For photographers, videographers and creators

Timestamp photos and videos: a dated record of your original RAW files, clips and stills.

In the TimeBinder app, drag and drop your photos and videos. Your browser creates its digital fingerprint. Your file stays on your device—we never receive or see its contents.

Open TimeBinder app

TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes. For photographers and video creators, it is a dated record that the original file existed by a date, if a copy or an AI-altered version is later disputed.

Your photos and videos never leave your computer. Each file is hashed locally on your own device. We never receive or see the original file contents.

Last updated: 12 November 2026

How can you show when a photo or video existed?

Short answer: timestamp the original files soon after the shoot. TimeBinder records each file’s SHA-256 fingerprint on the Bitcoin blockchain, giving independent evidence that the file existed, in that exact form, no later than that time. If someone later posts your content and says it’s theirs, you can show when your original files existed.

Most modern cameras and smartphones can shoot RAW, and a timestamped RAW file keeps the original data from the shoot. A timestamp doesn’t prove who took a photo or that content isn’t AI-generated. It shows that these files existed no later than the recorded time.

How it works

No software to install. Your files stay on your device.

Drop your files
Add up to 10 files per TimeBind: RAW photos, source clips, the edited stills. Any file type and size works.
IMG_4821.DNG · shoot-clip-03.mov
Hashed on your computer
Your browser works out a unique SHA-256 fingerprint for each file. The file stays on your device. The files never leave your device and TimeBinder never stores them.
fingerprint 9f2c…41ab · file stays with you
Sealed to Bitcoin
The fingerprints are anchored to the Bitcoin blockchain: ASAP (your own transaction, sent straight away) or Pooled (usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, and often sooner, depending on Bitcoin network activity). You get a Proof of Time Certificate, a PDF with a QR code and the Bitcoin transaction ID.
✓ sealed · certificate ready

Timestamp your originals →

What creators timestamp

RAW photos straight from the camera or phone
Original video clips and source footage
Edited stills and exports, before posting
Video edit project files
Paid or private content before release
A single RAW photo taken during a video shoot

What if someone disputes when your content was made?

Imagine finding your images or footage posted by someone who insists they created it, and you have no independent record of when your files existed. Platforms may not step in on your side.

AI tools can copy your look, recreate poses or build scenes from your likeness, so a dated record of your original files matters more.

A TimeBind gives you an independent, checkable record of when each of your files existed, which helps you set out your timeline.

A timestamp shows that these exact files existed no later than the recorded time and still match their fingerprints. It does not show who made them, who owns them, or that anyone copied them.

Shooting RAW so the original data is kept

On a phone, open camera settings and turn on RAW or ProRAW. On a camera, choose RAW or RAW+JPEG.
Take photos as usual. RAW files hold far more original sensor data than a JPEG.
If you are filming, pause and take one RAW photo of the scene.
TimeBind a few RAW files or source clips from each session. You don’t need to timestamp every file.
Timestamp the edited version too, so both versions have their own dates.

A layer of protection for photos and video

Photos and video are copied, edited and imitated with AI tools. A TimeBind records the fingerprint of the exact original, so you can show later that the file you hold existed by the recorded time and still matches. It does not show who took it or that the scene was real.

What a TimeBind shows, and what it doesn’t

What it shows

That this exact file existed no later than the time recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain
That a file shown later still matches its fingerprint: the same file gives the same fingerprint, and any edit gives a different one
A record kept outside your own systems: an ASAP TimeBind can be checked on the Bitcoin blockchain without relying on TimeBinder, and a Pooled TimeBind is verified through TimeBinder

What it doesn’t show

Who created, wrote or signed the file
That the contents are true or accurate
How a court or other decision-maker will treat it: that depends on the jurisdiction and the rules that apply. It isn’t legal advice

Photo and video guides, comparisons and tools

Photographers, videographers and agencies: what to date before you post or deliver, how to answer questions about when a photo was taken, and what to keep if someone copies your work.

Before you post, send or submit
Checking when a photo was taken, and whether it is real
Copying, licensing and disputes
Related pages and tools

Before you post, send or submit

Checking when a photo was taken, and whether it is real

Copying, licensing and disputes

Related pages and tools

Learning path: AI fakes, real photos and proving your originals

Photographers and video makers are asked whether a picture is real, when it was taken and whether a copy is theirs. This four-stage path takes you from checking dates and authenticity, to keeping and dating originals, to Content Credentials and provenance, to protecting work you post. Each stage links to guides we have written. TimeBinder does not detect AI; a TimeBind is a dated record of your own files. It is general information, not legal advice.

Check when and whether it is real
What a file date can show and where it fails, and how to show a photo is not AI.
How to check when a photo was taken Date created vs date modified vs date taken Can a file’s date created be changed?How to prove a photo is not AI Can you ask a chatbot whether an image or video is real?Real or AI? Photo quiz New Viral AI-fakes quiz New
Keep and date your originals
RAW files, series and edit projects dated before you post, send or submit.
Prove a RAW photo existed before a date Timestamp a photo series before you publish it Does posting online prove you made it first?Photo contest or stock submission evidence Someone ran your photo through AI
Content Credentials and provenance
What provenance labels can and cannot show, and how screenshots and deepfake claims are treated.
Content Credentials (C2PA) for creators: a field guide NewTurn them on, read them, know the limits Content Credentials (C2PA) vs a timestamp Can screenshots be used as evidence?If the other side says your evidence is a deepfake
Protect work you post
AI training opt-outs and cloaking tools, copying, and what a dated original adds.
Glaze, Nightshade and AI opt-outs: what they do and what a dated record adds NewStated limits of each How to prove someone copied your content Timestamping for illustrators Copyright registration vs a timestamp

Your file’s fingerprint, anchored to a global network secured by real electricity and cryptography.

Editing a file—including with AI—changes its fingerprint, not its existing network record.

How this works

Your file’s SHA-256 fingerprint, a short code worked out from its exact contents, is made in your browser, and the file itself stays on your device. A cryptographic commitment to that fingerprint, which may be combined with others, is then anchored in a block on the Bitcoin blockchain. Bitcoin is secured by proof of work: computers around the world spend real electricity to add each block, and changing an earlier block would mean redoing that work faster than the rest of the network. Until that block is confirmed, your proof is pending. Once the Bitcoin anchoring is confirmed, you can verify the proof against that recorded commitment. The confirmed record can then be checked; Pooled TimeBinds are checked through TimeBinder, while ASAP TimeBinds can also be checked independently. If you check the file later and its fingerprint still matches, that shows the file existed no later than the recorded time. The record doesn’t show who made the file, whether AI was used, or that its contents are true.

Your filestays on your device
FingerprintSHA-256
Network timestampon Bitcoin

Before you publish a photograph, or if one is later questioned, the free published photo record checklist helps you review the camera original and the exact file you published. It cannot tell whether a photograph is generated.

Frequently asked questions

Can TimeBinder help with fake profiles or impersonators?

Impersonators often use stolen photos to build fake profiles, including on dating apps. If you timestamped one RAW photo from the same moment as your profile pictures, you can show when your original files existed. Independent, dated evidence can make an impersonation report more persuasive.

Can it help if my paid or private content is leaked or reposted?

You can show your original existed no later than the recorded time, with a certificate that can be checked later: an ASAP TimeBind directly against the blockchain, a Pooled TimeBind through TimeBinder. This can support a DMCA takedown request alongside your other evidence.

How can a RAW photo support a video?

A timestamped RAW photo taken during the shoot is an early, dated record of the scene. Combined with the video’s own timestamp, it shows both files existed by that date. A timestamp can’t show content isn’t AI-generated, but it shows when your original files existed.

Does it still help if my posted content is edited or compressed?

Yes. Timestamp both the original RAW file and the edited version you post. If authenticity is questioned, you can show both existed by their dates, with the RAW file dated first.

Does TimeBinder store my files?

No. Your files never leave your device. Your browser calculates a SHA-256 fingerprint of each file, and only that fingerprint is anchored to the Bitcoin blockchain.

Who can verify a TimeBind?

That’s up to you. Make a TimeBind publicly verifiable via a QR code, or restrict access to specific email addresses. Verification happens in the browser, and no one sees your original files.

Does a timestamp show when a photo was taken?

No. It shows that the file existed no later than the recorded time and has not changed since. A camera's date and location data can be edited, so keep the original file and, ideally, the RAW.

Does a timestamp prove a photo or video is not AI-generated?

No. A TimeBind does not detect AI and does not show how a file was made. It shows when your exact file existed. Keeping the RAW file, the sequence of shots and the edit project alongside it gives you a fuller story.

Is a timestamp the same as Content Credentials (C2PA)?

No. They record different things, and some creators may use both. A TimeBind records a dated fingerprint of an exact file. Our comparison page sets out the differences.

Should I timestamp the RAW, the edit or the export?

The original RAW or camera file before you edit it, and the files you publish or deliver. They are different files with different fingerprints, so each can have its own record.

Does a TimeBind show that a photo was not made with AI?

No. A TimeBind records that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. A dated RAW original and your sequence of files are useful context, but TimeBinder does not detect AI and a TimeBind does not show who took a picture. Our guide explains what helps.

Related guides

Open TimeBinder and timestamp your originals

Date your originals before you share them.

Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
Add your photos and videos. They stay on your computer.
Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.

Open TimeBinder →

Your first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no credit card required. After that, Pooled TimeBinds start from US$5, and an ASAP TimeBind is US$15. See plans and pricing