this photo does not fit that agency. iStock (3 MP) and Depositphotos (3.4 MP) accept slightly smaller files than Adobe Stock and Shutterstock (4 MP).
- Save at high JPEG quality, once, from the original. Re-saving a JPEG adds artifacts each time.
- Check before you upload. The requirements checker shows each file's megapixels per agency and warns when a file is larger than the size its camera recorded.
How to stop it happening again
- Crop less in editing by framing tighter in camera, or by using a longer lens.
- Keep one export preset for stock: full size, sRGB, high quality, no sharpening for screen.
- Do not shoot in a reduced JPEG size setting. Some cameras default to medium or small.
Check every file's size before you upload
The free Stock Photo Requirements Checker reads each photo's pixel size, file size, type and color profile and compares them with every agency's published rules. It also flags a file that is bigger than the size the camera recorded. Nothing is uploaded.
Sources and when this was checked
Last checked: November 2026. The agency wording on this page comes from the help pages below. Agencies reword their reasons from time to time, so open the source if your message reads differently.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum size for stock photos?
Adobe Stock and Shutterstock ask for at least 4 megapixels, iStock for 3 MP and Depositphotos for 3.4 MP. Multiply width by height: 2500 x 1600 pixels is exactly 4 MP.
Can AI upscaling get a small photo accepted?
It is risky. Upscalers invent detail, and at 100% the result often looks smeared or artificial, which reviewers reject for pixelation or post-production. Shutterstock's guidance is not to upscale at all.
Why is my export smaller than the original?
Usually an export setting. Check that your editor is not resizing for the web, and that no long-edge limit is switched on. Some apps also shrink files when they save.
I cropped a lot. Is that a problem?
Only if the crop drops the file under the minimum, or the subject was soft to begin with. A crop is fine; enlarging the crop back up is not.
