NextCert makes it easy to certify the authenticity of digital artworks. When we use the Verifiable Credential format to certify the authenticity of a work of art, we capture very specific information about the artwork. The certificate issuer or copyright owner will upload to our service a high-resolution image of the artwork, a digitised version of the artist’s signature, and a set of metadata that describes the work. The images are then encoded in a way that they are compressed and stored within the certificate data.
Our service also creates a very specific string of text, known as a hash. This is a digest of the artwork image, like a genetic sample, and no two digital files will have the same image hash unless they are identical. If we were to change any part of the original high resolution image, it would generate a completely different image hash.
By placing this image hash – the genetic sample – into the certificate, we provide a means for relying parties to compare any work of art against the one which we have certified as authentic. It is advisable for anyone producing NFTs for their digital art to first produce a certificate of authenticity.
