Getty Images Media Manager includes a built-in SFTP ingest endpoint. It's designed for contributors and agencies who need to deliver large volumes of files — photographers submitting editorial work, creative agencies uploading campaign assets, or studios delivering high-resolution content at scale.

The connection details are straightforward, but the upload itself still requires someone to initiate it. If you're working on a Mac and delivering files regularly to Getty, there's a better approach: configure FTPush once and let it handle the transfer automatically every time new files appear in a local folder.

How Getty Images SFTP ingest works

Getty Media Manager supports what it calls an SFTP Ingest — a dedicated SFTP endpoint that receives files and feeds them into the processing pipeline. Once uploaded, files appear in your Media Manager library for review and distribution.

Getty Images SFTP ingest details:

Server: files.transfer.brandfolder.com
Port: 22
Protocol: SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol)
Max file size: 40 GB per file
Credentials: Created in Media Manager → Bulk Management → Create New SFTP Ingest

The credentials — username and password — are generated inside Getty Media Manager. Getty does not store them once displayed, so you must copy them at the time of creation. If you lose them, you'll need to create a new SFTP ingest.

Step 1 — Create an SFTP ingest in Media Manager

Before configuring FTPush, you need to generate SFTP credentials in Getty Media Manager:

  1. Sign in to Getty Images Media Manager at mediamgr.gettyimages.com.
  2. Go to Bulk Management in the left navigation panel.
  3. Select "Create New SFTP Ingest". Getty will generate a username and password for this ingest connection.
  4. Copy the credentials immediately. The password is shown only once. Store it somewhere safe — a password manager is ideal.
Important: Getty does not store the SFTP password after it's displayed. If you lose it, you must delete the ingest and create a new one with new credentials.

Step 2 — Configure FTPush on your Mac

With your SFTP credentials ready, open FTPush and add a new connection:

  1. Click the FTPush menu bar icon and open Settings → Connections.
  2. Add a new connection. Give it a recognisable name — for example, "Getty Images".
  3. Set the protocol to SFTP. Getty's ingest endpoint only accepts SFTP; plain FTP and FTPS will not connect.
  4. Enter the server details: host files.transfer.brandfolder.com, port 22, and the username and password from Media Manager.
  5. Set the watched folder. Choose the local folder where your delivery files land — your Lightroom export target, Capture One output, or any folder you drop files into before sending to Getty.
  6. Set the remote folder. Use / (root) or whatever path the Getty ingest expects. In most cases, uploading to the root of the SFTP ingest is correct.
  7. Click "Test Connection" to verify that FTPush can reach the server and authenticate. A successful test confirms your credentials and network access are working.
  8. Enable the connection. Toggle it on. FTPush will now watch the local folder and upload new files automatically.

Recommended settings for Getty uploads

A few FTPush settings are worth configuring specifically for Getty delivery:

File stability checker

FTPush waits for a file to stop growing before uploading it. This is critical when exporting large RAW files or high-resolution TIFFs from editing software — the file exists in the folder before it's fully written to disk. The default stability window is 2 seconds, which works well for most workflows. For very large files on mechanical drives, consider increasing it to 4–5 seconds.

Extension filters

If your watched folder receives a mix of file types, use extension filters to control what gets sent to Getty. For example, you might want to upload only .jpg, .tif, or .eps files, and exclude Lightroom catalog files, sidecar XMPs, or preview images that may land in the same folder.

Finder tags

Enable Finder tags for immediate visual feedback. Each file in the watched folder will be colour-coded: yellow while queued, blue while uploading, green once the upload completes, red if an error occurred. You can confirm that files have reached Getty without opening FTPush at all.

Notifications

Enable macOS notifications to get a confirmation when a batch of uploads finishes. For high-volume shoots, FTPush batches notifications — you won't receive one per file.

Note: Getty accepts files up to 40 GB via SFTP ingest. FTPush has no file size limit of its own, so large video files or uncompressed RAW sequences are not a problem.

How the workflow looks in practice

Once configured, the delivery process disappears entirely from your workflow. You export from Lightroom, or copy selects to the watched folder, or finish a tethered session — and the files are on their way to Getty within seconds, with no additional action from you.

If your Lightroom export folder is set as the watched folder, the sequence is:

  1. You finish a shoot and make your selects in Lightroom.
  2. You export the selects with your standard delivery preset — JPEG at print resolution, colour profile, sharpening.
  3. The exported files land in the watched folder. FTPush detects them instantly via FSEvents.
  4. The stability checker confirms each file is complete (typically 2–3 seconds).
  5. FTPush uploads each file to the Getty SFTP ingest server.
  6. A macOS notification confirms the batch is complete. The files appear in your Media Manager library shortly after.

The entire transfer happens in the background while you continue editing, culling, or shooting. The Getty upload is no longer a separate task you have to remember to do.

Troubleshooting

If the test connection fails, here are the most common causes: