Unedited work straight from the camera. Verified by EXIF metadata and the absence of editing-software signatures.
Pillar 03 · Creative Transparency System
Every image, honestly classified.
The Creative Transparency System (CTS) makes how an image was created visible to everyone — creator, voter, and buyer alike. Classification combines creator declaration with automated metadata checks, and conflicts route to a public review process.
Every submission declares how it was made.
Photographs refined with traditional editing tools. Editing fingerprints from Lightroom, Photoshop or Capture One are expected and declared.
Human-authored work with meaningful AI contributions — generative fill, upscaling, style transfer. The human remains the author.
Work where a generative model produced the primary image. Declared up front so voters and buyers always know what they're looking at.
Declaration meets evidence.
Every upload runs through an automated detection cascade: a vision model checks for AI-generated and AI-assisted patterns, EXIF metadata identifies editing-software signatures, and the result is compared against the creator's declaration. Agreements are marked as verified. Conflicts route to moderation with a fast appeal for the creator.
📷 RAW Verified
The strongest authenticity signal we offer. Upload the original RAW (CR2/CR3, NEF, ARW, RAF, DNG, ORF, RW2, PEF, SRW) or HEIC/HEIF straight from the camera or phone, and we match its EXIF against the JPEG you posted. Same camera body, same capture moment, same body serial — verified.
EXIF + software signatures
Camera make, model, lens, capture timestamp, and editing-software signatures from Lightroom, Photoshop, Capture One, and generative editors. The primary signal for Camera Original vs. Camera Enhanced.
AI detection cascade
Every image runs through a vision model trained to spot AI-generated and AI-assisted patterns. The detected category is compared to the declaration; clean agreements pass, conflicts route to moderation, and the divergence is visible on the image’s detail page.
Community review
Reports from viewers feed a moderation queue. CSAM reports take a dedicated fast-path and are never routed to community reviewers.
Coaching for creators, not judges for contests.
Two tools extend CTS without compromising its integrity. The Coaching Engine is live today — immediate feedback on every upload so you can enter contests with confidence. The Edit-Loop comes in a later phase, keeping iterative work honest by construction so every iteration re-classifies itself.
Immediate feedback on every upload.
The moment your image uploads, the Coaching Engine returns private feedback — composition notes, a technical score, suggested edits, and the contest categories that fit. No waiting, no queue. LensWideOpen is built to ensure your success: the feedback you need to compete with confidence, every time. Take the suggestions, stick with your original, or ignore the coaching entirely and go your own way — you stay in control of every decision. Critiques stay private — they never reach voters, leaderboards, or reputation — and run on a dedicated model with its own API key so they can never influence judging.
Iterative edits that stay honest.
Apply a Coaching Engine suggestion — or your own edit — and the platform tracks the change. Each iteration auto-computes the new CTS category: a tonal adjustment stays CE, a sky replacement moves to AA, and crossing 30% cumulative regenerated area becomes AG permanently. Iterate as many times as you need to get the image contest-ready — the moment you enter a contest, that version is locked. No further edits, no way to edit and hide.
Classification is a feature, not a cage.
Every creative method is welcome on LensWideOpen — as long as it's honestly disclosed.