Digital Canvas: The Hidden Data Behind Great Art

See why the digital canvas is more than just a file—it’s the key to protecting your artistic legacy.

Your working file (Procreate, PSD, etc.) is a studio log of every decision you made. Here’s how that record protects authorship and turns process into value.
Digital Canvas
Author

Artalytics Inc.

Published

November 25, 2024

You export a PNG or JPEG, post it, and the world can finally see your work. But the moment you hit “share,” your image becomes just that—an image. The layers are gone. The brush settings are gone. The timeline is gone. If someone copies it, there’s little left to prove how it was made or that it was yours.

The digital canvas—your Procreate file, your PSD, your native working file—is different. It’s not just a workspace. It’s a record of authorship, a map of your craft, and the strongest evidence you have when questions of originality, value, or rights come up.

Artalytics treats that file as the digital original.


More than a file

A good working file reads like a studio diary. It preserves the context that flat images throw away.

  • Timelapse and history — the order of ideas, corrections, and breakthroughs.
  • Stroke and brush data — how you blend, layer, and apply pressure over time.
  • Structure — layers, masks, groups, and the evolution of composition.
  • Effort signals — sessions, hours invested, coverage, and pacing.

Without the canvas, most of this vanishes at export. Keep the record, keep the authorship.

Color analysis timelapse — from rough concept to final detail


From working file to digital original

When your canvas is secured with Artalytics, it becomes more than storage:

  • Authenticity you can show
    Creation telemetry and file checks generate an auditable trail of how the work came to life.

  • Craft made visible
    Time, skill, and complexity metrics translate invisible effort into clear, comparable signals.

  • Tamper‑evident certification
    A digitally signed Certificate of Authenticity anchors key proofs to a ledger, so provenance can be verified independently over time.

  • Private by default
    Your files live in an access‑controlled vault. You choose what’s shared publicly, what’s shared with buyers, and what stays in the studio.

Artalytics Certificate of Authenticity — linked metrics and artist verification.


Why the canvas matters (to more than artists)

  • Artists — Preserve your process, protect your authorship, and present the quality of your craft without giving away your source files.
  • Collectors & institutions — Review consistent, comparable evidence behind a piece, not just the final pixels.
  • Advisors & lenders — Rely on standardized, auditable signals for valuation, risk, and documentation—no guesswork.

The canvas turns a beautiful image into a provable artwork.


What you can do today

  • Save your working files for every major piece—Procreate, PSD, Krita, Clip Studio, your native format.
  • Export and share images, but keep the originals secured.
  • Authenticate with Artalytics to generate a certificate, lock in provenance, and attach your craft metrics to the work.
  • Decide your disclosure level—high‑level metrics for public pages, full evidence for serious buyers.

A better way to share your work

Your digital canvas isn’t just the path to the piece—it’s part of the piece. Treat it like the master record it is. With Artalytics, you keep control, you keep context, and you turn the story of how you create into value that lasts.

Ready to protect your digital originals and present your craft with confidence? Upload your canvases and generate your Certificate of Authenticity with Artalytics.