Evidence needs provenance
Identification photographs require a creator, rights evidence, permitted use, subject identification and publication approval. A plausible filename or stock caption is not enough.
Illustration has a different job
Original and generated illustrations can explain food webs, colony structure or mood. Their caption must say that they are illustrative when a reader might otherwise treat them as a real specimen.
Annotations preserve the feature
Callouts must not cover the structure they describe, and crops or tonal changes cannot materially distort a diagnostic trait. Captions identify media type and limitations.
Four visual roles
A diagnostic photograph shows a verified real specimen with enough detail to support identification. A contextual photograph shows habitat, behavior or scale without necessarily proving species. A diagram simplifies a structure or process. An illustration creates explanation or atmosphere without claiming to record an event.
The role is stated in the caption and stored with the asset. A beautiful macro image is not upgraded to diagnostic because it is sharp, and a precise diagram is not downgraded because it is drawn. Each succeeds by doing the job it honestly claims.
Provenance and rights travel with the file
Every publication asset records its creator, source, permitted uses, rights evidence, subject identification, focal point and approval state. Purchased or original masters remain distinct from publication derivatives, and an external filename is never accepted as proof of permission.
Credit requirements remain attached when an image is cropped or reused in social material. If rights cannot be established, the asset does not publish. “Found on the internet” describes a location, not a license.
Editing cannot improve the evidence into existence
Cropping, exposure adjustment, color correction and cleanup may improve legibility when they do not alter the relevant trait. Generative fill, removal of body parts, compositing specimens or changing diagnostic color would make the image unsuitable as evidence unless the result is clearly presented as an illustration.
Annotations should point beside the structure and remain readable on small screens. The unmarked original is retained so a reviewer can verify that the callout did not quietly redraw the feature it was meant to explain.
Generated imagery is always illustrative
Generated or synthetic images may help visualize an abstract idea, atmosphere or non-diagnostic process. They are labeled as generated illustration when used and cannot establish species appearance, geographic occurrence, behavior or product performance.
For identification, EveryAnt prefers verified real specimens and responsibly sourced photographs. When those are not available, a clearly limited diagram is better than synthetic realism. An imaginary ant can be charming; it should not be asked to testify.