MetaBrainMetaBrain Releases — Model Release App for Stock Photographers
MetaBrain Releases fills a release on your phone, has the subject sign on screen, and exports a package the agencies accept.
Free, no registration to start. Beta — the wording of the release document is still being finalised. Getty Images and iStock are not covered yet: they accept only their own form. We are working on it — meanwhile the app exports Getty’s official form pre-filled, ready to print and sign in ink.
How it works
01
Pick the release type
Model, minor or property. One question per screen.
02
Hand the phone to the model
They read it in their own language and sign with a finger.
03
Pre-flight against the agencies
Live check against Shutterstock, Adobe, Pond5 and Alamy.
04
Export and deliver
A submission-ready JPEG and PDF, straight from the phone.
Why it works
Per-agency pre-flight
Checked against four agencies before you export, not after they reject it.
Agency-format packages
One JPEG per person, PDF alongside, file names matched to your frames.
Release ID in your metadata
The release number is written into your image XMP by MetaBrain.
Bilingual document
English legal text, the model’s language in a parallel column.
Works offline
Everything but sign-in and sync runs with no signal.
Private by default
Stays on your device; the archive goes to your own Google Drive.
Do I need a release?
A release is generally required for commercial licensing when the frame shows:
- A person’s face or other identifiable feature — even in the background, even out of focus.
- A distinctive tattoo, or any feature that identifies a specific person.
- Private property shot from private land — a home interior, a business interior, a fenced garden.
- A recognisable work of art, mural, sculpture or branded design that is the subject of the shot.
- AI-generated imagery in which a real person is recognisable — most agencies still want a release.
FAQ
Is the model release app free?
Yes. Filling, disclosure, on-screen signing and PDF / JPEG export are free, and you do not need to register to start. An account only matters for syncing releases across your phone, MetaBrain desktop and Studio.
Which agencies does it check against?
The pre-flight covers Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, Pond5 and Alamy, with the rules kept current by the MetaBrain team and pushed to the app without an update. Getty Images and iStock are a separate case — see the next question.
Does it work for Getty Images and iStock?
Not yet, and we would rather say so plainly. Getty accepts a release only in two forms: its own form printed and signed in ink, or a release issued by one of the two apps it has approved. That is a rule about which form you use, not about how the release is written, so no change of wording gets past it. We are working on a route that Getty accepts. In the meantime the app fills Getty’s own official form with the data you have already entered and exports it ready to print, with the signature and date lines deliberately left empty for ink. Every other agency accepts the app’s own release.
Is a phone signature valid for stock agencies?
Yes, when it is drawn by hand — with a finger or stylus on the screen. Agencies reject a signature typed in a font. They accept a handwritten one, on paper or on glass.
Does it work without internet?
Yes. Once the app has opened once, everything except first sign-in and sync works offline — the disclosure, the signature, and the PDF and JPEG export are all computed on the device.
Where are the releases stored?
The working copy stays on your device. The finished PDF and JPEG go to your own Google Drive folder. Our server stores only metadata — release number, type, status, pre-flight result, template version — never names, dates of birth or ID scans.
What languages can the model read the form in?
The disclosure screen is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian. The document that is issued is always English, with the model’s language shown next to it so they understand what they are signing.
Is there an iOS or Android app?
It installs as a web app straight from this page — an icon on the home screen, full screen, offline. On iOS: Share → Add to Home Screen. On Android: the “Install” prompt. No App Store account and no review wait.
Can it handle minors and property releases?
Yes. Minor releases add the guardian’s signature and a guardian ID. Property releases cover a location or object with its owner’s details. Both go through the same pre-flight.
What it does, in full
Built by stock contributors, for stock contributors
Most release apps stop at a PDF. MetaBrain Releases runs the whole job — collect, check, deliver: shoot details, the subject’s data, a photo of the person and their ID for mature content, then a full-screen disclosure the model reads in their own language before signing on the glass with a finger or stylus. A typed signature is not accepted by any agency; a drawn one is.
Before you export, a live pre-flight checks the release against each agency’s current rules — one JPEG per person for Shutterstock, matching model and witness dates for Adobe, a guardian ID for minors, Gregorian dates, Latin-only contact fields. Fix what it flags and you get a package in the agency’s own format: pages flattened into a single JPEG plus a PDF, with the release ID written back into your image metadata so the paperwork is tied to the actual files.
The document itself is always in English — the form these agencies accept without extra conditions — with the model’s language shown in a parallel column so they understand what they sign. Everything runs on the device: the PDF is built locally, the JPEG is rendered locally, the signature is drawn locally. A network connection is only needed to sign in the first time and to sync a finished release.
Sign your next release on the phone
Install it on your home screen and have the next shoot’s releases signed before the model leaves.
Open the appFull guide: how Releases works, step by step
MetaBrain Releases helps a release meet stock-agency submission requirements. It is not affiliated with any agency and does not provide legal advice.