Real, AI and hybrid image publication checklist

A pre-publication worksheet from UpStream Solutions. Checked 5 October 2026.

Run each image through this list before it goes live or into product data. The guiding question is simple: does this image make a factual claim about something the customer will receive or visit, or is it mood and concept? Keep the factual images real and accurate; let AI or a hybrid handle the concept work. Tick a box only when you have actually confirmed the point, not when you assume it.

First decide: is this a factual image or a concept image?

Factual image. It represents a real product, dish, premises or team member the customer will receive, eat, visit or meet. Default to a real capture. Retouching to clean distractions is fine; changing the subject's real appearance is not.

Concept image. It sets a mood or illustrates an idea and promises no specific physical thing, for example a decorative background behind a headline. AI or a hybrid is reasonable here.

Test: would a reasonable customer feel misled if the real thing differed from the image? If yes, it is a factual image and must be a real, accurate capture.

Purpose and subject

Image purpose is written downYou know where this image will appear and what job it does before choosing how to make it.
Real subject represented, or notYou have decided whether the image must represent a real product, dish, premises or person.

How the image was made

Capture or source recordedYou have noted whether this is a real capture, a stock source or a generated output.
AI work performed is notedAny AI generation or editing is described in one line, for example background replaced, subject untouched.

Accuracy: the honesty test

Product accuracyColour, size, shape and condition match the item the customer actually receives. No altered appearance.
People and premises accuracyAny person is a real team member and any place is your real premises, not a generated stand-in.

Permissions and provenance

Permissions to confirmRights to use any people, premises or third-party property are confirmed, or clearly marked still to confirm.
Metadata retainedThe original file is kept and any provenance metadata the tool records is retained, not stripped.

Platform rules

Platform rules checkedFor product data, the current Google Merchant Center AI-content and image rules are checked against the live documentation.
Disclosure where appropriateWhere a platform or honesty asks for it, the AI involvement is disclosed; a blog decoration is a different case from product data.

Sign off

Reviewer namedA named person has reviewed the image against this list, not just the person who made it.
Publish status decidedThe image is either approved to publish, held for a fix, or sent back for a real capture.

Decision and provenance note for this image