Summary: Some items have specialized pathways to make things easier and quicker (especially if you have a lot of items to upload) or if you are contributing them to other platforms (such as Envato Elements).
Please note: It is encouraged for new authors to review the how-to-upload instructions first before reviewing the information below. This article is only for those who have specialized pathways or who need to select their items to sell on another Envato platform.
This is a long article, so if you know what you need or want to skip ahead, you can find more information by clicking on the other sections below.
FTP Upload
a. Stock Video
b. Photos
c. General FTP Upload Process
Sound Effects Items - Bulk Submission Service
Stock Footage & Motion Graphics Uploader
Graphics
Selecting your Items from Envato Market to Sell on Envato Elements
a. Audio & Video Templates
b. Photos & Stock Video
c. Web and Code
From Upload to Review
FTP Upload
Envato Market supports FTP uploading for faster and more reliable uploads of large and multiple files. You can upload items from all content types via FTP, but there are slight differences between them, which we’ll explore further out below.
Photos and Stock Video (Stock Footage & Motion Graphics) are unique, while everything else follows the general process.
Please note: you will need to have an FTP client installed before following the processes below. We recommend FileZilla’s FTP client and have documented the process using this third-party software. However, you may be more familiar with and are welcome to use an alternative FTP client.
You’ll need an API key to use as your password for FTP upload. If you haven’t got this yet, simply:
- Visit https://build.envato.com/create-token/
- Choose a token name
- In the permissions list below, make sure to check ‘View and search Envato sites’ and ‘View your Envato Account username’.
- Then, click Create Token
a. Stock Video and Motion Graphics
Please follow this process for Stock Footage and Motion Graphics Items.
1. Open your FTP client and enter the following details:
- Host: ftp.author.envato.com
- Username: [your Envato username] (this is case-sensitive)
- Password: [your Envato API key]
- Port: 21
- Encryption: Use explicit FTP over TLS
- Click 'Connect' or your FTP client equivalent.
2. Drag your files into the upload area of the FTP client. Do not place your files in the folder marked "bulk_import".
3. Wait for your files to process, and then close your FTP client.
4. Go to the Stock Video uploader. Your files will be there ready and waiting.
Need help? Check out the FTP troubleshooting guide in section 12 of the Uploading FAQ’s.
b. Photos
There are two ways to upload your photos:
- FTP uploader for large quantities and
- The Web Uploader for small quantities (< 5 photos).
FTP Upload
Please follow these steps for uploading Photos with FTP.
We recommend uploading in batches based on common release forms (eg. by photoshoot) so that the release forms attached are relevant to most or all of the images in the batch. All uploaded images are automatically linked to all the uploaded model releases.
Please note: Before uploading, ensure that your IPTC/XMP data is correct, as it will automatically be extracted to form the title, description and tags.
1. Open your FTP client and enter the following details:
Host: ftp.marketplace.envato.com
Username: [your Envato username] (this is case-sensitive)
Password: [your Envato API key]
Port: 21
Encryption: Use explicit FTP over TLS
Click 'Connect' or your FTP client equivalent.
2. Place your images in the /bulk_import/photos/ folder (this folder may need to be created if it’s not already there).
3. Place model or property release forms in /bulk_import/photos/model_releases/.
- These release forms will be automatically attached to each image in the FTP upload.
Release forms should be .JPG, .PNG or .PDF format, and should not be zipped.
4. Wait for your files to process, and then close your FTP client.
5. Navigate to your Envato Market Item Submissions page.
6. Listed under the FTP Uploader window you should see "X Items Pending" which are now ready for processing (see screenshot below).
7. Click the 'Process' button.
8. Time for image processing varies depending on the number of images submitted and can take up to several hours for large portfolios.
9. Once processed, images will be shown under one of two headings— Items Ready to Submit for Review, and Items Requiring Corrections.
10. Select all your items that are ready to be submitted, and click 'Submit for Review'.
11. Items that require corrections must be individually edited before they can be submitted for review.
Once photos are uploaded, they will be published after review, which should take approximately 24-48 hours. Items in the review queue can be viewed in your Author Dashboard, here.
When uploading, please familiarize yourself with the Photos Item Preparation & Technical Requirements at this stage of uploading. This highlights the important technical requirements needed in order to upload your photos successfully.
Approved photos can be managed via the Photo Manager. Please see Using your Photo Manager for more information about managing photos.
Web Uploader
You may also upload small batches (<5) of your photos via the Web Uploader on the right-hand side of the page. All you need to do is click the Start Upload button (see image above).
Once you click Start Upload, this will lead you to the Upload an Image page, where you will need to enter in the image details and upload the file by clicking the Submit Image button.
When uploading, please familiarize yourself with the Photos Item Preparation & Technical Requirements at this stage of uploading. This highlights the important technical requirements needed in order to upload your photos successfully.
Once photos are uploaded, they will be published after review, which should take approximately 24-48 hours. Items in the review queue can be viewed in your Author Dashboard, here.
Approved photos can then be managed via the Photo Manager. Please see Using your Photo Manager for more information about managing photos.
c. General FTP Upload Process
Please follow these steps for all other types of items (does not include Stock Video or Photos).
1. Open your FTP client and enter the following details:
Host: ftp.marketplace.envato.com
Username: [your Envato username] (this is case-sensitive)
Password: [your Envato API key]
Port: 21
Encryption: Use explicit FTP over TLS
Click 'Connect' or your FTP client equivalent.
2. Drag your files into the upload area of the FTP client. Do not place your files in the folder marked "bulk_import".
3. Wait for your files to process, and then close your FTP client.
4. Go to your Envato Market Author Dashboard and navigate to the upload page. Your files will be there waiting, ready to be entered into the upload form and submitted.
Please Note: All FTP uploads will remain in the system for 24 hours only, at which point they are automatically removed. Please ensure you submit your items for review within 24 hours of beginning the FTP upload process.
*Need help? Check out the FTP troubleshooting guide in section 12 of the Uploading FAQ’s.
Sound Effects Items - Bulk Submission Service
If you have 500 or more Sound Effects items that you’d like to apply to have ingested through the bulk service, please fill out the expression of interest form.
For Sound Effects items uploaded through the Bulk Submission service, we also have a specific set of Metadata Requirements (item information) to enable us to ingest all of the content.
The following fields are required to be supplied via CSV/XLSX file. Each row in the file is to represent a single item submission:
- Audio Preview Filename - please see this article for file preparation instructions
- Main File Filename - as above
- Item Title
- Title must be no longer than 100 characters in length. Any titles longer will be truncated to the first 100 characters.
- Item Title should ideally be unique - where there are multiple versions of a similar sound effect used, please look at sequential numbering of the files.
- Item Description (HTML Description)
- HTML or plain text allowed, no emojis
- Category - one of the following category options should be selected
- Game Sounds
- Cartoon Sounds
- Interface Sounds
- Transitions & Movement
- Buttons & Menus
- Nature Sounds
- Domestic Sounds
- Urban Sounds
- Industrial Sounds
- Futuristic Sounds
- Human Sounds
- Miscellaneous - please only use this category if not relevant to any of the above
- Track Length / Duration
- Please provide this in MM:SS format. For example, a file that runs for 1 minute and 20 seconds would be displayed as 01:20.
- Tags (Keywords) - please provide in comma separated format in the CSV
- Up to 30 keywords are allowed - ideally covering instruments, genre, mood, subject and contents.
- Maximum length of 100 characters for individual keywords.
- No accented characters, or special characters allowed (special characters include ! @ $ % & ( ) _ ).
- SFX (Single Use) License Price
- SFX (Multi-Use) License Price
Stock Video & Motion Graphics Uploader
The Stock Video upload page is for submitting both Stock Footage and Motion Graphics. Other video items (e.g. Video Templates and Add-Ons) can be uploaded through Videohive here.
- Files can be uploaded using the browser, Dropbox and FTP. (See FTP Instructions in section one above).
- Thumbnails and preview files are now automatically generated and watermarked.
- Metadata can be added 'per item’ via the upload page or ‘in bulk’ in a .csv
- Releases can be uploaded via the upload page (or FTP if adding metadata via .csv)
Uploading Video Metadata via CSV File
Using a CSV file allows you to attach metadata to several videos at once. Each row in the CSV should represent a video that was recently uploaded.
The headers at the top of each column of your CSV must match the headers as they appear in the sample CSV. If our system can't recognize a header-value in the CSV our system will ignore it.
You can download a sample CSV to use as a template.
|
Header name |
Explanation |
|
Filename |
Include file extension. Example: if you upload a file named 078.mov, the filename in the CSV would be “078.mov” |
|
Title |
Max length 100 characters. If your titles exceed the 100 character limit it will cause an error. |
|
Description |
Description of file. |
|
Keywords |
Keywords to accurately describe the item, separated by commas. - maximum 50 keywords allowed - keywords can only contain a-z, A-Z, 0-9, "." characters only. - please be aware that non-English characters are not allowed - individual keywords must be 100 characters or less - individual keywords cannot be a number only - individual keywords cannot begin with "." - total characters in the keywords field must be less than 2048 characters or less |
|
Category |
Categories for STOCK FOOTAGE Select one category from the following list: BuildingsBusiness, Corporate Cartoons City Construction Education Food Holidays Industrial Kids Lifestyle Medical Military Nature Overhead People Religious Science Slow Motion Special Events Sports Stop Motion Technology Time Lapse Vehicles Weather
Categories for MOTION GRAPHICS Select one category from the following list: backgrounds backgrounds/3d-object backgrounds/abstract backgrounds/cartoons backgrounds/corporate backgrounds/electric backgrounds/events backgrounds/fire backgrounds/grunge backgrounds/industrial backgrounds/kids backgrounds/light backgrounds/medical backgrounds/nature backgrounds/retro backgrounds/sky-clouds backgrounds/space backgrounds/sports backgrounds/technology backgrounds/water backgrounds/miscellaneous bugs bugs/3d-object bugs/abstract bugs/cartoons bugs/corporate bugs/electric bugs/events bugs/fire bugs/grunge bugs/industrial bugs/kids bugs/light bugs/medical bugs/nature bugs/retro bugs/sky-clouds bugs/space bugs/sports bugs/technology bugs/water bugs/miscellaneous elements elements/3d-object elements/abstract elements/cartoons elements/corporate elements/electric elements/events elements/fire elements/grunge elements/industrial elements/kids elements/light elements/medical elements/nature elements/retro elements/sky-clouds elements/space elements/sports elements/technology elements/water elements/miscellaneous interface-effects interface-effects/3d-object interface-effects/abstract interface-effects/cartoons interface-effects/corporate interface-effects/electric interface-effects/events interface-effects/fire interface-effects/grunge interface-effects/industrial interface-effects/kids interface-effects/light interface-effects/medical interface-effects/nature interface-effects/retro interface-effects/sky-clouds interface-effects/space interface-effects/sports interface-effects/technology interface-effects/water interface-effects/miscellaneous lower-thirds lower-thirds/3d-object lower-thirds/abstract lower-thirds/cartoons lower-thirds/corporate lower-thirds/electric lower-thirds/events lower-thirds/fire lower-thirds/grunge lower-thirds/industrial lower-thirds/kids lower-thirds/light lower-thirds/medical lower-thirds/nature lower-thirds/retro lower-thirds/sky-clouds lower-thirds/space lower-thirds/sports lower-thirds/technology lower-thirds/water lower-thirds/miscellaneous overlays overlays/3d-object overlays/abstract overlays/cartoons overlays/corporate overlays/electric overlays/events overlays/fire overlays/grunge overlays/industrial overlays/kids overlays/light overlays/medical overlays/nature overlays/retro overlays/sky-clouds overlays/space overlays/sports overlays/technology overlays/water overlays/miscellaneous revealer revealer/3d-object revealer/abstract revealer/cartoons revealer/corporate revealer/electric revealer/events revealer/fire revealer/grunge revealer/industrial revealer/kids revealer/light revealer/medical revealer/nature revealer/retro revealer/sky-clouds revealer/space revealer/sports revealer/technology revealer/water revealer/miscellaneous transitions transitions/3d-object transitions/abstract transitions/cartoons transitions/corporate transitions/electric transitions/events transitions/fire transitions/grunge transitions/industrial transitions/kids transitions/light transitions/medical transitions/nature transitions/retro transitions/sky-clouds transitions/space transitions/sports transitions/technology transitions/water transitions/miscellaneous miscellaneous miscellaneous/3d-object miscellaneous/abstract miscellaneous/cartoons miscellaneous/corporate miscellaneous/electric miscellaneous/events miscellaneous/fire miscellaneous/grunge miscellaneous/industrial miscellaneous/kids miscellaneous/light miscellaneous/medical miscellaneous/nature miscellaneous/retro miscellaneous/sky-clouds miscellaneous/space miscellaneous/sports miscellaneous/technology miscellaneous/water miscellaneous/miscellaneous infographics |
|
Price: Single Use License ($USD) |
Each file must be priced in $USD. Example “$7”. Learn more about pricing files. |
|
Price: Multi-use License ($USD) |
Each file must be priced in $USD. Example “$7”. Learn more about pricing files. |
|
Recognizable People |
It is a legal requirement that a valid release form is submitted for every item that contains recognizable people. If there are recognizable people in the file mark with Y, Yes, True. If not mark with N, No, False |
|
Recognizable Buildings |
It is a legal requirement that a valid release form is submitted for every item that contains recognizable buildings. If there are recognizable buildings or property in the file mark with Y, Yes, True. If not mark with N, No, False |
|
Releases (filenames) |
If there are “Recognizable People” or “Recognizable Buildings”, all release filenames for that clip must be listed and comma separated, including the extension. e.g. "ReleaseName.jpeg, ReleaseName.pdf’ |
|
Is Motion Graphics? |
Optional - Unless file is Motion Graphics. If file is Motion Graphics, mark with Yes. If not, leave blank. If there are both Motion Graphics and Stock Video files, mark Motion Graphics with Yes and Stock Video with No. |
|
AudioJungle Track (IDs) |
If AudioJungle tracks have been used in the preview, please complete. Multiple entries should be comma separated. |
|
Color |
Optional - Choose one: Black & White Full Color Monochrome |
|
Pace |
Optional - Choose one: Stop Motion Super Slow Motion Slow Motion Real Time Fast Motion Time Lapse |
|
Movement |
Optional - Choose one or multiple, separated by comma: Aerial Arc Crab Crane Dolly Drone Dutch Angle Fish Eye Follow Hand Held Lockdown Low Angle View Pedestal Rack Focus Soft Focus Steadicam Tilt Down Tilt Up Top Down Tracking Left Tracking Right Zoom In Zoom Out |
|
Composition |
Optional - Choose one or multiple, separated by comma: Wide Shot Mid Shot Closeup Macro |
|
Setting |
Optional - Choose one or multiple, separated by comma: Indoors Outdoors Studio Underwater |
|
No. of People |
Optional - Choose one or multiple, separated by comma: 1 2 3 4 5+ Crowd |
|
Gender |
Optional - Choose one or multiple, separated by comma: Male Female Other |
|
Age |
Optional - Choose one or multiple, separated by comma: Baby Child Teenage Young Adult Middle Aged Senior |
|
Ethnicity |
Optional - Choose one or multiple, separated by comma: African East Asian South East Asian South Asian Caucasian Black Hispanic/Latino Middle Eastern Mixed Race Other |
|
Alpha Channel |
Optional If the main video has been encoded with an alpha channel included, mark with Y, Yes, True. If not, leave blank. |
|
Looped |
Optional In order to advertise a file as being looped, the videos must loop seamlessly without any visible or noticeable jump upon restarting. If looped, mark with Y, Yes, True. If not, leave blank. |
|
Source Audio |
Optional If the background audio was recorded and included in the file, mark with Y, Yes, True. If not, leave blank. |
Graphics - Elements Contributor Dashboard
Unlike the other content types, graphics items do not need to be uploaded through Envato Market before being added to Envato Elements.
If you have been invited to contribute to Envato Elements, you can upload your graphic items to sell on Envato Elements through the Elements Contributor Dashboard.
Navigate to ‘My Items,’ select the item type you’d like to add and fill in the item information as shown below, then click submit.
You will only have access to the Elements Contributor Dashboard if you have been invited to contribute to Elements for Graphics. If you’re interested in being considered for Elements, please apply here.
Selecting your Items from Envato Market to Sell on Envato Elements
All content types (except for graphics items - see above!) need to be uploaded through Envato Market before they are able to be selected on Envato Elements.
You will only be provided the option to select your items for Envato Elements if you have been invited to contribute to the platform. If you’re interested in being considered for Elements, please apply here.
| Item Type | Upload Method to Elements |
| Web and Code | ‘My Items’ on Envato Elements Dashboard (items must first be published on Envato Market). You'll need the Market Item ID, which is the URL on Market. |
| Graphics | ‘My Items’ on Envato Elements Dashboard. |
| Photos & Stock Video/Motion Graphics |
Items must first be published to VideoHive or PhotoDune on Envato Market. Approved items are then transferred to Elements automatically. |
| Audio and Video Templates |
Items must first be published to AudioJungle or VideoHive on Envato Market. Approved items can then be opted-in for Envato Elements on the item 'edit' page. |
| Template Kits |
Items must first be published to ThemeForest on Envato Market. Approved items are then transferred to Elements automatically. |
Audio & Video Templates
Please follow the steps below for selecting Audio items (excluding Sound Effects items) and Video Template items (excluding Stock Video items), to sell on Envato Elements.
- Navigate to your portfolio page and click on the item that you would like to add to the Elements library. Once on the item page, click ‘edit.’
- Once on the Market item edit page, click the ‘Elements’ tab and check the Elements License checkbox. This box gives permission for the item to be made available on Envato Elements.
You can go into the item edit page at any time to remove these rights if you wish to remove your items from the Elements library. Once checked, click ‘Save Changes.’
3. On the item edit page, click the next tab ‘Update Description & Price.’ In the Text Description field, provide your item description using the following basic markdown shown below:
| Bold | **Bold** |
| Italics | *Italics* |
| Bullet List |
- Bullet Item 1 |
| Numbered List |
1. Numbered Item 1 |
4. Upload a high-resolution preview image and please note the following dimensions:
- Recommended size: 2560 x 1440
- Minimum size requirement: 1920 x 1080 (16:9)
Scroll to the bottom of the tab and click Save Changes.
Once you have completed the outlined steps, your items will appear on Envato Elements and be available for sale to Elements customers.
Photos and Stock Video
Photos & Stock Footage/Motion Graphics items are automatically brought across from Envato Market to Envato Elements, so there is no action required to select your items.
Web and Code
Web and code items are integrated between ThemeForest on Envato Market and Envato Elements to make the experience of contributing CMS & HTML Templates to Elements easier.
This works by entering your specific item ID from ThemeForest to create a link between the two items, and then bringing across the zip asset file and live preview URL in the Elements App.
The CMS Templates Item Type on Elements includes the following categories:
- Drupal
- Instapage
- Joomla
- Magento
- Muse
- OpenCart
- PrestaShop
- Shopify
- Unbounce
- WordPress
The Web Templates Item Type on Elements includes the following categories:
- Site Templates
- Landing Page Templates
There are two separate Item Types for Admin or Email Templates:
- Admin Templates
- Email Templates
Given the complex nature of these items they must be approved by the ThemeForest review team and exist on Envato Market.
Please follow the detailed steps below to contribute your web and code items from Envato Market to Envato Elements:
- Login to Elements Author with your Envato account.
- Head over to your My Items dashboard.
- Select CMS Templates, Web Templates, Admin Templates or Email Templates from the Item Type dropdown.
- Input the ThemeForest Item ID for the item you wish to contribute to Elements (the item ID can be located in the item URL - e.g. https://themeforest.net/item/item-name/12345678
- Select the Create Item button to begin the upload process.
- The zip file asset and the live preview URL will both be transported over to Elements via integration with ThemeForest. As a result, these two assets are not editable during upload (when you update the items zip asset on ThemeForest the update will also flow through to Envato Elements).
- Only the zip asset file and live preview URL are inserted via the link with Envato Market. Fill in all other required details as accurately as you can and pay strict attention to our Quality Expectations. More specifically, please consider how you can best present your items on Envato Elements.
It is a requirement that items of these types exist on ThemeForest, however that does not mean you should contribute all of your items to Envato Elements. Please avoid older items and focus on your modern, clean and well-presented templates.
A note on author collaboration and partnerships: We're aware that some authors on ThemeForest collaborate or obtain permission from the original designer to create new items with the original author's design. Please keep in mind that Elements is a separate platform to Envato Market and it is your responsibility to ensure you have the rights to list your item on Elements as per the Author Agreement.
From Upload to Review
Once uploaded, every item submitted to Envato is reviewed for quality. We’re looking for great items that work well for customers and follow our copyright rules. We’ve created detailed review guidelines for many item types to help you understand what gets through review and why.
Once your item has been reviewed and approved, you will receive a notification on the review outcome and it will become available for sale on Envato Market immediately.