Expolumi Dreamstime Publisher

Before you start

You need Lightroom Classic, a Dreamstime contributor account with FTP access, your numeric account ID, and your photos imported into your catalog: raw, DNG, TIFF, PSD, PNG, or JPEG. Keep original files available locally or on an accessible drive.

This Expolumi guide covers plug-in installation and the Lightroom publishing workflow. For Dreamstime's account-specific FTP settings and upload-folder rules, follow Dreamstime's official FTP instructions. Your email address is not the FTP username; find your numeric ID in your Dreamstime account information.

The plug-in works on its own; with Expolumi Publishing Workflow it can also be given candidates automatically (see With Workflow). It uploads JPEGs rendered from your originals; it does not complete submission forms or synchronize review status. It is available on Adobe Exchange; it is distributed only through Adobe Exchange and installed with the Creative Cloud desktop app, with no development tools or separate FTP client.

Install & connect

1. Install Expolumi Dreamstime Publisher from Adobe Exchange: in the Creative Cloud desktop app, signed in with your Adobe ID, open Stock & Marketplace > Plugins, search for Expolumi, and choose Get.
2. Restart Lightroom Classic and confirm Dreamstime Publisher is enabled in File > Plug-in Manager. Install only one copy; remove any earlier folder-based entry first.
3. Go to Library > Publish Services > Dreamstime Publisher > Set Up.
4. Choose Set credentials... and enter your numeric account ID and case-sensitive account password. IDs are kept as text, including leading zeroes. Select Save locally.
5. Review the transfer notice and enable Allow unencrypted FTP if you agree. Choose Test connection.
6. Save the connection and use Dreamstime uploads or another collection under this service.

The server and root upload directory are fixed. JPEGs do not go into the additional-formats or model-release directories. A connection test checks login and listing access only; it does not upload/delete files or prove submission permission.

One Dreamstime account is shared by this plug-in's local publish connections. Save locally takes effect immediately, even if you cancel Publishing Manager later. Avoid account changes during uploads.

Publish your photos

1. Edit your photos in Lightroom Classic, complete their title, caption, and keywords, and keep their originals accessible.
2. Drag photos to Dreamstime uploads. Queuing them does not begin a transfer.
3. Click Publish and review the completed, failed, and unfinished counts.
4. After ingestion, open Unfinished Files on Dreamstime. Review metadata, add required categories and releases, and complete submission. Consult Dreamstime's contributor FAQ for current submission requirements, model releases, and review guidance.

Published means transferred, not submitted for review or accepted. Files disappearing from FTP may have moved to Unfinished Files. Allow for processing and check your account before retrying.

Files & metadata

For each photo, Lightroom renders a full-size JPEG from the original: quality 100, sRGB, no resizing, output sharpening, or watermark, with your Develop edits applied. It is named after the original with a .jpg extension, so DSC_1234.NEF is uploaded as DSC_1234.jpg. The JPEG is temporary and deleted after the upload; your original file is never changed.

Raw, DNG, TIFF, PSD (saved with Maximize Compatibility), PNG, and JPEG originals can be published. Videos, virtual copies, and missing or offline originals are refused. Extra formats, releases, and CSVs are not uploaded.

Catalog metadata is embedded in the JPEG, including title, caption, keywords, and GPS if present. There is no need to save metadata to the file first. Expolumi Publishing Workflow fields stay in the catalog and are never embedded.

Do not edit, rename, or move the original while uploading. You remain responsible for agency requirements, image quality, and account eligibility.

Tracking & retries

Matching remote filenames are not intentionally overwritten. A failed filename check blocks upload. Local history tracks filenames and transfer states separately from Alamy. Checks use the JPEG name, ignoring case: DSC_1.NEF and DSC_1.jpg both become DSC_1.jpg.

A photo uploaded before, or with an interrupted upload, needs confirmation: one Upload again dialog covers the whole batch, and Skip them sends none of those photos. To upload a published photo again, choose Mark to Republish in the publish service and click Publish. Upload again only photos you have not submitted yet, and remove the earlier copy from Unfinished Files: FTP cannot update a Dreamstime submission. Protection is local and best-effort: resetting preferences or changing computers loses the history.

There are no automatic FTP retries. A failure stops the remaining batch. Cancellation takes effect between operations; an in-flight native call may finish first.

Removing a photo or collection only changes Lightroom tracking. It never withdraws a Dreamstime submission, and upload history remains. If a transfer succeeded but Lightroom lost the result, verify it on Dreamstime and use Mark as Up-to-Date where appropriate. Keep a separate submission record.

With Expolumi Publishing Workflow

Dreamstime Publisher works on its own. Expolumi Publishing Workflow, a separate plug-in, adds two conveniences:

• Set Dreamstime to Candidate in the Workflow palette and run Sync Publisher Status: Candidate photos are added to Dreamstime uploads, under New Photos to Publish. Sync never uploads; you still click Publish.
• After publishing, Sync sets the Dreamstime status to Submitted with the date. Record Accepted or Rejected yourself after Dreamstime's review.

Version 1.0 offered an optional Dreamstime Candidates colour-label collection in the publish settings. Version 1.1 removed it; an existing collection is left unchanged, and you can delete it.

Credentials & privacy

Your numeric account ID and password use Lightroom's encrypted local storage. They are not stored in presets, catalog properties, source files, command lines, or plug-in logs. Password fields are masked; closing the dialog clears its transient fields. Cancel without saving to preserve existing credentials.

The plug-in sends credentials and the rendered JPEGs directly to Dreamstime, without an Expolumi-operated backend, analytics, or remote credential storage.

Forget credentials clears the saved Dreamstime values without affecting Alamy. It does not revoke your website password, clear history, remove submissions, or guarantee backup erasure. See privacy and data handling.

Update & troubleshoot

Creative Cloud desktop installs updates (Stock & Marketplace > Plugins > Manage plugins); restart Lightroom afterwards. Avoid duplicate installations and do not update during a transfer. Forget credentials before uninstalling the plug-in there; removal alone does not clear them.

If login fails, check the numeric ID rather than an email address. If a photo is refused, check its original is present and is not a video or virtual copy. If Lightroom could not create the JPEG, check that the original can be exported. For uncertain transfers, check Unfinished Files and existing submissions before retrying.

Local diagnostics use DreamstimePublish.log. Typical locations are %LOCALAPPDATA%\Adobe\Lightroom\Logs\LrClassicLogs on Windows and ~/Library/Logs/Adobe/Lightroom/LrClassicLogs on macOS. Older versions may use Documents/Lightroom Logs.

Logs contain fixed stage names, counts, and batch indexes, not credentials, filenames, paths, directory listings, or raw server exceptions. Review attachments before sharing. Logging failures do not stop uploads.

Check your setup

Back up your catalog, test the connection, and publish one photo first. Confirm it appears in Dreamstime Unfinished Files before uploading a larger collection. Repeat this check after changing Lightroom, your operating system, or the plug-in.

Support & feature requests

Something not working as described here? Open a support case. Have an idea? Request a feature, or ask a question in Discussions.

These are public on GitHub and need a GitHub account. Leave out passwords, keys, account IDs, and private file paths. For your Dreamstime account or submissions, contact Dreamstime.