Documentation & FAQs

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What is a Proof of Work?

A proof of work is an image, document, or video file that proves your ownership of the artwork. It serves as documentation that accompanies your artwork upon submission for minting. Though not necessary when minting, submitting proof of work is highly encouraged by the Curate Team as copyright infringers are growing in numbers in the NFT industry. 

A proof of work may be a recording of your work-in-process, a screenshot of unfinished work and/or its layers in your editing software, or the original- unedited copy of your minted photograph. 

How to submit a proof of work?

Submitting a proof-of-work in the Curate platform is as straightforward as minting your NFTs. When minting your NFT, turn on the advanced options toggle bar. Upload the file (Jpeg, jpg, png, mp4, or gif) for your proof of work and provide a description. Click "submit for approval".

A screenshot of a computer

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Why do you need to submit proof of work?

As an artist or photographer, you may have already shared some of your works online. Making your craft visible online makes it vulnerable to copying and reproduction on different platforms and mediums. When your submitted work is reviewed and has been found to exist on other websites, your work may be denied as there is no way for reviewers to confirm if it is your own. Submitting proof of work will give information to the reviewing team that you own the artwork or photograph and hasten the approval process. 

Besides the ease of approval in the minting process, keeping proof of work is important as an artist to protect your work from potential infringers. The NFT industry is full of copyright infringers who may use or modify your work without permission. Hence it is a good practice to keep proof of work to resolve possible ownership disputes against infringers who take advantage of your work for little to no cost.

What kind of Proof of Work Should I Submit?

2D or 3D Digital Painting

2D and 3D digital paintings may vary in complexity, hence may have different ways of presenting the proof of work. For artworks such as pixel art and simple graphics, a single layer in editing software will suffice. For complicated artworks that involve shadows, shades, and other effects, presenting the different layers in the screenshots will be necessary. Figure 1 shows proof of work for pixel art and Figure 2 for a more complicated 2D digital painting. 

A proof-of-work for 2D Digital Painting (Pixel Art)

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A proof-of-work for 2D Digital Painting

A picture containing text, computer, indoor

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A proof-of-work for 3D Digital Art

A time-lapsed screen recording of work-in-progress is also a good example for proof-of-work

For Traditional Art

A photo of the work in progress is a good proof of work for traditional art. The image above shows an example of a proof-of-work for a traditional painting. 

For 2D or 3D Animated Files

A screen recording showing the different layers or clips in the editing software or a time-lapse of the work-in-progress makes a good proof of work. The creator may also provide screenshots of different angles/perspectives in the editing software.

For Photography

Owners may send a raw or unedited version of the photograph. Other versions of the shots taken by the photographer or the screenshot of the phone gallery (if taken through the camera phone) are acceptable proof of work. 

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