A proof mark on a photo is one of two layers: embedded metadata in the file header, or a visible overlay burned into the pixels. The first is stripped in your browser with no quality loss; the second is not something any file tool can reach, and needs crop, clone, or the original file from the studio.
| What the proof is | In your file? | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Embedded studio metadata (EXIF / XMP / C2PA) | Header segments | Stripped in the browser, pixels untouched |
| Visible PROOF overlay / logo / pattern | The pixels | Not removable by a file tool; needs crop, clone, or the original |
The first row is the only one this tool touches. The second is the one people actually mean when they say "remove the proof" — and it is the one no browser cleaner can fix. Why no tool reaches a visible mark →
Drop a proof file and the cleaner shows exactly what it finds — embedded metadata only — and removes it on your device, with no upload and no re-encoding.
Nothing cleaned yet
Paste text on the left and press Clean the file. What was removed shows up here, along with a count.
For images this panel also lists what was kept — the colour profile, for instance, so cleaning never changes how a picture looks.
A proof is a preview a studio sends before delivery: a marked, often lower-resolution copy you use to choose favourites. The watermark — the word PROOF, a logo, or a tiled pattern — is what keeps that preview from being used as the final. It is a boundary between "look" and "buy," not a flaw in the picture. The same limit applies to a logo →
If the studio's file carries a C2PA credential, EXIF naming the camera and shoot, or XMP fields, those sit in header segments and come out cleanly:
None of these is the visible mark, but clearing them is the honest, lossless part of tidying a proof file. Strip image metadata without re-encoding →
A PROOF overlay lives in the pixels, so any method that removes it also changes the image:
This tool will not paint over a visible proof, and no browser cleaner will. How the same rule works for video →
A proof is a low-resolution or marked copy a studio sends you to pick favourites before you pay for the finals. The mark is usually a visible overlay — the word PROOF, a logo, or a tiled pattern laid across the picture — but the file may also carry embedded metadata naming the studio and the shoot. The two are different layers and need different handling.
If the mark is embedded metadata, yes — a segment-level tool strips EXIF, XMP, and C2PA without re-encoding, so the picture bytes are unchanged. If the mark is a visible overlay, no: every method that covers it — crop, clone, or blur — alters the image, and blurring in particular costs quality with each pass.
To show you the work without handing over a usable file. The proof is a preview, not a product: it lets you choose which shots to order while keeping the full-resolution, licensed image in the studio's hands. The watermark is the boundary between preview and purchase.
No. A visible proof is part of the pixels, and a browser metadata tool only touches the file header. The tool on this page will strip any embedded studio metadata, but it will not paint over a PROOF overlay. For that you need crop, clone-stamp, or the original file from the studio.
If you took the photo and added your own proof mark while sending previews to a client, you can strip it however you like — including with the tool here. The line is ownership and agreement: a mark you placed on your own work is yours to remove; a mark a studio placed under a licensing agreement is not yours to bypass.
No, and that is not what this is for. A proof is low-resolution and marked precisely so it cannot stand in for the paid file; removing the mark does not create the full-resolution image you would actually want. The honest path to a clean copy is to order the final from the studio, which arrives without the mark.
A watermark is the mark itself — a logo, name, or pattern. A proof is the marked preview image as a whole, and the watermark is how the proof is protected. You can have a watermark on a final (for branding) and a proof that uses a watermark to stay unusable. The terms describe the same overlay from two angles.