Curator PalCheck your stock footage metadata before you press Submit
The Free Stock Footage Metadata Checker tests your title, description and keywords against the limits in the agency’s published contributor guidance. You can’t change a clip’s metadata after you submit it, so it pays to check first. Paste your title, description and keywords below. The checker runs entirely in your browser, nothing is uploaded or stored, and it’s free with no sign-up.
Free Stock Footage Metadata Checker
Results
Want the first draft written for you?
Curator Pal is a Chrome extension that drafts the title, description and 35–49 keywords from your clip’s preview frames and fills them into the upload form. You review and submit. Anyone can sign up and get 5 free credits every month.
Limits summarised in our own words from the agency’s published contributor guidance, checked 26 Oct 2026. Always follow the agency’s current guidance. This checker is a free helper from Curator Pal and isn’t made by, affiliated with or endorsed by BlackBox Global.
What it checks
Each result shows a green tick, an amber “worth a look” or a red “fix this”. Red is used only for limits the agency sets in its own contributor guidance. Anything we couldn’t find there is shown as a grey tip, not a rule.
| Check | Rule used | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword count | Red if fewer than 8 or more than 49. Amber if 8–34, because 35–49 is recommended. (Curator Pal itself aims for 35–49.) | Agency limit: 8 to 49 keywords, with 35 to 49 recommended. |
| Duplicate keywords | Red for repeated keywords, including a single keyword that already appears inside a phrase (for example owl next to great horned owl). Amber when two phrases share a word. Grey tip for likely singular/plural pairs. | Agency rule: no repeated keywords, and a word used inside a phrase counts as a repeat. The shared-word and plural checks are our tips. |
| Title length | Optional. Red if over 100 characters. | Agency limit: a title is optional but advised, up to 100 characters. |
| Description length | Red if under 15 or over 200 characters, or under 5 words. Amber if over 80 characters. Grey tip about 50–80 characters. | Agency limits: 15 to 200 characters and at least 5 words. Around 80 characters or fewer is advised so the text isn’t cut short, and 50 to 80 is suggested as a good length. |
| Description characters | Amber for special characters such as - _ ? ! $ ( ) [ ] % #, a .MP4 or .MOV suffix, and shot abbreviations such as CU or WS. Periods and commas are fine. | Agency advice: leave out special characters (dashes included), file suffixes and shot abbreviations. |
| English | Amber for letters outside the English alphabet (accents or other scripts). Place names and native words for cultural practices, objects and locations are allowed, so check rather than delete. Grey tip for garbled characters (for example ’). | Agency rule: metadata in English, with an exception for place names and native terms. The checker can’t tell whether a word in plain letters is English. |
| Names to avoid | Amber for common brand, product and camera-gear names from a short built-in list (for example DJI, GoPro, iPhone, Coca-Cola). The list is a helper, not a complete or legal check. | Agency advice: leave out people’s names, brands, companies, products and camera gear. |
| Strongest keywords first | Grey tip listing title words that aren’t in your first five keywords. Advice only. | Agency advice: the first five keywords matter most for search. Comparing them with your title is our tip. |
| Separator | Grey tip if semicolons are found. The checker accepts commas, semicolons or new lines. | We found no written separator rule. Commas are the usual choice. If you upload a spreadsheet, use the agency’s own template. |
Limits summarised in our own words from the agency’s published contributor guidance, checked 26 Oct 2026. Always follow the agency’s current guidance. See also the BlackBox Global FAQ.
Questions
Is it free?
Yes. The checker is free, needs no account and runs in your browser.
Do you store what I paste?
No. Nothing leaves your browser. The page sets no cookies and uses no analytics.
Can I fix metadata after submitting?
No. Metadata can’t be changed once a clip is submitted, which is why it’s worth checking first.
Commas or semicolons?
We haven’t found a written rule, and commas are the usual choice. The checker accepts commas, semicolons or new lines. If you upload a spreadsheet, follow the agency’s own template.
How many keywords should I use?
Between 8 and 49, with 35–49 relevant keywords recommended. The first five matter most for search, so put the most important first.
Does it check Adobe Stock or Shutterstock metadata?
No. It’s built around the BlackBox Global contributor limits only.
Does Curator Pal write metadata for other agencies?
It currently fills the BlackBox Global upload form only, and that agency distributes your clips to its partners.
Is Curator Pal affiliated with any agency?
No. The checker is made by Curator Pal, the team behind the Chrome extension of the same name. Curator Pal is independent and isn’t made by, affiliated with or endorsed by BlackBox Global. Contact: support@curatorpal.co.uk.