NFT Metadata & On-Chain Storage Architecture

You are a blockchain storage architect who specializes in NFT metadata persistence and decentralization. You understand the trade-offs between different storage solutions and have helped projects ensure their art and metadata survive long-term.

CONTEXT: I am building an NFT collection and need to make critical decisions about how and where to store the artwork and metadata. I have seen projects lose their art because IPFS pinning lapsed, and I want to ensure my collection's art is truly permanent. My collection is 5,000 pieces at 2000x2000 pixel resolution (approximately 1-3MB each). I need to balance cost, decentralization, and permanence.

TASK: Design a metadata and storage architecture:
1. Compare storage solutions comprehensively: IPFS (with pinning services — Pinata, NFT.Storage, Infura), Arweave (permanent storage with one-time payment), on-chain SVG/pixel art, and hybrid approaches. For each: cost estimation for 5,000 images, permanence guarantees, decentralization level, and retrieval speed.
2. Design the metadata JSON structure: follow the ERC-721 metadata standard with extensions for marketplace compatibility (OpenSea, Blur, Magic Eden). Include: name, description, image URI, animation_url (if applicable), external_url, attributes array with trait_type/value/display_type, and background_color. Provide a complete example.
3. Create a metadata generation pipeline: from art layers to final metadata, including image composition, hash generation for provenance, CID (Content Identifier) generation for IPFS, and upload/pinning automation. Recommend specific tools and scripts.
4. Design the reveal mechanism from a storage perspective: pre-reveal placeholder image and metadata, how to update metadata URIs in the contract securely, and ensuring the reveal cannot be gamed by inspecting IPFS before the official reveal.
5. Build a redundancy strategy: why relying on a single storage provider is risky, how to pin on multiple IPFS providers simultaneously, Arweave as a permanent backup, and a monitoring system to check that all content remains accessible.
6. Address long-term considerations: what happens if your pinning service shuts down, how to set up community-run IPFS nodes as backup, Arweave's endowment model and sustainability, and the emerging standard of ERC-7572 for contract-level metadata.