Reverse Image Search Tools - I See it, Now Where Can I Find It?

When visiting sites on the Internet, you will often see a unique image which you want to know more about. A new handbag, that perfect dress, a sleek automobile, a pair of shoes to die for or a custom bike design you have to see in person. You want to know more about the item pictured but where do you begin? The web is a very wide showcase to search in for a single speck of sand. Luckily, there are many tools available which can assist in a search by image, finding you a match in seconds.

Using a reverse image search engine will take the image which you have and help you search the Internet quickly and efficiently to locate matching images. A quick look through this smaller set of matching images and you will have the name of the designer or brand along with where you can find the item to see and possibly purchase. Makes a difficult task become very easy.

Browsers like Google, Microsoft Edge, Yahoo, Firefox and Yandex each offer an easy to use reverse image search option. Some are built into the browser while others are offered as an extension compatible with a specific browser and easy to download. Then there are a number of sites specifically built for the purpose of search for images on the Internet.

TinEye is a free reverse image search engine, and will take the image you upload or the image URL provided and, with a single click, tell you where the image appears elsewhere on the web.

If you have an account on Pinterest, or are willing to set one up, the Pinterest visual search feature lets you search for visually similar images on their site. Unlike other reverse image search tools, here you can zoom within a particular image and drag the zoom tool over the specific part in the Pin image and search just for that specic item in the image. 

The technique behind a reverse image search uses a content-based image retrieval query and takes the sample image provided by you to formulate the search query. This query lacks search terms, effectively removing the need for a user to provide keywords which may or may not return a correct result. When a reverse image search is done, the resulting matches will locate content related to the specific image provided plus any manipulated and derivative works of that image.

In the world of business, making use of reverse image searches can give you a competitive advantage by allowing you to see which other brands are selling your product and displaying the same image used for the search.

Using a reverse image search, you can sort through and locate a great selection of images for use in your online store. These images might be used for your logo, a website banner, in blog posts or as a Facebook advertisement. 

Remember that just because the image exists online does not mean it might not be copyrighted. Use a reverse image search engine to locate the original source of the image or at least when it first began to appear on the Internet. Having this information will save you trouble done the line, when you have placed the image on your product and business material only to be notified the image is copyrighted and you cannot use it at all. Better to clear all the roadblocks from the beginning, and move your business smoothly forward.

The next time you find an image, and knowing more about it is the goal, be sure to make use of your favorite reverse image search engine and find the match with a simple click.