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AI image detector by file format

PDF check: Content Credentials and the images inside

A PDF carries document-level XMP in its metadata stream and can hold a C2PA manifest for the whole document, which isGenAI’s C2PA checker validates; the AI images placed inside a PDF keep their own records only if the authoring tool preserved them, so extract them to check each one.

Tool support and container facts as of October 2026. Updated .

Check the PDF in the C2PA checkerFrequently asked questions
Controlled example PNG file that carries this record: Content Credentials found

test-signed.pngPNG file · controlled example

  1. Signature + IHDR
  2. iTXt XML:com.adobe.xmp
  3. tEXt parameters
  4. tEXt prompt / workflow
  5. tEXt invokeai_metadata
  6. eXIf
  7. caBX C2PA manifestrecord
  8. IDAT pixels
  9. IEND

Content Credentials found

A signed manifest describes how the file was made.

Signer, recording tool, actions and the signature check result are reported separately, so you can weigh each one.

Open the Content Credentials checker →
Content Credentials found: where this record sits inside a PNG file and what the isGenAI report says about it. The picture is a code-drawn controlled example that carries this record; download it and check it yourself.

Where PDF keeps provenance

PDF stores XMP in a metadata stream attached to the document catalog, covering creator tool, dates and Dublin Core fields. The C2PA specification defines a document-level manifest for PDF, used by some PDF editors to sign a file. Images inside a PDF are stored as image XObjects, usually re-encoded, so a Content Credential on a placed image is normally lost unless the tool embedded the original stream.

A PDF export from a design tool therefore says who exported it, not who generated each picture.

What isGenAI reads from a PDF

The C2PA checker accepts PDF and validates a document-level manifest, reporting signature validity, signer trust and recorded actions. The AI image detector reads images, not documents: extract the embedded image with your PDF tool and upload the extracted PNG or JPEG. If extraction re-encodes the picture, expect no records and rely on the matching-copy check.

The EXIF viewer and metadata remover do not accept PDF.

Checking AI images in a report or brochure

Ask the publisher for the source images. A JPEG or PNG straight from the generator carries far more evidence than any copy inside a layout. If you only have the PDF, extract each image once and keep the extraction tool and settings noted, so a reviewer can reproduce your check.

The Article 50 pages explain what disclosure a publisher may owe for AI images in public material.

How to check a file in this format

  1. Keep the original bytes. Do not open and re-save the file in an editor before checking it.
  2. Use the tool that accepts the format: the AI image detector for PNG, JPEG, WebP, AVIF and TIFF; the C2PA checker for those plus HEIC, PDF, MP4 and MOV.
  3. Read each finding with its source field. The report names the container record it came from.
  4. If you must convert, convert a copy and compare both files with the image metadata compare tool so you know what the conversion dropped.

Check the PDF in the C2PA checker

Frequently asked questions

Can isGenAI check a PDF?

The C2PA checker accepts PDF and validates a document-level manifest. For the images inside, extract them and use the AI image detector on each file.

Do AI images keep their credentials inside a PDF?

Usually not. Placing an image re-encodes it in most tools, which drops its manifest and metadata. Ask for the source files.

Can a PDF itself carry C2PA Content Credentials?

Yes. The C2PA specification defines PDF embedding, and some editors sign exported documents.

What does PDF XMP tell me?

The creating application, dates and document fields. It describes the export, not the origin of each picture.

Sources

Container facts come from the published specifications. Tool support describes isGenAI as deployed in October 2026.