thearchivist.funKeep attribution with an exported artifact
A portable file should carry the evidence a future reader needs to understand its credits and known restrictions.
Context and provenance
Before exporting, record the work's title if available, the credited creator, the original source location and the exact license or permission information you found. If you changed the object, state the change. Keep the creator of the underlying image distinct from a later caption writer, translator or uploader. Do not replace an unknown creator with the name of the website hosting a copy.
Open the exported certificate or metadata file outside the application. Check that a reader can still find the source and understand which rights remain unknown. The studio exports metadata and your manual assessment; its local preview image is not embedded or uploaded. An empty files list is therefore intentional, not a missing promise of hosted media.
Creative Commons attribution guidance is useful when a work is actually under a relevant CC license. It does not make an unlicensed meme free to republish. Keep an unsupported rights field marked unknown and arrange any necessary permission separately. The goal of this exercise is a complete credit trail, not a legal conclusion from a form selection.
Sources and evidence
Editorial review: 2026-09-23. New evidence may change this account.