# Declared Image merchant checklist

Use this checklist before placing an AI-created product image into a Google
Merchant Center workflow. It is a workflow aid, not legal advice, a compliance
certificate, or an AI-image detector.

1. Start with the original exported image file. Keep an untouched copy.
2. Confirm the file is JPG, PNG, or WebP. Google’s image-link guidance lists
   these formats and states a 16 MB / 64 megapixel maximum.
3. If the image was created using generative AI, inspect the XMP IPTC Extension
   field `Iptc4xmpExt:DigitalSourceType`.
4. For this Google-workflow preflight, confirm the controlled-vocabulary term
   identifier is `http://cv.iptc.org/newscodes/digitalsourcetype/trainedAlgorithmicMedia`.
5. Do not treat `photoshop:Source` as the same field. It is not the IPTC
   DigitalSourceType property.
6. Keep embedded metadata. Google’s guidance says not to remove it.
7. If a C2PA / Content Credentials signal is present, review its verification
   result separately. A malformed, untrusted, or unverifiable signal needs
   investigation; changing a signed image can invalidate credentials.
8. Re-check the final delivery file after resizing, optimisation, CDN handling,
   or other transformation. Those paths can change metadata or signature state.
9. Keep your source, export settings, and workflow decision with the asset.
10. Review Google’s current policy and product-data guidance before publishing.

## Sources

- Google: https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/14743464?hl=en-GB
- Google product data specification: https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/7052112?hl=en-GB
- Google image-link guidance: https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324350?hl=en-GB
- IPTC Digital Source Type: https://www.iptc.org/std/photometadata/specification/IPTC-PhotoMetadata-2025.1.html#digital-source-type
- C2PA specification: https://spec.c2pa.org/specifications/specifications/2.4/specs/C2PA_Specification.html

Source record retrieved 2026-08-14 in `docs/sources.md`.