Asset Provenance Split

Asset Provenance Split is the practice of classifying every client image by whether the agency still holds the editable source file. Files with live source custody (PSD, layered Figma, original RAW) sit on a cheap retouch path: a color shift, a headline swap, or a crop for a new placement takes minutes. Flattened exports sit on an expensive path, because rebuilding layers is manual labor billed at creative rates. The framework matters because agencies quote retainers before knowing which path a client's library sits on, and the gap between the two paths is where scope creep hides. Magic Layers demonstrates the recovery route by separating flat PNG or JPEG files into named transparent layers, including text, subjects, decorations, and background, so a finished asset can be repurposed without the original file. Schist covers the other end, opening Affinity and Photoshop files directly. Audit custody before pricing the retainer, not after the first revision request lands.