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A Step-by-Step Guide to Turning Simple Images into Verified Digital Credentials
Simply handing out a paper certificate or a static image isn’t enough anymore. Whether you're a training provider, a university, or a skills academy, your learners expect credentials that are trusted, verifiable, and easy to share online.
That’s where Open Badges come into play. 🌟
Unlike simple image files like PNGs or JPEGs, Open Badges follow an international standard that embeds important metadata — including the recipient's name, the achievement earned, the issuer, and more. This makes each badge a secure and verifiable digital credential, not just a nice-looking graphic. Here you can read more about the Open Badge Standard.
Good news: You don’t need to be a tech expert to create your own Open Badges!
In this guide, you'll learn step-by-step how to turn any image into a fully verified Open Badge for free, validate it with professional tools, and even discover how to issue badges at scale.
At first glance, an Open Badge might look just like a regular image file. But under the surface, there's a world of difference between a simple PNG and a true Open Badge.
A PNG or JPEG badge might look impressive, but it’s just a picture. It can be copied, edited, or even falsely claimed by anyone — without any way to verify who issued it or what it actually represents.
Simple images lack important security features:
This creates a trust problem, especially when badges are used to showcase achievements in professional or academic settings.
An Open Badge, on the other hand, is so much more than just an image. It follows the Open Badges standard (currently version 2.0 by IMS Global) and includes embedded metadata inside the file itself.
Every Open Badge contains verifiable details such as:
Because all this information is cryptographically bound to the badge, it can be validated at any time using Open Badge verification tools.
No matter where the badge is shared — LinkedIn, a personal website, or a digital portfolio — anyone can check its authenticity instantly.
In a world where digital achievements are becoming the new standard for resumes and professional profiles, trust and transparency are essential.
Open Badges ensure that skills and certifications are real, recognized, and respected — helping both the issuer and the recipient stand out with credibility.
Creating your first Open Badge doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. In fact, with the right tools, you can turn any badge design into a fully verifiable Open Badge in just a few minutes — and completely for free!
Here's how to get started:
Before creating an Open Badge, you need a visual design — usually a PNG or JPEG file. This could be:
Make sure your design looks professional and clearly represents the achievement it stands for.
Now it’s time to embed metadata into your image and turn it into a real Open Badge.
The easiest way to do this?
👉 Use the Free Open Badge Creator from Virtualbadge.io
With this tool, you can:
Important:
By completing this process, you're adding verifiable data directly into the image — making it a true Open Badge that can later be validated!
When you create an Open Badge, you're not just attaching information once.
Instead, you’re creating a recursive badge — meaning that the metadata about the badge also contains references to itself.
This recursion:
It’s one of the reasons why Open Badges are so secure and trusted compared to simple images.
Creating an Open Badge has never been easier — and best of all, you can try it right now, without spending a cent!
Once you've created your first Open Badge, it's time to make sure it’s 100% verifiable — and safely stored for future use.
Any image file that follows the Open Badge Standard can be verified - and there are plenty of verification platforms out there.
You can simply drag and drop your newly created Open Badge in the validator from Virtualbadge.io, or on any other Open Badge validator such as the ones below:
IMS Global Open Badges Validator
Badgr Open Badges Validator
Fortunately, badge validation is quick and easy!
You can validate your badge using:
👉 The Free Open Badge Validator from Virtualbadge.io
Other Open Badge validators available online: IMS Global
How it works:
✅ Pro tip:
Testing your badge with multiple validators can give you even more confidence that your Open Badge is correctly structured and widely compatible.
After validation, you’ll want a safe place to store and manage your badges.
Instead of simply keeping badge files on your computer, consider using a Badge Wallet — a special platform designed to organize and showcase digital credentials.
There are plenty of free digital wallets that allow you, and the recipients of your Open Badges, to store their badges for free like: Apple Pay, Google Pay...
Some wallets also offer integrations with learning management systems (LMS) and professional networks, making it even easier to showcase achievements in the right places.
Creating one badge is exciting — and as seen above, can be done for free, with just a view clicks. But what if you need to issue badges to dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of recipients?
Manually creating and sending each badge would quickly become a nightmare.
That’s where professional badge management solutions come in.
If you try to handle badge issuance manually, you’ll soon face major challenges:
Without the right tools, scaling your badge program can feel overwhelming — and may even hurt your brand’s reputation if badges are incorrectly issued.
Virtualbadge.io offers a powerful solution for organizations that want to scale their badge issuance professionally and efficiently.
With Virtualbadge.io, you can:
Best of all:
👉 You can start with a free 7-day trial and experience the full power of automated, professional badge management — no risk, no hidden fees! 🎉
Start Your Free Trial with Virtualbadge.io 🚀
Open Badges are changing the way we recognize and showcase achievements — making skills and accomplishments visible, verifiable, and shareable in a digital world.
The best part?
You don’t need expensive software or complicated processes to get started.
With free tools like the Virtualbadge.io Open Badge Creator and easy validation options, anyone can create professional, trustworthy badges in just a few steps.
Whether you're:
...Open Badges offer a modern, secure, and scalable way to highlight success.
✅ Create your first Open Badge for free.
✅ Validate it with professional tools.
✅ Store it securely and share it proudly.
And when you're ready to scale your badge program and offer a seamless, professional experience to your participants, Virtualbadge.io is here to help — with easy LinkedIn sharing, automatic validation, and full analytics to track your success.
👉Start your free 7-day trial today and take your digital credentials to the next level: Get Started with Virtualbadge.io
The future of credentialing is here — and it’s open, verifiable, and ready for you.
* You can find the organisation ID in the URL when you access your LinkedIn Company page as an admin.
Marketing
Apr 29, 2025
9 min
Use Virtualbadge.io to design and send digital certificates that create trust - in less than 10 minutes.
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