How to find an object from a photograph. How to search in Yandex by image and why it can be useful
Today, not only designers are interested in the question of how to find a picture from a photo. Often this function is needed and regular users Internet. For example, if you need to check the uniqueness of a photo, find out the author of the photo, or find an image in better quality. Let's look at the most convenient services, allowing you to search for similar photos online.
Quickly search among 10 billion images inGoogle
Definitely, Google Images breaks all records in popularity and is used much more often than other similar sites.
To start your search here, upload the desired image.
It’s convenient that you can use the Drag-and-drop function and add an image by simply dragging it from a folder into the search query field
It is also possible to paste the URL of a photo or upload it using Explorer.
By the way, in our recent article about that, we described popular program LightShot, with which you can take a screenshot of a picture and instantly start a Google search for it. This saves your time even more and allows you to avoid having to download new files to your computer or phone.
This is what Google ultimately shows us So, Google has determined the size of the photo and offers to view the same image in other resolutions.
In the toolbar, you can set specific requirements for the size and date of publication on the Internet, as well as filter images by availability of a license for use
Let's return to the search results. Google analyzed the tags for all similar files found and suggested: “Most likely, the picture shows a Peter Parker meme.” Based on this, he selected website pages that might interest us. This is especially true if you need to track which source a particular image first appeared in.
The whole process of work is presented more clearly in this video. Check it out if you have any questions.
On the phone everything is done according to exactly the same algorithm:
- if you need to find a picture from a photo located in internal memory device, just go to the website and click “Upload photo”;
- then click on the “Select file” button and select the desired image. Then the analysis will begin and after a few seconds you will be presented with the results.
How to find a picture from a photo in Yandex
The Yandex.Images service is less known than Google Images, but it also has a fairly impressive archive of indexed images - about 5 billion files. The work of the resource is built on a similar principle. Let's look at this in more detail.
You can download the file in any convenient way: using the Drag-and-drop function, a standard explorer, or a link to the source.
Let's try to search for a picture by its URL.
Enter the link in the appropriate window
Click “Find”.
Here we see the same information as in Google: an image in other sizes, similar images, as well as sites on which this illustration is found
It’s not entirely convenient that there is no option to preview photos. To see all the pictures, you need to open each of them in turn.
Let's move on to viewing similar images.
It’s worth saying that the analysis was done quite well, and the selected pictures really correspond to the theme of our source code They can be uploaded as an endless feed or in a slide show format.
Tineye.com - a pioneer in image search
Few people know, but it was Tinay who was the first service to introduce a photo search service on the Internet. The peculiarity of this service is that it searches not by title or tags of an illustration, but by its content. Tineye.com analyzes shades, location of objects and color palette, and then produces the most similar options.
Unfortunately, the Russian-language interface is not provided here, so we used the “Translate into Russian” function. Although it is worth saying that in English everything is very clear and accessible Download the source. The process begins automatically and within a moment we are shown the result.
You can filter pictures by size, publication date, best match, or vice versa - biggest change original As you can see, this service has fewer functions and capabilities than the previous two, but working with it is just as comfortable and easy.
Are there other ways to search by image?
To summarize, it is difficult to say which of the described Internet resources works better than the others, because each has its own characteristics and strengths.
We want to talk about two more programs with which you can quickly search by photo. They are designed as mobile applications and require downloading to your phone.
The first service is Google Googles. According to the description on Google Play, it allows you to quickly find information about any object you point your phone camera at.
Google Googles can read and translate text in 8 different languages Google Googles is best at recognizing paintings, books, landmarks, barcodes and QR codes.
The second service is CamFind. It specializes more in goods - it allows you to take a photo of the item you like and immediately find detailed information about her. For example, if you need to compare prices in stores, find places of sale, or pick up a similar product, the application will be very useful to you and will save time.
CamFind can be downloaded for both Android and iOS These two services are quite easy to use and have interesting functionality, but, of course, they lose to their brothers - Google, Yandex and Tineye.com.
Yandex and Google allow you to search by faces and also find similar images.
Why is this necessary?
For example, this will help find other photos of a person from an existing photo.
I think the simplest thing is to find copies of the image in various formats, with additional elements, etc.
Let's take a photo of the famous actress Monica Bellucci and use it to test Yandex and Google.
Search engines have special operators that allow you to search by person.
Now we take a photo of a person from social networks, result: 
Obviously, there are no other photos of this particular lady here, but there are plenty of relatively similar ones.
More nuances of Yandex image search are in the following video:
conclusions
| NEW: based on photos and other information. |
Finding copies of images is not difficult for search engines. However, if we are talking about searching by face for other photographs of this person, for now such a search is more relevant for people who have many photos on the Internet that are openly accessible for indexing.
Explore the article– here you can also find information about photo storage services, which can also be used to search for similar faces or specific people.
Thanks to the availability of special web services and applications, you can easily find a person by photo.
Most modern programs and websites use artificial intelligence technology.
It allows you to increase the accuracy of facial recognition in a photo as the number of program users increases.
It should be understood that no search engine can give a 100% guarantee of finding an image. Often errors occur when reading pixels, or the browser searches for photos that are similar in meaning and color palette.
Below are some of the most effective ways. If one of them does not help you, feel free to move on to the other.
Ultimately, one of the methods will turn out to be the most suitable for your picture and the person will be found. We also recommend that you carry it out using several photographs at once, if you have them.
ServiceGoogle
The first and easiest way to search by image is the well-known Google. Developers popular system introduced a function for working with user images.
Now you can not only enter a query, but also insert individual images into the text field. The search engine carries out analysis for all sites and social networks that are indexed in the system.
Let's look at simple example how to use the function:
- Let's go to the website. This page differs from the standard one by the presence of an additional button for adding;
- To get started, click on the camera icon. A window for selecting the type of photo upload will appear. The user can provide a direct link to an image already posted on the Internet or download graphics from the computer’s memory;
- Click on the “Search by image” button.
The result of processing your request in Google will look like this:
It will automatically indicate the person's name or subject. Also, the user will be able to view similar images. Another element of search results are pages that mention the person found.
Often, the result only shows similar images without providing a name. This means that there are too many similar pictures on the Internet and the system cannot find a 100% exact match. Try scrolling down to the "Pages with matching images" box. This way you can view a list of links that contain what you are looking for.
With it you can search not only for people, but also for various objects. As practice shows, a search engine can be very useful when you need to find out the name of an unknown item or find things you like.
Yandex
Photo search from Yandex is another popular service that searches for graphic content across all sites. At first glance, it is practically no different from Google, except for the interface and design. However, Yandex developers claim that their system uses a modified algorithm using computer vision.
This way, by using both systems, you can have a better chance of finding the one you're looking for. To start the analysis, go to the main site. Find the text line and next to it click on the “Pictures” tab to go to the corresponding section:
- In the tab that opens, click on the camera icon;
- Now in the tab that opens, click on the button to load a photo from your PC memory or provide a direct link to the picture on the Internet. Click on “Find”;
The result will be a set of the most similar images with which you can find a person. Also, you can select different picture sizes and continue the analysis with a better quality photo. Be sure to look at the list of mentions on other sites to increase your chances of discovering the person.
Analysis by photo inVK
In addition to standard systems, there are a lot of services for monitoring by photo only in specific social networks. Since 95% of Runet users have a profile on VKontakte, it is better to search for it using special resources, which work only with this social network. This way, you will reduce the analysis time and the number of similar pictures.
To start monitoring photos in VK, you need to install an extension for Chrome browser. The app is called "StopFake". Go to the software store and enter the name of the extension. Then click on the install key and wait for it to appear on the right top corner buttons.
Although the program is designed to quickly identify fake accounts, it can also be used to find people. You will need to upload a photo to your album on VKontakte, since this can only be done using the one that is in the site’s database.
- Open the photo in your album in VK. The album can be private, the main thing is that it is on the website;
- After opening the image, press the key to launch the StopFake extension. It is located in the upper right corner of the browser toolbar. To eliminate possible mistakes in the operation of the utility, we recommend restarting the browser immediately after installing the extension;
- It will automatically detect them in social network, which contains the desired photograph. Thanks to the author's signature, you can easily find the person you need. Click on the author's name to go to it.
There are several services on the Internet that allow you to find similar pictures based on your photo. This is not just a search by a description of an image or a synonym for its name. Developers are creating amazing technologies that scan the arrangement of colors, style, objects in the image and search for suitable instances on the Internet. Each service approaches search differently. In this article I will describe the most popular services and methods for searching by photo.
TinEye is a Canadian similar image search service that provides additional features by search. The site is considered one of the first search engines to provide such an opportunity. The service was created in 2008. To search for pictures, he needs to provide any image, even a thumbnail of a photo with low quality. The developers promise in the future to provide the ability to subscribe to pictures, copies of which will appear online.
The system allows you to find pictures from all resources on the Internet. For all popular browsers there is a special plugin that will allow you to search for images directly from the browser toolbar. The TinEye service made it possible to identify an unknown soldier from an image that was taken in Normandy. After this, a list of people depicted in the photo was found on one of the American websites.
The TinEye service is quite easy to use, despite the fact that it is in English.
To search for a similar picture from a photo you need:
Just below your image there is a “Best match” option. Here you can select which images will be shown in the results - the largest/smallest, the oldest by date added, etc.
Find a similar image from a picture in Yandex Pictures
The most popular search system in Russia - Yandex, which also offers everyone the opportunity to find any image from a photograph. To search for any picture, visit the “Pictures” section at - https://yandex.ua/images/?rdrnd=753106&redircnt=1518009530.1 and then follow the instructions:
Google Image Search
Search engine Google system also has a special service that will allow you to find the photo you need on the Internet based on the photo you have. You can use any browser to search. The developers of the search engine itself advise us to look for popular objects and people. This is the only way we have enough chances for success, even if we have very poor quality images to search for. To do this first:
Google Goggles is a powerful tool for mobile phones that can recognize pictures
Mobile Google app Goggles was created in 2009 for mobile devices running the Android operating system. This application has been specially designed for visual search of pictures, images and some other features. The application only works with servers Google, which takes not text information, but images to display search results.
The working principle of this application is very simple. The search is carried out using the existing photo/video camera on the device. Previously, searching required taking a photo of the object you wanted to find on the Internet. Later versions of Goggles allow you to identify objects by simply pointing the camera. After this, your device will receive results that match your requests.
If you need to find similar images with famous objects, for example, with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, then all you need to do is point the camera lens and you will get a photo different sizes and types of tower. To use this program, go from your device to Play Market find it in the search.
Application Features:
- Google Goggles is able to identify various objects even while moving. You can turn on not a photo camera, but a video. But there is a small limitation. Your device must support electronic compass, autofocus, satellite system navigation.
- Some celebrities are included in a special database. Their faces are inviolable for the application, so you will not receive results for them.
- In 2010, developers added a search function for images stored in the device’s memory.
FindFace – search for faces by photo
FindFace is a special service that specializes in finding people's faces on social networks. You can probably remember cases when you liked a girl/guy in a cafe, but you don’t know anything about them. With the FindFace app you can find a person using a photo, even if you took it yourself a few minutes ago. The search is based on a special development in which neural networks were used. Thus, the search can be performed even on a photo in which a person is captured with a 3/4 face, i.e. sitting in a half-turn.
Artificial intelligence develops independently over time thanks to neural networks. Every time the search results become more accurate. FindFace takes less than a second to search through various databases, searching through up to 310 million images in that time. This amount of work is done thanks to special algorithms that convert photos into special code, which greatly facilitates the search work.
You can try to find any person on VKontakte as follows:
- Open the page https://findface.ru/.
- Click the "Find identical" button.
- In the middle of the window, click the “Upload Photo” button.
- After your image appears, indicate the person you want to search for on the social network.
- In the next window, you will be presented with search results, which you can adjust to narrow the circle and more suitable people.
Tweet
Let's look for a higher resolution option. Open Google Images and click the inconspicuous button in the line:
We will have a choice - provide a link to the photo or upload it from your computer. I have a picture on my hard drive, so I click Upload file - Select file - Open. After some time (the image should be uploaded to Google’s servers), a page with search results will appear:
To filter pictures by quality, there are two links - “Small” and “Large”. Naturally, I will choose " Large" to see the best quality:
The picture resolution is very good - 1920 by 1080 pixels. So you can follow the link and download it for yourself.
So, to find a picture in best quality, than it is, you need to indicate its address or download it from disk, then click the “Large” link.
Searching for a person on the Internet by photo
A rather unobvious way to use the image search service. Let's say we have a photograph of a person. If the same photo or a very similar one is posted somewhere on social networks, there is a chance that a Google search engine will find it. For example, this is what will happen if you upload one of my photos:
Google decided that my photo was similar to photos of Japanese athletes. This is funny and not true, but the search was successful - we saw a link to my VKontakte page, where there is this photo, and also found out my first and last name.
Of course, such luck does not always occur. Google Images can't find photos from private albums. Otherwise, this is a great way to determine the authenticity of a photo and/or determine who is in it.
Find out the name of a thing or landscape from a photograph
There is a program called Google Goggles for iPhone and phones with operating system Android. It allows you to translate photographed text or determine the name, find information about a photographed object or landmark. Really great stuff, but there is no version for computers. This can be partially compensated for using the same Google image search.
Example: we have a photo of a landscape, but we don’t know what kind of beautiful place it is:
As in the previous options, click the button in the form of a camera in the search bar, upload a photo and get the result:
I warn you - this doesn't always work. For the correct result, this photo or a very similar one must already be in the Google image search database, i.e. be on the Internet, there should also be a description next to the picture on the page. If sights can be easily recognized (since a famous place is “known” on the Internet), then with objects the chance of finding a description is almost zero.
If there is no information about the place, we will see a page with similar photos, similar to the following example.
Previously, the TinEye search engine was strong in this, as I said earlier. But Google Images is also not perfect.
And click the link “ Similar images". Let me remind you: you can not upload a photo, but indicate its address on the Internet, or simply enter the query “red kitten” into the search, hover your mouse over the photo and click “ Similar«.
In any case, these actions will lead to a search for similar photos:
Pay attention to the inscription “Similar” above the pictures. This means that this mode is working now. Clicking the cross on the right will turn it off. Clicking on the picture will open, as it should, an enlarged copy in the background of the site where this picture is located.
Conclusion
Google Image Search always works the same way. Depending on what was found, the search page changes. If the result is very successful, when it is possible to accurately identify the name of the photo and find information on it, we are redirected to a text search page (as in the case of searching for a landmark).
In fact, the search site is trying to predict what we really need. Sometimes successful, sometimes not. There is virtually no difference between the examples above. The search always happens the same way, we just look in different search places and click the links we need. I only gave the most “contrasting” examples, so you should not look for the “Search for similar photos” or “Search for a person by photo” button. There is none of them. The search is always the same. It all depends on what we are looking for.
Google Image Search is a very powerful tool with many settings and features. Finding a similar picture or page on a social network from a person’s photo is possible. Of course, there are many “buts” here, because the search is carried out by complex but predictable algorithms, and not by real intelligence. In any case, the ability to use image search is a useful skill that everyone who uses the Internet should master.
