Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom are the most widely used image editing tools on the planet. Millions of photographers and designers assume that these tools give them full control over their image metadata. The reality in 2026 is far more complicated. Adobe has been aggressively embedding Content Credentials (C2PA metadata) into images processed by its tools, often without users realizing it. This means that in many cases, Photoshop and Lightroom now add more metadata than they remove. This guide provides a thorough comparison of Adobe's built-in metadata handling versus dedicated tools like AI Metadata Cleaner and examines exactly what each option removes, what it leaves behind, and what it secretly adds.

The Adobe Metadata Problem in 2026

Content Credentials: Adobe's Hidden Addition

Starting with the 2024 updates and expanding significantly in 2025 and 2026, Adobe has integrated Content Credentials (based on the C2PA standard) directly into Photoshop and Lightroom. Content Credentials are a provenance technology designed to record how an image was created and modified, creating an unalterable record attached to the file.

Here is what most users do not realize: Content Credentials are enabled by default in current versions of Photoshop and Lightroom. This means that every time you save or export an image, Adobe may be embedding detailed provenance information including:

  • Whether any AI-powered features were used (Generative Fill, Generative Expand, Neural Filters)
  • A record of edits performed on the image
  • Software version and tool information
  • Timestamp data for each editing action
  • A cryptographic manifest that binds all this data to the image content

When platforms like Instagram detect Content Credentials on an image, they can display "Made with AI" labels — even if the image is a real photograph that was merely touched up with a single minor AI-assisted adjustment in Photoshop. This has become a major frustration for photographers and artists. For more details on this specific issue, see our complete guide to removing Content Credentials.

Why This Changes the Comparison

Traditional comparisons of "how to strip EXIF data" focus on removing camera settings, GPS coordinates, and timestamps. In 2026, the comparison must also address:

  1. Does the tool remove C2PA Content Credentials?
  2. Does the tool prevent new metadata from being added during the export process?
  3. Does the tool handle IPTC DigitalSourceType fields that flag AI usage?
  4. Does the tool address pixel-level fingerprinting?

Adobe's tools fail on points 1, 2, and 4 — and that fundamentally changes the calculus for anyone who cares about metadata cleanliness.

Photoshop: Detailed Metadata Analysis

What Photoshop Can Remove

Photoshop offers metadata control through its export workflows:

File > Export > Export As:

  • Removes some EXIF data by default (inconsistent across formats)
  • Does not provide granular metadata control
  • Preserves color profile information
  • May or may not strip GPS data depending on format and settings

File > Export > Save for Web (Legacy):

  • The most effective built-in option for metadata stripping
  • "Metadata" dropdown with options: None, Copyright, All Except Camera Info, All
  • Selecting "None" strips most standard EXIF, IPTC, and XMP data
  • GPS coordinates are removed when "None" is selected

File > Save As (JPEG):

  • Preserves all metadata by default
  • No built-in option to strip metadata during save
  • Adds Photoshop-specific XMP editing history

What Photoshop Leaves Behind

Even using "Save for Web" with metadata set to "None," our testing revealed that Photoshop retains:

  • C2PA Content Credentials — Save for Web does not remove Content Credentials manifests. If your image has Content Credentials (either from the original source or added by Photoshop's own AI features), they survive this export method.
  • Photoshop software identification — XMP fields identifying the file as processed by Photoshop often persist
  • Color profile data — ICC color profiles remain embedded (this is generally desirable for color accuracy but does carry information)
  • Adobe XMP toolkit markers — Residual XMP namespace declarations

What Photoshop Actively Adds

This is the critical issue. When you use any of Photoshop's AI-powered features, the software embeds metadata declaring AI usage:

  • Generative Fill — Adds C2PA assertions marking the image as containing AI-generated content
  • Generative Expand — Same Content Credentials tagging
  • Neural Filters — Some filters trigger AI content declarations
  • Remove Tool (AI-powered) — Can trigger Content Credentials
  • Adobe Firefly integration — Always embeds Content Credentials

Even if you then try to strip metadata using Save for Web, the Content Credentials manifest may persist. The result is that Photoshop can brand a real photograph as "AI-generated" simply because you used its built-in retouching tools.

Disabling Content Credentials in Photoshop

You can disable Content Credentials in Photoshop:

Photoshop > Settings > Content Credentials > Uncheck "Enable Content Credentials"

However, there are caveats:

  • This only affects new work — images already processed with Content Credentials enabled still carry that data
  • Some AI features may still embed markers even with this setting disabled
  • Adobe has changed the location and behavior of this setting across updates, so it requires verification after each Photoshop update
  • The setting does not retroactively clean images you have already exported

Lightroom: Detailed Metadata Analysis

What Lightroom Can Remove

Lightroom provides metadata control primarily through its Export dialog:

Export Dialog Metadata Options:

  • "Copyright Only" — Strips most data but keeps copyright fields
  • "Copyright & Contact Info Only" — Keeps copyright and contact information
  • "All Except Camera & Camera Raw Info" — Removes camera settings but keeps other fields
  • "All Except Camera Raw Info" — Keeps most data but strips raw processing information
  • Remove Location Info checkbox — Strips GPS data

Catalog Metadata Panel:

  • Manual editing of IPTC fields
  • GPS coordinate removal
  • Keyword management

What Lightroom Leaves Behind

Lightroom's export with the most restrictive metadata settings still retains:

  • C2PA Content Credentials — Just like Photoshop, Lightroom does not strip Content Credentials during export
  • Lightroom-specific XMP data — Processing history markers, develop settings identifiers
  • IPTC DigitalSourceType — If this field has been set (either manually or by AI features), Lightroom's export does not remove it
  • Adobe software markers — XMP tags identifying the software used for processing
  • Partial EXIF data — Even the "Copyright Only" option may leave residual EXIF fields depending on the source file format

What Lightroom Actively Adds

Lightroom's AI features in 2025-2026 include:

  • AI Denoise — Can trigger Content Credentials
  • AI-powered masking (Select Subject, Select Sky) — May add AI usage markers
  • Generative Remove — Embeds Content Credentials declaring AI content
  • Enhanced Details — AI-powered super-resolution that may add metadata

The same problem applies: using any of these popular features can result in your photographs being labeled as "AI-generated" on social media platforms, even when the photograph is entirely real and the AI assistance was minimal.

Disabling Content Credentials in Lightroom

Lightroom > Settings/Preferences > General > Uncheck "Enable Content Credentials"

The same caveats apply as with Photoshop: this only affects future work, may not cover all AI features, and settings may change between updates.

Online Dedicated Tools: Detailed Analysis

AI Metadata Cleaner

AI Metadata Cleaner is a browser-based tool specifically designed for thorough metadata removal, including the AI-specific metadata that Adobe tools add:

What it removes:

  • All standard EXIF data (camera settings, timestamps, device information)
  • All GPS and location data
  • All IPTC fields including DigitalSourceType
  • All XMP data including Adobe processing history
  • C2PA Content Credentials manifests and assertions
  • AI generation parameters (Stable Diffusion prompts, DALL-E signatures, MidJourney metadata)
  • Pixel-level modifications to defeat hash-based detection

What it preserves:

  • The actual image content at full quality
  • Nothing else — this is the point

Key advantage: AI Metadata Cleaner does not add any metadata during processing. The output is a genuinely clean file with zero residual tags. This is the fundamental difference from Adobe tools, which may add metadata even while you are trying to remove it.

How Other Online Tools Compare

For a comprehensive comparison of all available metadata removal tools, see our roundup of the best free metadata removal tools. The short version: most online tools strip basic EXIF data but do not handle C2PA, IPTC AI fields, or pixel-level fingerprints. Upload-based tools also introduce privacy risks because your images travel to someone else's server.

Step-by-Step Comparison: What Gets Removed

To make this concrete, we processed the same test image — a real photograph edited with Photoshop's Generative Fill — through each workflow and checked what metadata survived.

Test Image Metadata Before Processing

Our test image contained:

  • Standard EXIF (camera: Canon EOS R5, ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/500s)
  • GPS coordinates (New York City)
  • IPTC caption and keywords
  • XMP editing history (12 edits in Photoshop)
  • C2PA Content Credentials (marking Generative Fill usage)
  • IPTC DigitalSourceType: compositeWithTrainedAlgorithmicMedia
  • Adobe Photoshop CC 2026 software marker

Results by Method

Metadata Field Photoshop Save for Web (None) Lightroom Export (Copyright Only) AI Metadata Cleaner
Camera Make/Model Removed Removed Removed
Camera Settings (ISO, f-stop) Removed Removed Removed
GPS Coordinates Removed Removed (with checkbox) Removed
Timestamp Removed Partial (date may remain) Removed
IPTC Caption Removed Copyright fields remain Removed
IPTC Keywords Removed Removed Removed
IPTC DigitalSourceType Remains Remains Removed
XMP Editing History Mostly removed Partially remains Removed
Adobe Software Marker Remains Remains Removed
C2PA Content Credentials Remains Remains Removed
C2PA AI Usage Assertions Remains Remains Removed
ICC Color Profile Remains Remains Removed
Pixel Hash (unchanged) Unchanged Unchanged Modified

The pattern is clear: Adobe's own tools do not remove Adobe's own AI metadata additions. Content Credentials survive both Photoshop and Lightroom export workflows, which means your images can still be flagged as AI-modified on platforms that check for C2PA data.

The Workflow Recommendation

For Photographers Using Adobe Tools

The optimal workflow in 2026 is to treat Adobe tools as your editing environment and a dedicated metadata cleaner as your final publishing step:

  1. Edit in Photoshop or Lightroom as you normally would — use whatever features you need, including AI-powered tools
  2. Export at full quality from Adobe — do not worry about metadata settings during this step since you will clean them separately
  3. Clean with AI Metadata Cleaner before publishing — drag the exported file onto AI Metadata Cleaner to remove everything, including Content Credentials
  4. Upload the cleaned version to social media, stock sites, or your portfolio

This workflow gives you the full power of Adobe's editing tools without the metadata consequences.

For AI Artists

If you are creating images with AI generators and editing them in Photoshop:

  1. Generate your base image in your AI tool of choice
  2. Edit in Photoshop — this will add Content Credentials on top of any AI generation metadata
  3. Clean everything with AI Metadata Cleaner — removes both the original AI generation data and Photoshop's added Content Credentials
  4. Share confidently — the cleaned image carries no metadata that platforms can use for AI detection

For more on this workflow, see our guides on selling AI art without getting flagged and understanding the complete metadata landscape.

For Privacy-Focused Users

If your primary concern is removing location data and personal information from photos before sharing:

  1. Lightroom's export with "Remove Location Info" checked is adequate for GPS removal
  2. But if you want complete metadata removal (not just GPS), use a dedicated tool
  3. AI Metadata Cleaner removes all metadata in one step without requiring you to navigate export dialog options
  4. For batch removal of location data from vacation photos or children's photos, the drag-and-drop batch interface is significantly faster than exporting from Lightroom one by one

When to Use Which Tool

Use Photoshop for: Image editing and compositing. It is the best editing tool in the world. Just do not rely on it for metadata cleaning.

Use Lightroom for: Photo organization, batch editing, and catalog management. Its metadata panel is useful for reading and editing specific fields. But its export metadata options are not thorough enough for complete cleaning.

Use AI Metadata Cleaner for: Final metadata cleaning before sharing or publishing any image. It handles everything Adobe's tools miss, removes everything Adobe's tools add, and provides the peace of mind that your published images carry exactly zero hidden data.

The tools are complementary, not competing. Adobe excels at editing, and AI Metadata Cleaner excels at cleaning. Using both in sequence gives you the best of both worlds — creative power during editing and complete metadata control before publishing.

Conclusion

The metadata landscape has shifted dramatically since Adobe introduced Content Credentials. Photoshop and Lightroom are no longer just editing tools that happen to have metadata — they are now active metadata generators that embed provenance data into your images by default. This creates a situation where the tools you use to create images are simultaneously making those images more identifiable and potentially flaggable on social media platforms.

Understanding this dynamic is essential for any photographer, artist, or content creator working with Adobe tools in 2026. Strip your metadata with purpose-built tools after editing, not during the export process within Adobe. Your images deserve to carry exactly the information you choose — nothing more and nothing less.