Guide / Origin vs. edits
AI-generated or just edited?
Understand the difference before deciding what to trust.
Three kinds of image
Where a picture comes from is not the same as what was done to it.
Three categories of image
Generated from scratch
Made entirely by a generative AI model from a text prompt. No camera captured the scene.
Photo with ordinary edits
A real photograph with adjusted colour, light or crop. Routine editing does not make a picture deceptive.
Photo with AI changes
A real photograph where generative AI added, removed or replaced something. The scene is real; part of it is not.
Lounge photograph by cottonbro studio on Pexels (Pexels License).
Pick the right check
Which question are you asking?
A real photo can carry an AI edit, so the two questions often both apply. Neither check is a guarantee, so weigh results with the source. Read the C2PA explainer for what content credentials do and do not establish.
Questions people ask
What’s the difference?
Generation asks where the image came from. Editing asks what changed afterwards. A real photograph can contain AI-generated changes.
Is every AI-assisted edit deceptive?
No. Noise removal can be routine. The important question is whether an edit misrepresents what the image shows.
Which check should I start with?
Choose the AI image detector for generation, or the photo manipulation checker for changes to a photo. Use both if unsure.
Does no AI signal mean untouched?
No. Local edits may not register as full generation. Absence of a signal is not proof.
Bring the image. Pick the check.
Two tools, one goal: see what the file can tell you.