CleanCopyExplained
The hidden note inside a photo
Some photos carry a note about how they were made or edited. You cannot see it, because it is stored inside the file and not in the picture. Here is what it is, what reads it, and what removing it does and does not change.
What is it?
A photo file holds more than the picture. It can also hold details such as where it was taken, when, and with which camera. Some photos also carry a record of how they were made or edited: which tool was used, and whether it was edited with tools that generate or change parts of an image. The technical name is a C2PA manifest. CleanCopy calls it a hidden note, because that is what it is to most people.
Who adds it?
Some cameras, editing programs and image generators write it automatically. This can include AI tools, and it can also include ordinary editing features. You may never have chosen to add it.
What reads it?
Some apps and websites read this kind of note. That does not mean a note is the only reason an app shows a label. Other reasons include:
- invisible watermarks built into the picture itself,
- tools that look at the picture and guess how it was made,
- what the person posting says about it, and
- the rules of the app or website.
What happens if you remove the note?
The copy no longer carries that note. By default CleanCopy does not redraw the picture, and its report says whether the image data matches your original.
What removing it does not do
- It does not remove invisible watermarks.
- It does not change what an app or website can work out from the picture.
- It does not mean a label will not appear. Nobody can promise that, and CleanCopy does not.
- It does not remove any duty you have to say that content is AI-generated or edited. Apps and laws may require this even after the note is gone.
How CleanCopy treats it
- CleanCopy shows you the note before anything changes.
- If a photo has one, CleanCopy asks you whether the copy should keep it or not. Neither choice is the default.
- CleanCopy always makes a new copy. Your original is never changed.
- The report lists only the checks that ran, and says what is still there.
How to look at one of your photos
- Open CleanCopy and pick a photo.
- The screen shows where, when and with which camera, then lists what else the file carries.
- If the photo has the hidden note, CleanCopy tells you and lets you choose when you clean a copy.
Questions
- Is it only for AI images?
- No. The note can be there for photos made or edited in many ways, and many photos have none at all.
- Will my picture look different?
- CleanCopy does not redraw the picture by default, so it should not. The copy is checked against your original, and the report lists the checks that ran and any that could not.
- Should I remove it?
- That is your choice. CleanCopy shows you what is there and what each choice does. If your content is AI-generated, the apps and laws that apply to you may still require you to say so.