Which photo edits does Canopy MLS allow?

Our reading as of , from the sources below. Not legal advice.

Short answer

Plain fixes made without AI aren't named. AI-enhanced and virtually staged photos need a clear label on the image itself and the unaltered original immediately before or after. Removing power lines, water towers, highways or flaws isn't allowed at all.

  1. A label in the caption or remarks alone doesn't count: it has to be on the image.
  2. Put the nonstaged original immediately before or after each AI-enhanced or virtually staged photo.
  3. No adding views, rooms or amenities that don't exist, and no removing power lines, water towers, highways or flaws.

What Retouch Homes does in Canopy MLS

On by default, no label
Straightening, leveling and cropping, made with fixed math. Canopy's rules define AI to exclude fixed, deterministic software, so we read these as needing no AI label. Exposure and color come next.
Planned
A new sky. Canopy doesn't name the sky but bans adding what isn't physically possible, so for Canopy listings it stays off.
We don't do
Removing power lines, water towers, highways or flaws, which Canopy bans even with a label.

Edit by edit

Exposure and color in Canopy MLS

No label

A plain exposure fix isn't named. Canopy wants any AI-enhanced photo labeled on the image, and its rules define AI to exclude fixed, deterministic software.

If an AI tool makes this edit: Label

Label text
AI-enhanced
Show the original?
Yes: show it right before or after the edited photo.
Where the label goes
On the image itself.

Source 1· our reading, no rule names it

Straightening and lens in Canopy MLS

No label

Not named. Made by an AI tool, it's an AI-enhanced photo and needs the label on the image.

If an AI tool makes this edit: Label

Label text
AI-enhanced
Show the original?
Yes: show it right before or after the edited photo.
Where the label goes
On the image itself.

Source 1· our reading, no rule names it

Cropping in Canopy MLS

No label

Not named. Don't crop to conceal flaws or what's outside the owner's control, such as power lines: Canopy bans concealing them.

If an AI tool makes this edit: Label

Label text
AI-enhanced
Show the original?
Yes: show it right before or after the edited photo.
Where the label goes
On the image itself.

Source 1· our reading, no rule names it

New sky in Canopy MLS

Unclear: label it

Not named. Canopy bans adding visual elements outside the owner's control or not physically possible. Ask Canopy before replacing a sky.

Label text
Digitally altered
Show the original?
Yes: show it right before or after the edited photo.
Where the label goes
On the image itself.

Source 1· our reading, no rule names it

Grass and landscape in Canopy MLS

Unclear: label it

Not named. Canopy allows cosmetic changes to personal property with a label, but bans hiding flaws and implying structural changes. Ask Canopy first.

Label text
Digitally altered
Show the original?
Yes: show it right before or after the edited photo.
Where the label goes
On the image itself.

Source 1· our reading, no rule names it

Removing clutter in Canopy MLS

Label

Changing personal property that doesn't convey is allowed with proper disclosure. Removing flaws isn't.

Label text
Digitally altered
Show the original?
Yes: show it right before or after the edited photo.
Where the label goes
On the image itself.

Source 1· our reading, no rule names it

Removing fixed features or surroundings in Canopy MLS

Not allowed

Removing or concealing elements outside the owner's control, such as power lines, water towers and nearby highways, is strictly prohibited.

Source 1

Virtual staging in Canopy MLS

Label

Placing or replacing furniture and décor is allowed if no structural change is implied, with a label on the image and the nonstaged original right before or after.

Label text
Virtually staged
Show the original?
Yes: show it right before or after the edited photo.
Where the label goes
On the image itself. A caption or remarks alone don't count.

Source 1, 2

Day to dusk in Canopy MLS

Unclear: label it

Not named. A dusk sky adds something that wasn't there, close to what Canopy bans. Ask Canopy first.

Label text
Digitally altered
Show the original?
Yes: show it right before or after the edited photo.
Where the label goes
On the image itself.

Source 1· our reading, no rule names it

AI-generated image in Canopy MLS

Unclear: label it

For proposed or under-construction listings, AI-enhanced images and renderings are allowed if labeled on the image or in an immediately visible place. For an existing home, no rule covers a generated image.

Label text
Digital rendering, not a photo.
Where the label goes
On the image or in an immediately visible place.

Source 1· our reading, no rule names it

Retouch Homes makes these edits with fixed math, not AI, so its own edits keep the first verdict. Window recovery is the exception: a model finds the windows, so it stays off in this market.

Label text to copy

Digitally altered

Canopy sets no exact wording. The disclosure must be clear and readily visible directly on the image; captions, agent remarks or supplemental text alone aren't enough.

The rule, word for word

“…All AI-enhanced and virtually-staged photo(s), renderings, or virtual tours must include a clear, readily visible disclosure directly ON the image or within the virtual tour.…”

Canopy MLS Rules and Regulations, revised September 2026: rules 1.18.1, 6.1 and 6.3. Our summary above isn't binding; the source is.

Questions agents ask

Where does the virtual staging label go in Canopy MLS?

Directly on the image. Canopy says a disclosure only in captions, agent remarks or supplemental text isn't acceptable.

Does Canopy MLS require the original photo?

Yes. A nonstaged original must be placed immediately before or after each AI-enhanced or virtually staged photo.

Can I remove power lines from a Canopy MLS listing photo?

No. Canopy strictly prohibits removing or concealing power lines, water towers, nearby highways or flaws, even with a label.

Do AI-enhanced photos need a label in Canopy MLS?

Yes, on the image, with the original next to it. Canopy doesn't define "AI-enhanced", but its rules define AI as tools that adapt to their inputs, not fixed, deterministic software.

Sources

  1. Canopy MLS Rules and Regulations, revised September 2026: rules 1.18.1, 6.1 and 6.3 · primary source · checked November 9, 2026
  2. Canopy MLS Support, Digital, Virtually Staged, and AI-enhanced Images and Unauthorized Use of Listing Content · February 27, 2026 · primary source · checked November 9, 2026

Our reading as of November 9, 2026. Not legal advice. Rules change, so check the sources before you rely on them. See all markets.