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Keep the process, not just the export.
A finished JPEG rarely tells the whole story. Keep a small, organised record of the choices and files behind your work, before anyone asks for it.
Your six-part checklist
- 01 · Preserve the original
- Keep the native project or original camera file as well as the final export. Save a separate backup. Avoid overwriting your only copy when resizing or removing metadata.
- 02 · Keep useful stages
- Save a few meaningful stages: an early sketch, an intermediate revision and the final version. Keep existing timelapses or progress photographs when you have them. Do not reconstruct a history and present it as contemporaneous evidence.
- 03 · Write a short creation note
- Record the tools, approximate dates, source materials and the decisions you made. Describe any generative AI use accurately. A note helps explain the work; it is a claim, not independent proof.
- 04 · Record outside contributions
- Keep permission, licence and collaboration records alongside references and source assets. Credit other contributors. Do not upload somebody else’s confidential files or identify a client without permission.
- 05 · Make an evidence copy
- Keep your private originals. Prepare redacted copies for sharing: check layers, filenames, location metadata and screenshots for information you do not intend to disclose. Explain any redaction.
- 06 · Keep the request and response
- If a platform questions your work, preserve the notice, relevant listing ID and the exact evidence you supplied. Follow that platform’s current appeal route. A third-party certificate cannot guarantee the result.
A simple folder
Create one folder per work with originals, stages, permissions and exports, plus a short creation note. Keep the private backup separately. Use names and dates that make sense to somebody reviewing the work later.
File timestamps, screenshots and written notes can be altered. They are supporting context. Consistent original files, process evidence and independent review can be useful together; no single item is conclusive.
If you want a review
TraceHumanity’s first three works are free, with no payment card required. Level 2 adds evidence review; Level 1 records a self-declaration. Higher levels require additional evidence and arrangements. Public listing is optional.
You can use this checklist without registering. Share it with another creator or an educator. It is practical documentation guidance, not a guarantee of authorship or an appeal outcome.