Content Credentials Checker for Images
See what an image says about its own origin: C2PA Content Credentials, IPTC AI labels such as "trained algorithmic media", and camera EXIF data. It runs in your browser, so the image is never uploaded.
Check an image's Content Credentials and AI labels
Metadata shows what a file says about itself. It can be removed or edited, so its absence proves nothing. For a judgement on the pixels, use the AI image detector.
What Content Credentials (C2PA) are
Content Credentials are a signed record of where an image came from and how it was changed. They follow the open technical standard of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), whose members include Adobe, Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, the BBC and camera makers. The record is called a *manifest*: it names the app that made it (the "claim generator"), lists actions such as "created" or "edited", can list the source files that were combined, and is signed with a certificate so later changes to the record can be detected.
The manifest is usually stored inside the file itself (in JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIC and AVIF images), and sometimes online with a link in the file. Some AI image tools, for example Adobe Firefly and OpenAI's image generation, add Content Credentials to the images they create, and the actions can carry an IPTC code such as "trained algorithmic media" that says generative AI was used. You can learn more at contentcredentials.org.
What IPTC AI labels are
The IPTC, the body behind the photo metadata standard used by newsrooms and photo agencies, defines a Digital Source Type vocabulary that says how an image was made. It is written in the file's XMP metadata and inside C2PA manifests, and platforms use it to show "AI info" style labels. The values this checker explains include:
| IPTC Digital Source Type | What it says about the image |
|---|---|
| trainedAlgorithmicMedia | Created by a generative AI model trained on sample content (for example a text-to-image tool) |
| compositeWithTrainedAlgorithmicMedia | A mix of real and generative AI content, for example a photo edited with generative fill |
| algorithmicMedia | Created purely by an algorithm, without a model trained on sample content |
| compositeSynthetic | A composite that includes synthetic elements |
| digitalCapture | Taken with a digital camera or phone, as the file says |
| computationalCapture | Taken with a camera that processes several captures, as many phones do |
These labels are claims written into the file. Anyone with the right software can add, change or remove them, so read them as information, not proof.
Sources: IPTC Digital Source Type vocabulary · IPTC Photo Metadata Standard
Why missing metadata proves nothing
Most images you find online have no Content Credentials and no AI label, and that tells you very little. Metadata is fragile:
- WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, X and many other apps remove most metadata when an image is uploaded or sent.
- A screenshot or a screen recording creates a new file with none of the original metadata.
- Re-saving, cropping or converting an image in many editors drops C2PA manifests and XMP labels.
- Metadata can be removed or written on purpose, so a label can be missing from an AI image or added to a real photo.
- Invisible watermarks such as Google's SynthID are part of the pixels, not metadata, so this checker cannot read them.
How to use this with the AI image detector
Metadata and pixel analysis answer different questions. Use both when it matters.
Read the metadata first
Drop the image above. If it has Content Credentials or an IPTC AI label, you learn what the file says about its own origin in seconds.
Validate a signature when it matters
This page reads the manifest but does not check the cryptographic signature. Upload the same file to Content Credentials Verify to validate it.
Check the pixels
If there is no metadata, or you want a second signal, run the AI image detector, which looks at the image itself, not its metadata.
Look for the original
A reverse image search often finds an earlier, larger copy of the image, which may still carry its metadata or show where it came from.
Privacy: your image never leaves your device
The checker runs entirely in your browser. The image is read on your device and is never uploaded to ProofAI or anyone else, so it also works for private photos. There is no AI model involved, no account and no daily limit, and it does not use your AI detection checks.
If the image contains GPS location data, the result only says that location data is present; the coordinates are not shown. Remove location data before you share a photo if you do not want others to see where it was taken.
Frequently Asked Questions
Whether the image contains a C2PA manifest (Content Credentials) and what it says: the app that made it, actions such as "created" or "edited", any IPTC digital source type and the certificate names. It also shows IPTC AI labels and CreatorTool from XMP, and basic EXIF data: camera make and model, software, date taken and whether GPS data exists.
No. The file is read in your browser and never leaves your device. ProofAI only counts that a check happened and which kind of result it gave, never the image or its file name.
No. Most social apps and screenshots remove metadata, and labels can be removed on purpose. A missing label proves nothing either way. Use the AI image detector to analyse the pixels instead.
No. This page reads the manifest and shows what it says, but it does not cryptographically validate the signature or check that the image still matches it. For full validation, upload the file to Content Credentials Verify.
It is the IPTC Digital Source Type for media created by a generative AI model trained on sample content. "Composite with trained algorithmic media" means real content was combined or edited with generative AI. See the IPTC vocabulary.
JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC and AVIF images up to 25 MB. You can drag and drop a file or pick one from your phone or computer.
No. If the photo contains GPS data, the result says "GPS data present" so you know it is there, but the coordinates are never shown.
Yes. It is free with no account and no daily limit, because everything runs in your browser and no AI model is used.
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Last updated: 2 November 2026