Privacy mode: keyword your photos without uploading the originals
Your browser sends only a 512-pixel preview of each photo. The full-resolution file stays on your computer, and your titles and keywords come back as a CSV.
Normal upload or Privacy mode
| What | Normal upload | Privacy mode |
|---|---|---|
| What is uploaded | The full photo, to private storage | A 512-pixel preview only. Videos and SVG files are uploaded in full. |
| What the AI reads for titles and keywords | The 512-pixel preview | The 512-pixel preview |
| The original photo | Deleted automatically 7 days after upload | Never leaves your computer |
| Your metadata comes back as | CSV, or a ZIP of photos with the metadata written in | CSV only. A ZIP needs the original, which we never had. |
| Watermark on the preview | Not applied | Optional: your own text, drawn in your browser before upload |
| Check before submitting (optional) | Sends a 1280-pixel copy made from the original while it is still stored, with sharpness and noise checks | Uses the 512-pixel preview. Sharpness and noise are skipped. |
| What stays after 7 days | Photos keep a 512-pixel thumbnail, metadata and file name. Videos keep metadata and file name. | The same. Only videos and SVG files had an original to delete. |
| Used to train AI | No | No |
Turn it on
Questions
Is a 512-pixel preview enough for good keywords?
Titles, descriptions and keywords are written from the 512-pixel preview in both modes, so Privacy mode does not change what the AI sees. Your context notes add what no preview shows.
Why can’t I download my photos with metadata in Privacy mode?
We never had the original file, so we cannot write into it. Upload the CSV to your agency with your photos instead.
What stays on PhotoTager after 7 days?
For photos: a 512-pixel thumbnail, the metadata and the file name, so your projects and exports keep working. For videos: the metadata and the file name. You can delete them at any time.
Do videos work in Privacy mode?
Yes, but videos and SVG files are uploaded in full in both modes. Only photos get the 512-pixel preview.
What does “Check before submitting” send?
It is optional. It sends a 1280-pixel copy built from the original while the original is still stored. In Privacy mode there is no original, so it uses the 512-pixel preview and skips the sharpness and noise checks.
Are my photos used to train AI?
No. Files are stored only to write your metadata. The privacy policy has the full details.