Questions and answers about Retrace
Check a picture How it works
What does Retrace do?
It tells you where a picture came from. It finds earlier copies on the open web with their dates, reads text and landmarks in the frame, names the place on a map when it can, and links each finding to its source.
Who uses it?
Journalists and fact-checkers, researchers, photographers looking for copies of their work, website owners, and anyone who wants to check a picture before sharing it.
Which pictures work best?
The original file, at full size. Screenshots, heavy crops and re-saved copies lose detail such as the shooting date and coordinates.
How should I read the result?
As a set of findings with evidence. Each one shows whether it was measured on the picture, confirmed by several sources or rests on a single one. If nothing reliable turned up, the report says so.
What happens to the picture I upload?
It is used to build your report and is tied to your browser or account, so only you can open the report. You can delete your Retrace data from your profile; details are in the Privacy Policy.
Is it free?
A few checks a day are free without an account. Signing in with an Archivarix account raises the limit, and paid plans raise it further.
See also