Is my RAW file uploaded?

No. Your RAW and your photo are read on your device, in this page, and nothing about them is sent to WinPhoto or anyone else. Apart from the web fonts every page loads, the page downloads only its own code from this site. The first check also downloads the decoders, the same ones for every file, so those downloads carry nothing about your files.

What can the check find, and what can't it?

It finds how much of the RAW frame your photo keeps, any rotation or mirror flip and camera details that don't agree, and it marks areas where content differs from the RAW beyond tone, colour, sharpening and noise reduction. A mark can be the edge or one part of a larger change: the page shows your RAW lined up with your photo, so you can compare the area around each mark. It can miss changes in smooth areas, such as a replaced sky or an object removed from water or a plain wall, and thin objects such as wires or poles. It compares at about 1,600 pixels on the long edge, so small retouching such as dust spot removal usually doesn't show. It doesn't recognise faces, so a changed face shows only if it changes enough of the area.

Does the result prove my photo meets the rules?

No. It is a self-check, not a certificate. It shows what it compared, what it found and its limits. A marked area is something to look at, not a finding of cheating. Only the organiser decides whether an entry meets its rules, and organisers can run their own checks.

My photo is an HDR, panorama or focus stack. Will it work?

Compare it with the RAW that makes up most of the frame. Areas taken from the other frames will show as differences, which is expected; many contests allow these techniques, and their rules say which.

What does the Entry Season Pass add?

For 12 months: checking a folder of pairs in one go, a report for each entry to download and keep, and checking each entry against several contests' rules at once. The single check stays free.

Free photo tools

Compare your RAW with the photo you plan to enter

Many contests that ban AI-generated images can ask for your RAW file, often when you are shortlisted. Choose your RAW and the photo you plan to enter. The check compares the two files on your device before you enter: how much of the frame you kept, whether the camera details agree, and areas that differ beyond tone and colour, for you to look at.

In our verified records, 17 contests that ban AI-generated images can ask for original or RAW files.

Your RAW and your photo stay on your device: nothing is uploaded.

Compare your RAW with the photo you plan to enter

Contest you are entering

Choose your RAW file CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, DNG, ORF, RAF, RW2 or PEF, or drop it here Choose the photo you plan to enter JPEG or TIFF, or drop it here

Tested in Chrome on a computer. It hasn't been tested on phones, tablets, Firefox or Safari, and large RAW files need a lot of memory in the browser, so on a phone or tablet the check may stop.

What this check can and can't tell you

It compares your photo with your RAW at about 1,600 pixels on the long edge. Small retouching, such as removing dust spots, usually doesn't show.
It is built to ignore changes in tone, colour, contrast, sharpening and noise reduction. Strong clarity, black-and-white conversions, lens corrections and colour fringing along strong edges can still show up as areas.
A replaced sky, or an object removed from sky, water or a plain wall, is often marked only at its edges or not at all, and so are thin objects such as wires, poles or cranes. A mark can be the edge or one part of a larger change, so compare the area around each mark with your RAW.
An HDR, panorama or focus stack uses several RAWs; areas from the other frames show as differences.
It reads the camera details your files carry. Those details can be edited, so they show what the files say.
It doesn't recognise faces, and it doesn't judge your photograph.
It is a self-check that compares two files. A marked area is something to look at, not a finding of cheating, and only the organiser decides whether your entry meets its rules.

Photo and RAW

Areas that differ

Camera details

Detail	Your RAW	Your photo	Result

Rules

Choose the contest you are entering above to read its rules on originals, AI and capture dates against these files.

Entry Season Pass

€19, paid once, for 12 months. Check a folder of RAW and photo pairs in one go, download a report for each entry to keep, and check each entry against several contests' rules at once. The single check above stays free.

Buy the pass

Sold by card through Polar, our merchant of record. We email your unlock link after payment; your photos still never leave your browser.

RAW files are decoded with LibRaw 0.22.2 under the LGPL-2.1, and photos are compared with OpenCV 4.10.0 under the Apache-2.0 licence, both running in this page from files served by this site. Source: LibRaw 0.22.2, wlibraw 0.2.0, OpenCV 4.10.0. Notices: THIRD_PARTY.txt.

How to use it

Choose the contest you are entering, if it is in our records, to see its rules on originals, AI and capture dates.
Choose your RAW file (CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, DNG, ORF, RAF, RW2 or PEF) and the JPEG or TIFF you plan to enter.
Wait a few seconds while the RAW is decoded in your browser. The first check also loads the decoders from this site.
Read the results: crop and rotation, the camera details side by side, the areas marked, with your RAW lined up to compare, and each rule with the contest's own words where we hold them.
Keep your RAW. If the contest asks for it, send what it asks for, the way it asks.

Questions

Is my RAW file uploaded?: No. Your RAW and your photo are read on your device, in this page, and nothing about them is sent to WinPhoto or anyone else. Apart from the web fonts every page loads, the page downloads only its own code from this site. The first check also downloads the decoders, the same ones for every file, so those downloads carry nothing about your files.
What can the check find, and what can't it?: It finds how much of the RAW frame your photo keeps, any rotation or mirror flip and camera details that don't agree, and it marks areas where content differs from the RAW beyond tone, colour, sharpening and noise reduction. A mark can be the edge or one part of a larger change: the page shows your RAW lined up with your photo, so you can compare the area around each mark. It can miss changes in smooth areas, such as a replaced sky or an object removed from water or a plain wall, and thin objects such as wires or poles. It compares at about 1,600 pixels on the long edge, so small retouching such as dust spot removal usually doesn't show. It doesn't recognise faces, so a changed face shows only if it changes enough of the area.
Does the result prove my photo meets the rules?: No. It is a self-check, not a certificate. It shows what it compared, what it found and its limits. A marked area is something to look at, not a finding of cheating. Only the organiser decides whether an entry meets its rules, and organisers can run their own checks.
My photo is an HDR, panorama or focus stack. Will it work?: Compare it with the RAW that makes up most of the frame. Areas taken from the other frames will show as differences, which is expected; many contests allow these techniques, and their rules say which.
What does the Entry Season Pass add?: For 12 months: checking a folder of pairs in one go, a report for each entry to download and keep, and checking each entry against several contests' rules at once. The single check stays free.

Compare your RAW with the photo you plan to enter

Photo and RAW

Areas that differ

A draft description of your edits

Camera details

Rules

Entry Season Pass

How to use it

Questions