What Is C2PA Content Credentials? (Beginner's Guide)

Quick answer

C2PA lets images and PDFs carry cryptographically signed provenance metadata. ChatGPT, Adobe Firefly, Microsoft Designer, Google Imagen, and others sign it.

Tools

• C2PA Stripper removes C2PA
• AI Image Inspector reads and displays it
• Strip Image Metadata removes everything (including C2PA)

When to strip

• You edited the image and the original provenance no longer fits
• You don’t want viewers to see its AI origin
• The prompt contained sensitive content

When to keep

• Publishing / marketing / editorial scenarios where provenance proof is useful

Note

C2PA is metadata; it doesn’t affect pixels. Stripping doesn’t degrade image quality.