Because a caption is a separate field and the photo isn't: the moment a staged image gets downloaded, texted, reposted or syndicated, the caption can stay behind, while a label drawn into the pixels goes wherever the file goes. So when you download from QuickStage, a "Virtually Staged" checkbox sits in the download window and is already ticked. You can untick it, but you have to choose to. California's AB 723, in force since January 1, 2026, requires a disclosure that a listing image was altered plus a link, URL or QR code to the unaltered original, and I'd rather the first half of that ship inside the file by default.

This is my reasoning as the person who builds the tool. It isn't legal advice; check your MLS and your broker.

What does the label option actually do?

Here's what the download step does today, described from the code rather than from memory:

  • It appears every time you download. Downloading one photo or the whole order as a ZIP opens the same "Before downloading" window.
  • It's on by default, every time. The checkbox reads "Include 'Virtually Staged' watermark on downloaded image," and it resets to checked each time the window opens. Untick it for one download and it's ticked again on the next.
  • It's burned into the image. The words "Virtually Staged" are drawn onto the photo in white text on a semi-transparent dark box, sized to about 2.2% of the image's height so it scales with the photo.
  • It sits in a bottom corner. Bottom-right by default. If QuickStage spotted your own logo or watermark in the bottom-right of the original, the label moves to bottom-left so the two don't overlap.
  • It sits next to a review checkbox. The Download button stays disabled until you confirm you've reviewed the image and that it accurately represents the property.

What it doesn't do matters just as much: the label doesn't add a link to your original photo. That half of AB 723 is still yours.

Why not just leave it to the caption?

Captions are good. I'd still write one. But in my view a caption is the weaker of the two places to rely on, for three reasons.

A caption is attached to a listing, not to a photo. The photo you download is a JPEG on your phone. From there it can end up in a text to a buyer, a social post, a printed flyer or a slide in a listing presentation. None of those carry your MLS caption field with them.

A caption depends on remembering. You're typing remarks at the end of a long day, often on a phone. A default that's already on doesn't depend on you remembering anything.

A caption is easy to read past. A buyer scrolling a gallery looks at photos, not fields. A label in the corner of the frame is in the thing they're actually looking at.

None of that makes a caption pointless. It makes it the second layer, not the only one.

Why make it the default instead of an opt-in?

Because defaults decide what most people do, and I'd rather the default be the honest one.

If the label were an opt-in setting buried in an account page, the path of least resistance would be an unlabeled photo. Putting it in the download window, ticked, flips that: the path of least resistance is a labeled photo, and leaving it off is a deliberate choice you make for one download at a time.

I also didn't want it to be a setting you turn off once and forget. That's why it resets on every download. If your MLS has its own rule about text on photos, or you've already labeled the image another way, untick it for that download. The next one starts labeled again.

Why does it sit next to the review checkbox?

Because labeling and checking are the same moment of responsibility. The window asks you to confirm the image accurately represents the property before you can download it. A photo that's labeled but misleading is still misleading, and a photo that's accurate but unlabeled is still a problem in California.

QuickStage is built to keep walls, windows, floors and paint colors as photographed, and to add only movable furniture and decor. "Built to" isn't "guaranteed," which is exactly why the review checkbox exists. Look at every photo before it goes anywhere.

Does the label satisfy California's law on its own?

No, and I don't want anyone reading this to think it does. Business and Professions Code section 10140.8, added by AB 723, asks for two things when a digitally altered image is used to advertise a property: a statement that the image was altered, and a link, URL or QR code that leads to the unaltered original.

The burned-in label covers the first part, as plainly as I could make it. The second part still needs you to host the original somewhere and point to it, in the listing, the caption or the marketing piece. Your MLS may have its own wording or placement rules on top of that. Read the statute, then ask your broker how your office handles the link.

What's my rule of thumb?

I call it the Screenshot Test: if someone screenshots your staged photo and sends it to a friend, does the disclosure arrive with it?

  • Label in the pixels: yes, it arrives.
  • Caption only: no, it stays on the listing page.
  • Link to the original: usually no, which is why the listing and your marketing have to carry it.

Pass the Screenshot Test with the label, then meet the law's second half with the link. Doing both is easy. Choosing one and calling it done is how people get caught out.

What does this cost to use?

The label costs nothing extra. It's part of every download. Staging itself is $1 a photo pay-as-you-go with no subscription, and plans run as low as $0.11 a photo on the annual Agency tier, with QuickFix re-dos included on plans. Results take about 30 seconds. You can see the whole download step, label included, before you pay anything: the first 3 photos are free with no account and no card on QuickStage's download-ready trial.

Bottom line

A caption can get separated from the photo. A label drawn into the photo can't, so that's where I put the default. Leave the "Virtually Staged" box ticked, add the link to the unaltered original that California requires, and review every image before you post it. This isn't legal advice; check your MLS and broker.

Stage three photos free and download them labeled: no account, no card.