Are you wondering how to do a reverse image search on the web? Fear not. This article is made for you. The Internet is a wild place, to say the least. Files come, and files go on a daily base, and it’s not always easy to keep track of everything. There can be various reasons why you’d want to do a reverse image lookup, but whatever your reasons might be, the following steps should walk you through the basics.
How to find image resources by using a reverse search
A reverse search is unlike a normal image search like the one that you might know from Google. Your starting point is that you have an image and want to find out more about it or find more websites that have also used the same or a very similar image.
- Load up TinEye in your browser
- Upload your image or enter the image URL
- Let the search engine do its magic
- It’s done, and you can browse the results
In the example above, I have tried to look up a photo I took during an automotive fair, to see where else it would end up. While the image happens to be under a creative commons license, it is interesting to see who gives proper credit and who does not. If someone does not make their images available under such a license, they might want to sue or press charges for copyright infringement. Using a reverse image search engine such as TinEye would help you to find out where your pictures went and how they were used.
Are there any alternatives for reverse image lookups?
I found TinEye to be quick and user-friendly, but it’s not the only one of its kind out there. Google does also offer a reverse image search, but it is a bit difficult to get to the right menu while you’re on a computer. You can also give the reverse image search by Dupli Checker a try. It will work in a similar fashion but lets you browse the results of Google, Bing, Yandex, TinEye, Sogou, and Baidu instead of using an own technology. The results might take longer to browse through, but it is possible that different engines find different image locations.
Photo credit: The feature image has been done by Diogo Castro. The screenshot shown is owned by TinEye.
