A voluntary disclosure standard for digitally altered transactional imagery.
Buyers can no longer reliably distinguish genuine transactional imagery from imagery altered by generative AI, traditional editing, or outright fabrication. The consequences are measurable — and professionals who do their work honestly are paying the reputational cost for those who don't.
VIDP is a voluntary response from the industry to the industry. It describes a standardized way to disclose the digital edits that were applied to a transactional image, paired with public access to the unedited source for independent verification. It is designed for producers who want to operate transparently — and for adopters who want to signal that transparency to the market they serve.
Each edit type has a designated pill — a small, standardized label applied to the delivered image. Pills are color-coded by severity, stacked from most to least serious, and accompanied by a QR code that links buyers to the unedited source.
Annotations added to the image. The photograph still represents the subject as it actually exists — the overlay is explanation, not modification.
Sky, lighting, and seasonal treatments that modify the atmosphere of the scene without altering the physical subject.
Elements added to the scene that were not physically present — furniture, landscaping, renovation concepts.
Elements removed, substituted, or concealed. Strongly discouraged. When used, disclosed with maximum prominence.
Disclose the edits you apply and distinguish your work from undisclosed manipulation. Compatible with existing MLS rules and state disclosure laws.
Adopt as producerSignal compliance to buyers, shield the brokerage from liability tied to undisclosed AI imagery, and meet AB 723 and analogous state requirements.
Require VIDP in deliverablesA ready-made, publicly licensed disclosure standard that can be referenced in rules without the overhead of authoring one from scratch.
Reference VIDP in policyWhen you see a VIDP pill, you know what was done to the image. When you scan the QR, you see the original. Transparency built into the picture.
How to verify an imageThe full specification, the complete pill set, and the usage guide — available for download under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Attribution required, commercial use permitted, modification allowed.
The complete technical specification, including all sixteen pill definitions, placement guidance, and compliance mapping.
All 16 pills as SVGs at 75% default opacity, plus 92% alternates, plus reference sheet and usage guide.
Step-by-step workflow for applying pills in Photoshop, including batch actions, sizing, and special cases.