IMAGE PROVENANCE GUIDE
How screenshots and compression affect AI image detection
Learn how screenshots, resizing and compression can change metadata and pixel clues, and how to compare reports without overreading scores.
File information and pixels can change separately
Metadata lives in the file structure; pixel watermarks and statistical features involve image pixels. A screenshot creates a new file. Conversion and platform processing may change both metadata and pixels. Do not assume a clue always survives or always disappears across every platform and transformation.
A changed score is not a changed origin
Compression, resizing and screenshots can alter textures, edges and bit-plane patterns, affecting heuristic checks. Different scores for an original and a forwarded copy do not mean one has become a camera photo or an AI image. Look at which evidence changed, disappeared or could not be computed.
Check whether pixel analysis actually ran
The online app accepts PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF and TIFF up to 15 MB. Pixel analysis requires decodable PNG/JPEG and is skipped when the long edge exceeds 3000 pixels. Other accepted formats can still receive readable metadata checks. Conversion changes the file under examination; retain the original and document any conversion.
Example: compare an original with a forwarded copy
This is a workflow example, not a platform retention benchmark. Save both files, record their formats and dimensions, and generate a report for each. Compare metadata and tool names, check whether pixel analysis ran, then compare individual findings. A score change without corroborating provenance evidence is not a definitive conclusion.
Proprietary watermark limitations
AIGCTrace does not offer general-purpose decoding of proprietary watermarks such as SynthID. A SynthID text match is not pixel-watermark verification; no match does not prove that such a watermark is absent. Consult the vendor’s documentation and supported verification methods for a specific watermark.
Sources and scope
Product limits reflect the current project implementation. Illustrative examples are not accuracy benchmarks.