Local clean, rights write and payload proof
JPEG, PNG and WebP inspection and cleaning run in browser memory. Clean & Write Rights is available for JPEG and PNG. Supported formats receive an encoded visual-payload SHA-256 comparison.
Photographer delivery workflow
Deliver client photos with less private history and clearer rights.
Photographer metadata delivery should not force a choice between deleting everything and exposing the capture workflow. Prepare a delivery copy locally: inspect client photo metadata, remove supported private fields, add authorized image rights metadata and verify the encoded visual payload before handoff.
Product status and workflow reviewed July 12, 2026
No upload · no account · public beta
Build an Image Delivery Passport in the browser.
Apply one local rights profile across up to 20 JPEG or PNG files, Safe Clean the copies, verify their encoded payloads and export the images with JSON/CSV processing manifests.
The delivery-copy principle
Remove private context. Preserve display. State the rights.
A client delivery copy has two metadata jobs: reveal no more private production context than the handoff requires, and carry the attribution or licensing information the photographer is authorized to provide. That calls for a selective policy—not an automatic “delete every field” rule.
Keep the capture master. Work on a copy. Inspect before cleaning. Preserve supported metadata that affects orientation or color behavior. Write only rights statements you control, then verify and inspect the exported file again.
What exists today
Live capability and its public-beta boundaries—separated.
Batch ZIP, inspection report and Privacy Receipt
Inspector & batch can process up to 20 supported images locally and export cleaned files as a ZIP. The share-safe text report and receipt omit the photo, file name and metadata values.
Saved local profiles and structured audit manifests
Reusable rights profiles can be stored or imported on the current device. A delivery ZIP includes privacy-safe JSON and CSV processing manifests plus a README that states the evidence boundary.
Privacy-safe photo delivery
A five-stage handoff that can be explained to a client.
- Duplicate the master. Use an export or delivery copy so the original capture and archive remain available.
- Inspect the copy locally. Review supported EXIF, GPS, XMP, IPTC, software and provenance fields before choosing what to remove.
- Apply Safe Clean. Remove supported private blocks while guarding supported orientation and color-behavior data that can affect presentation.
- Write authorized rights. For JPEG or PNG, add creator, copyright, credit, rights-statement and licensing fields without fabricating camera EXIF.
- Verify and document. Check the post-operation metadata, review the visual-payload proof, then export the files with the JSON/CSV audit manifest and its explicit claim boundary.
Client photo metadata policy
Three decisions are safer than one “strip all” button.
- Remove selectively GPS, precise timestamps, serial-like device data, software traces and private creator fields may reveal more than a client or publication needs.
- Preserve for display Orientation and ICC color profiles can influence how a viewer presents the encoded image. Safe mode guards supported visual-behavior data.
- Write with authority Creator, copyright, credit, Web Statement of Rights and licensing URLs should describe rights you actually control or are authorized to communicate.
- Retain separately Capture history, edit provenance and full-resolution masters may belong in the studio archive even when they do not belong in the client-facing copy.
Image rights metadata in the current writer
JPEG and PNG exports can receive standards-based XMP for creator, copyright notice, credit line, Web Statement of Rights, an IPTC/PLUS Licensor URL and a license link. The operation changes supported metadata structures without canvas redraw or image recompression.
Read the Rights Metadata Writer guide →What the SHA-256 proof actually covers
The verifier hashes JPEG scan bytes, PNG image-data chunks, or WebP image and animation chunks before and after the operation. A match is encoded-payload evidence—not a whole-file identity claim, authorship proof, scene authentication or legal certificate.
Review the proof method and fixtures →Beta boundary
An audit manifest is a processing record—not an authenticity certificate.
The current delivery manifest records the output file name, size and MIME type; safe categories and labels for removed blocks; the names of rights fields applied; and the output payload hash when available. It deliberately omits original metadata values, coordinates and entered rights values.
The record is generated locally, but it is not signed, independently timestamped, tamper-evident or a legal chain-of-custody certificate. Keep contractual delivery records in the system your studio already trusts.
Format boundary
The same delivery operation is not safe for every file.
- JPEG Inspect, clean, write rights XMP and verify encoded scan payload.
- PNG Inspect, clean, write rights XMP with a valid chunk CRC and verify image-data payload.
- WebP Inspect, clean and verify supported image or animation chunks. Rights writing is not available.
- DNG / Apple ProRAW Inspection-only. RAW metadata may be required for rendering, gain maps, previews, camera profiles and color science.
Evidence and standards
Check the implementation scope, not just the headline.
metadata.click Metadata Lab
Versioned format support, synthetic conformance results, measurement method and known proof limitations for the current build.
Open the public support data →IPTC Photo Metadata Standard
The industry standard behind creator, credit, rights and licensing concepts used across professional photo workflows.
Read the IPTC standard overview →Google Images metadata guidance
Google documents supported creator, credit and licensing information for images. Metadata eligibility never guarantees display or ranking.
Read Google's official guidance →Photographer delivery FAQ
Straight answers before client handoff.
What client photo metadata should a photographer remove before delivery?
The decision depends on the job and contract. Common privacy candidates include GPS coordinates, precise capture times, device or serial-like values, software traces and private creator fields. Safe Clean preserves supported orientation and color-behavior data when removing it could change display.
Can I clean a client photo and keep copyright metadata?
Yes for supported JPEG and PNG copies. Clean & Write Rights can apply Safe Clean, then write only the creator, copyright notice, credit line, web statement of rights and licensing fields you are authorized to attach.
Does metadata.click upload client photos?
No. Supported inspection, cleaning, rights writing, payload hashing and report generation run locally in browser memory. The selected image is not intentionally uploaded to metadata.click.
What does the visual-payload SHA-256 proof establish?
A match establishes that the encoded image payload covered by the verifier matches before and after the metadata operation: JPEG scan data, PNG image-data chunks, or WebP image and animation chunks. It is not a whole-file hash, proof of authorship, capture authentication or a legal chain-of-custody record.
Does the current beta create an audit manifest or reusable delivery profile?
Yes. The Image Delivery Passport beta can save validated rights profiles in localStorage and package JPEG/PNG outputs with privacy-safe JSON and CSV audit manifests. The manifest is not signed, independently timestamped, tamper-evident or a legal chain-of-custody certificate.
Will image rights metadata guarantee reach, indexing or an AI recommendation?
No. Rights metadata can carry attribution and licensing context into compatible workflows, but a platform may remove or ignore it. metadata.click does not promise Instagram reach, Google Images display, search ranking, indexing, citation or recommendation by an AI system.
Prepare the copy, keep the master
Make the next client handoff explainable.
Inspect one file, choose a conservative clean, add only the rights you control and review the proof before downloading the delivery copy.