Content Credentials overview

Content Credentials are a durable, industry standard metadata type that serve as a digital “nutrition label” for content. They may include information about who created a piece of content or how it was created, like if it came from a camera, was generated using AI, or was edited in Photoshop. Websites and platforms are beginning to display Content Credentials, and you can also download the Adobe Content Authenticity browser extension to view them. You can apply Content Credentials from within supporting Adobe apps including Adobe Content Authenticity (Beta). 

Why use Content Credentials?

Applying Content Credentials to your work can help you protect and get more recognition for it by sharing information about yourself and your creative process directly from your content. Your Content Credentials will remain attached to your files as you share them online, so you can feel confident that your information will remain connected. 

Apply Content Credentials to your work

Content Credentials are available in a growing number of Adobe apps, including Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Stock, and Adobe Premiere Pro. They can even help you request that generative AI models not train on your content or use it to create new content in apps that offer that preference, like Adobe Content Authenticity (Beta).

As part of Adobe's support for ethics and transparency in generative AI, Content Credentials are applied automatically to content generated on the Adobe Firefly website and with Adobe Firefly APIs. 

Common use cases

• Creative attribution: Applying Content Credentials can help you receive recognition for your content as it's published and shared online, and indicate your generative AI training and usage preference. 
  Content Credentials allow you to share information about your online presence, such as your name and social media accounts. This allows people to connect with you on other platforms and discover more of your work. With Adobe Content Authenticity (Beta), you can add your verified name to your Content Credentials to further build trust with your audience. 

• Generative AI transparency: While applying Content Credentials to your work is generally optional, Content Credentials are automatically applied to content generated on the Adobe Firefly website and with Adobe Firefly APIs. Adobe does this to help promote transparency around the use of generative AI. 

• Generative AI control: Adobe Content Authenticity (Beta) allows you to include generative AI training and usage preference in your Content Credentials. This preference lets you request that supporting generative AI models not train on or use your work. Applying it now is a proactive step you can take today to protect your content as more models add support for it. This preference is currently supported by Adobe Firefly and Spawning. 

• Photojournalism: Photographers using Content Credentials-enabled cameras like the Leica M11-P or Nikon Z9 can document the complete history of their images, from capture to editing on supporting Adobe apps, and include attribution details to share with their audiences.

View Content Credentials

Content Credentials can be viewed on any website that supports them, like Behance and LinkedIn. You can usually tell if a Content Credential is present if you see a “cr” icon hovering over an asset. Some sites, like YouTube, display Content Credentials differently. Content Credentials are still rolling out across the internet and not all websites natively display them.  
 
The Inspect tool and the Adobe Content Authenticity Chrome browser extension can help you view Content Credentials online. 

• Adobe Content Authenticity (Beta) lnspect: This is a free tool offered by Adobe that helps you to explore a file’s history in depth, including the relationship it has to other files used to produce it and any other Content Credentials associated with it. All you need is a file or screenshot copy of the file to get started. Learn more about Inspect here. 


• Adobe Content Authenticity Chrome browser extension: This extension works on any Chromium-based browser and allows you to view available Content Credentials on any website. Learn more about the browser extension here. 

How do Content Credentials work?

When you apply Content Credentials using Adobe’s tools, information about yourself and the content that you’ve chosen to share with people get attached to your work. Each Content Credential accompanies its corresponding content when shared, allowing people to view your chosen information. 

Content Credentials may be viewed directly from your content on supporting platforms, or with dedicated viewing tools or inspection tools.

Over time, if a piece of content undergoes further editing or processing iterations where Content Credentials are applied, it can accumulate multiple Content Credentials. This creates a version history that people can explore and use to make more informed trust decisions about that content.

For more information about using Content Credentials, including things like the information that can be included in them, their different storage methods, and their durability, read more about using Content Credentials.

What makes Content Credentials trustworthy?

Content Credentials implement the open standards created by the C2PA. Adobe’s tools for Content Credential generation, display, and inspection rely on the proven cryptographic methods of information protection that the C2PA’s standards are based on.

Unlike other types of metadata, Content Credentials are cryptographically signed, which makes them tamper-evident. If someone attempts to make changes to a Content Credential or its associated content after it was applied, that can be detected and signaled to viewers.

Explore the growing Content Credentials ecosystem

For more specific details about how Content Credentials can be stored, the information they can contain, and more, read Use Content Credentials.

Adobe Content Authenticity tools 

• Adobe Content Authenticity (Beta)

• Adobe Content Authenticity (Beta) Inspect

• Adobe Content Authenticity Chrome browser extension

Generative AI 

• Content Credentials for files generated with Adobe Firefly

• Setting a generative AI training and usage preference

Supporting Adobe apps and services

• Adobe Photoshop

• Adobe Lightroom

• Using Content Credentials in Lightroom

• Lightroom Classic

• Lightroom Mobile (iOS)

• Lightroom Mobile (Android)

• Lightroom on the web

• Adobe Stock

• Adobe Illustrator

• Adobe Premiere Pro

• Adobe Bridge

• Adobe Camera Raw

• Adobe Substance 3D Stager

• Behance

Open-source tools 

• Explore free open source tools from Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiativ