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Printable Reference
AI Image Metadata Comparison
What metadata each tool saves — and what gets lost
What Each Tool Preserves
| Metadata | Midjourney | ComfyUI | SD (A1111) | Leonardo | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prompt | Discord | API only | ||||
| Negative prompt | ||||||
| Model / checkpoint | ||||||
| Seed | ||||||
| CFG / steps | ||||||
| Full workflow | JSON | |||||
| Resolution | ||||||
| EXIF data | ||||||
| C2PA provenance |
Preserved Lost PartialText = conditional
Key Insight
ComfyUI preserves the most metadata (full workflow JSON). Stable Diffusion embeds prompts and settings in PNG info chunks. Midjourney loses everything except the prompt (visible in Discord, not in the file). DALL-E loses nearly everything on download.
Where Metadata Lives
Midjourney
Discord message text only
Not embedded in the image file
ComfyUI
PNG tEXt chunk (workflow JSON)
Richest metadata of any tool
Stable Diffusion
PNG info chunk + EXIF
Full prompt + settings in file
Leonardo AI
API response + partial EXIF
Web downloads have limited data
Adobe Firefly
EXIF + C2PA provenance
Best provenance, no prompt saved
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What Gets Lost & How to Preserve It
Metadata disappears at three key points. Here is how to protect it.
Metadata Loss Points
On Download
- •Discord strips all image metadata
- •Browser "Save As" loses EXIF
- •Mobile screenshots lose everything
On Share
- •Social media strips all metadata
- •Messaging apps recompress images
- •Email clients may strip EXIF
On Edit
- •Most editors drop AI generation data
- •Photoshop keeps EXIF, drops prompts
- •Resizing tools strip non-standard fields
Preservation Strategy
Save ComfyUI workflow JSON alongside images
Screenshot Midjourney prompts or use /describe
Use API downloads (not Discord saves) when possible
Store prompts in filename or sidecar .txt file
Back up raw outputs before editing
Use a DAM that extracts metadata on import
Tagging Approach Comparison
| Approach | Effort | Searchability |
|---|---|---|
| Manual tags | High | Excellent |
| Filename-embedded | Medium | Good |
| AI-automated | Low | Very good |
Preserve metadata automatically
Numonic extracts and preserves metadata from every major AI tool on import — prompts, workflows, seeds, and settings are all searchable without manual effort.
numonic.ai · Free to share · Attribution appreciated
Metadata status accurate as of February 2026