Photographers and illustrators now get accused of using AI on work they made by hand. No single file can prove a negative, but a few habits produce evidence that is hard to argue with.
1. Keep your originals
RAW camera files, layered PSD or Procreate files, sketches and scans. Generators don't produce a RAW file with real sensor noise or a 40-layer history. Store them unchanged.
2. Export with Content Credentials
Photoshop, Lightroom and several cameras can attach C2PA Content Credentials — a signed record of the tool and edits. Turn it on before export. Note that many social platforms strip it, so keep the signed original.
3. Record your process
Time-lapse recordings, dated work-in-progress exports and version history are strong evidence. For writers, document version history plays the same role.
4. Run a forensic check
Upload the final file below. VerifyAI checks metadata, error level analysis and an AI review, and explains its reasons. A green result on a file with intact camera metadata is useful supporting evidence.
5. Deliver with a certificate
In a workspace, each check creates a certificate with a QR code and the file's SHA-256 fingerprint. Clients can confirm the delivered file is the one you checked. See VerifyAI for creative agencies.
If you are accused
Stay calm, share the originals and process files, show the certificate, and ask what specific signs raised concern. Avoid relying on one detector score — on either side.