search using image

Tineye is a search engine like no other, rather than searching for words it is an image search engine. Although the concept is nothing new and Google has offered image search for a long time, this one works completely differently. It’s a unique image search engine that searches for images rather than their descriptions. It’s simple to use, you can upload or link to an image on the internet and then search and this will then scour the internet to find the same image. It works very well and will even locate images that have been rotated, altered or cropped. It will even pick up images which have been heavily edited which is a very impressive feat. Tineye is a unique search engine that isn’t just useful but it’s also great fun to play around with.

TinEye was produced by Idée and launched in May 2008. Idée are also well known for making Idée PixID, and Piximilar both of which are similar ideas to tineye. Most image search engines work by searching for keywords or metadata, this is the first search engine released that searches using image recognition technology.

This application is unique because instead of searching for keywords and Meta description information it works by comparing the images using sophisticated image recognition software. This is revolutionary and very impressive.

The application looks very similar to most search engines, however instead of typing in search terms you can either enter a URL of an image or upload one. This doesn’t take long to do; the maximum image size for an upload is 1MB. Once you have either pasted in the URL or uploaded the image then clicking the search button will almost instantly load your results, it’s amazing how quick it really is.

You can use tineye without registering and it can be used exactly like any other search engine, just for images. However if you want to register then it’s free and offers a number of benefits. You will be allowed to try out new and exciting features before everyone else, you will be able to bookmark your search results, you can save searches in your history, and you can also sign up to the newsletter. To register you need to visit the registration page and fill out the form. You will then be sent an email that you need to confirm by clicking on the link.

TinEye is currently free to use, adverts appear on the homepage. Bearing in mind the site is still in beta it’s very likely that they will start charging or implement more advertising in the near future. This would be a useful tool to find out if people are using your images without permission, and people would probably pay for it. There is currently a link for advertisers wanting to advertise on the site.

Tineye is a revolutionary search engine that can be used to find images on the internet, rather than searching for descriptions or keywords this compares images using sophisticated technology. It’s ideal for anyone wanting to find out where an image originally comes from, or to make sure that nobody copies images without your permission.