Q: What happens to the artwork when it is sold?

When a collector acquires an artwork, it is instantly and securely transferred into their personal Library, while the creator's balance is credited. The transaction is permanently recorded on the verification ledger, providing both parties with an irrefutable, tamper-proof record of the ownership exchange.

Q: Do I own the commercial rights to an artwork after buying it?

Yes. Acquiring a certified artwork grants you commercial usage rights within our ecosystem, such as featuring the piece in commercial showcases or developing derivative creative projects. These privileges are tethered to the certified asset; if you decide to resell the artwork, the commercial rights transition to the new collector.

Q: How do Off-Market sales work?

When you list an asset Off-Market, it places the asset into an "inquiry only" private sale state. The asset appears publicly on the marketplace with an "Off-Market" tag. Collectors cannot purchase immediately; clicking to inquire opens a direct chat thread in your inbox. Once you agree on terms, the creator generates a private offer in chat by clicking the handshake icon, allowing the buyer to complete checkout securely.

Question 1

What is a certified digital asset?

Accepted Answer

As a creator, a certified digital asset represents your original generative artwork paired with its tamper-proof provenance. By certifying your artwork on Aquarelia's verification ledger, you secure verifiable proof of authorship. This enables you to build trust with collectors, establish genuine digital provenance, and monetize your creative process.

Question 2

What is a permanent fingerprint (C2PA)?

Accepted Answer

Built on the global C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity) standard, an immutable fingerprint cryptographically embeds a secure, auditable signature directly into the file. This ensures that your proof of authorship remains with your artwork wherever it travels across the web. Provenance and current ownership can be verified instantly on Aquarelia as well as through any C2PA-compliant inspection tool across the internet.

Question 3

Are hashes and records saved on public blockchains?

Accepted Answer

No. By maintaining provenance records on our carbon-neutral verification ledger, Aquarelia eliminates the high gas fees, volatile costs, and environmental impact of traditional Web3 blockchains, while guaranteeing instant transfers, zero listing fees, and absolute proof of ownership.

Question 4

Are my generative prompts visible to other users?

Accepted Answer

No. Providing your prompt or AI ingredients is completely optional, and you have full control over who can see them. You can set your prompt to Visible to you only to keep your creative recipe completely private, or choose Visible to everyone if you wish to share your generative parameters publicly alongside your certified artwork.

Question 5

Do I need a crypto wallet to buy or sell?

Accepted Answer

No. Aquarelia is designed to be completely frictionless without requiring Web3 wallets, seed phrases, or gas fees. Collectors can purchase artworks instantly using popular payment methods like credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. Creators receive their earnings in their preferred local currency or digital rails.

Question 6

How much does it cost to list and sell an artwork?

Accepted Answer

Listing your artwork is completely free, enabling you to build and showcase your portfolio with zero upfront cost. When you sell an artwork for the first time, you keep a clean 82% net of the purchase price, as Aquarelia absorbs all payment and transfer processing fees. For all future resales, the seller receives 80% net, while the original creator automatically earns an ongoing royalty of up to 5%. Platform earnings are immediately credited and available for withdrawal upon successful sale.

Question 7

What payout options are available for creators?

Accepted Answer

Creators can withdraw cleared earnings across four flexible payout channels: Local Bank (Stripe Express): Direct domestic bank deposit (ACH, SEPA, BACS) in 1–2 business days. Debit Card (Push-to-Card): Instant transfer directly to supported Visa or Mastercard debit cards. Wise Multi-Currency: Rapid bank and local e-wallet transfers (including GCash, Maya, GoPay, and DANA). Instant USDC: Non-custodial, zero-spread stablecoin settlement (<60 seconds) on Base, Solana, Polygon, or Ethereum.

Question 8

What happens to the artwork when it is sold?

Accepted Answer

When a collector acquires an artwork, it is instantly and securely transferred into their personal Library, while the creator's balance is credited. The transaction is permanently recorded on the verification ledger, providing both parties with an irrefutable, tamper-proof record of the ownership exchange.

Question 9

Do I own the commercial rights to an artwork after buying it?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Acquiring a certified artwork grants you commercial usage rights within our ecosystem, such as featuring the piece in commercial showcases or developing derivative creative projects. These privileges are tethered to the certified asset; if you decide to resell the artwork, the commercial rights transition to the new collector.

Question 10

How do Off-Market sales work?

Accepted Answer

When you list an asset Off-Market, it places the asset into an "inquiry only" private sale state. The asset appears publicly on the marketplace with an "Off-Market" tag. Collectors cannot purchase immediately; clicking to inquire opens a direct chat thread in your inbox. Once you agree on terms, the creator generates a private offer in chat by clicking the handshake icon, allowing the buyer to complete checkout securely.

Question 11

How do Open Offers work?

Accepted Answer

Open Offers allow collectors to submit formal bids on your artwork at a price of their choosing. Bids appear directly in your creator orderbook, allowing you to review, track, and accept offers at your own discretion whenever you feel the price is right.

Question 12

Can I edit the Title and Category of my artwork after certification?

Accepted Answer

To safeguard collector trust and prevent post-sale modifications, the Title, Category, and primary media file are immutable once certified. However, you can always update your artwork's description and storytelling elements at any time to share new narrative context.

Question 13

Can I delete my direct messages?

Accepted Answer

Messaging histories are retained to protect both buyers and sellers, providing an auditable record of all agreed terms and private offers. However, to keep your inbox organized, you can easily hide any conversation from your active messaging interface.

Question 14

What happens when I permanently remove an asset?

Accepted Answer

Retiring an asset immediately removes it from the public marketplace, ensuring it is no longer discoverable or purchasable by other users. Because C2PA signatures are cryptographically embedded within the file, any copies downloaded before retirement will still retain verifiable proof of authorship offline.

Question 15

What file formats and sizes are supported?

Accepted Answer

You can list and showcase a wide variety of high-fidelity media, optimized for lightning-fast loading across all devices: Static & Animated Images: .jpg, .png, .webp, .avif, .gif (up to 15MB). We strongly encourage Animated WEBP and AVIF over legacy GIF for 80% faster loading and native C2PA embedding. Video & Motion: .mp4, .webm looping animations (up to 20 seconds, 20MB). 3D & Spatial: .glb, .usdz models (up to 20MB). Digital Lore & Documents: .pdf documents (up to 20MB).

Question 16

Does C2PA verification work for all file formats?

Accepted Answer

Yes. For standard images (.jpg, .png, WebP, AVIF) and video (.mp4), the cryptographic signature is embedded directly into the file itself. For 3D spatial files (.glb, .usdz) and WebM videos, the system attaches a secure cryptographic sidecar manifest that preserves your authorship without corrupting the container structure.

Question 17

Does the platform support artwork with audio?

Accepted Answer

Yes, artworks that include sound are fully supported. To ensure a clear collector experience, items with audio display an "Audio included" tag, letting collectors know what to expect before previewing or acquiring the piece.

Question 18

Is my real name exposed on the platform?

Accepted Answer

No, you have complete control over your privacy. Your real name remains private and is never shown across the marketplace or in public communications. Instead, the platform identifies you by your @username and chosen avatar across search, activity feeds, and messaging.

Question 19

How can I customize my privacy settings to hide my activity?

Accepted Answer

Aquarelia provides comprehensive privacy controls in your Account Settings. You can mask your identity on auction boards to display your bids under the pseudonym "Anonymous Collector," and you can choose to prevent your purchases, listings, and sales from appearing in real-time activity feeds.

Question 20

How does Aquarelia handle metadata and creator privacy?

Accepted Answer

To safeguard creator privacy, Aquarelia automatically sanitizes sensitive embedded EXIF data (such as GPS coordinates, camera serial numbers, and device logs) from uploaded media files. Your ownership record and artwork history are safely and permanently embedded into the Aquarelia verification ledger.

Question 21

Can I tag other creators in messages and community updates?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can tag other creators using @username to connect or collaborate. Tagged creators receive an instant notification, ensuring a seamless experience when engaging with your network.

Frequently Asked Questions

Core Concept & Verification

Creator Economics & Payouts

Marketplace Features & Operations

Rich Media & Specifications

Privacy & Community Trust