Upload a Local Image and Search for a Similar Version Online
Google has allowed users to search images by looking for similar versions to ones already found in Google Image Search for a long time now.
Recently, however, they have been allowing users to upload and image and find similar versions from across the web. It is very simple to do but not that many people know about.
How to Upload a Photo Find a Similar Version Online
- Go to Images.Google.com.
- Drag the images you would like to find similar versions of from your computer into the Google search box.
- To view the results in gallery form, click on the “Images” link- by default Google show the results in the “everything” view.
Original Image:
Google Local Image Search Results:
The feature isn’t perfect yet but it is very powerful. Based on my experiments it seems that Google uses a variety of factors in finding an image similar to the one that you uploaded.
Factors User to Determine Image Search Results:
- Colors
- Shape
- Image Name
The images that Google displays in the results will generally have similar to those of the image you uploaded. Generally, this is very helpful but if you’re taking a picture of an object to help identify what it is using Google Local Search, make sure you use a neutral background as the background will also have an effect on the results.
The results that Google outputs will generally have similar shapes to those in the image that you uploaded. If you upload an arch, the results will generally be in the shape of arches. This is a very cool feature of the Uploaded Google Image Search.
The name of the image you upload to Google will have a slight affect on the search results. Google will display images that have an ALT tag similar to the name of the file you uploaded. Image name criteria doesn’t carry nearly the weight in terms of search results that the color and shape of the image do.
Overall I think this feature is great and it will be exciting to see it evolve. I believe this service could be very useful for finding duplicate content and violators of copyright infringement.
I personally used the service to find a desktop background similar to the one that I was already using.
I have found that if you’re trying to upload a high resolution file, the search can take a long time and sometimes freeze up. I’ve had to compress a few files in Photoshop in order to search for them Google Local Image Search.
If you have an image on your local machine that you cannot reproduce using keywords in Google search but need a larger or different version of it, upload it to Google Images and search!
About Anson Alexander
Anson Alexander is a graduate from the University of Tampa with a degree in International Business and Information Systems.A previous IT Administrator for a medium size publication company, Anson has recently decided to work full time on his own business by publishing on AnsonAlex.com, publishing technology tutorials on YouTube and offering SEO, IT training and digital marketing services.His main interests include technology, social media, infographics, economics, marketing and web design.Connect with Anson on Google+.
When i drag an image from my computer to Google search box I am asked if I want to open or save the file…
Do I do something wrong?
upload image in google
Thats my photo
Why are there no options to this from an iPhone or iPad ?
Does anyone know any solutions for this?