Image Search Headache Removal Service
October 18, 2009
Searching for images giving you a headache? We just might have found a golden goose.
Along with the data explosion on our hands comes a related problem: image explosion. There are just as many graphics out there as there are files, I bet, and searching through them is just as difficult a prospect, even not even more so. Graphics like .jpg, .tiff, .gif and others don’t necessarily have embedded data–so there’s nothing to catch in a search–and graphics that do carry some form of metadata end up top of the search pile.
Beyond Search was working on a recent project and needed a picture. Our top dog’s comment: “I just had an Easter egg hunt for an image. What a mess.” He’s referring to the mess of figuring what pictures can or cannot be used with securing rights. The Internet is just as visual as it is textual, and more images than you think actually belong to someone. But how do you know? And on the owner’s part, how do you know if your image is being ripped off?
As I learned in my years in journalism, you can’t just pick a pretty picture, slap it on a page (paper or pixel), and publish it. There are such things as digital rights. Yes, someone owns that picture. In a few cases, it may be a free-use image. In some cases, it may be free-use image that use can use if you give them credit. But in many cases, it is a copyrighted image–and you need permission or need to pay to use it. So when you enter your search term “blooming moonflower” into the browser box, beware that list of 1,443,873,899 images that is returned.
We were recently contacted by a representative of PicScout, http://www.picscout.com, a company that deals in image copyright solutions. She sent us a press release about several worldwide companies joining the effort to help safeguard digital rights. Her comment: “Until now, image ownership online was disregarded and disrespected, to say the least. Now that every image has the potential to be visibly associated and directly connected with its licensor or owner, value is restored.”
And it occurred to me that search is intrinsically involved in that effort. From a PicScout press release: “In 2008 an online survey from KRC Research, undertaken for iStockphoto, revealed that 33 percent of Americans use downloaded digital content, but nearly 30 percent are unaware that permission is required for its use.” In general, PicScout’s products produce a list of “tens of millions of images” that display online with the universal information symbol if a surfer is using the ImageExchange Firefox add-on (you can apply to beta test it at http://imagex.picscout.com). And ta-da! You can see right away which images you may or may not use without checking first. How simple is that?
So here’s the scenario: Say ordinary Joe Schmo goes to Google Images and does a search for “pretty pony” to use in a home-grown PR campaign. The GOOG does its thing and returns a billion search results. Joe chooses one and goes on his merry little way… until ImageTracker catches up. Joe fell into the digital rights trap. Any search browser will return results, and unless you have some serious search savvy (and if it’s possible at all), there’s likely no way you can refine your search results to keep that from happening. Well, PicScout’s got that fixed for you.
Now, keep in mind, I’m a lowly duckling dealing with this technology, so this is how I understand it to work. PicScout already had a program called ImageTracker, which searches and finds images based on the algorithms it employs for image identification, as a part of the Image IRC platform. The IRC is what programs the images with metadata (licensing information, owner, etc.) so that ImageTracker will work to police infringement. Those two products are connected by the ImageExchange Add-on, which lets you, a person searching for an image, connect with the owner.
It’s a nifty little idea, quite simple, and it can go a lonnnnnnng way to solving your image search nightmares. So if you deal with online images a lot, you might check PicScout out.
Jessica Bratcher, October 18, 2009
The PR lady did not even thank me for this item. Sigh.
Comments
One Response to “Image Search Headache Removal Service”
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
I hope (and think) I thanked you for your interest, Rebecca. Now seeing your article, let me thank you again for your good coverage and for highlighting an important search issue and an issue critical to the image industry and those who use images online– crediting every image and preserving copyrights online. You’ve done a great job illustrating the problem. You’re right, too, to encourage those who deal with online images to work with PicScout. It’s free, too.
We are in beta trial now, and image users can register to be considered to participate in the beta: http://imagex.picscout.com
The industry is vigorously supporting PicScout, equipping the beta of the PicScout platform with tens of millions of images. Every time beta users go online they will see a virtual ubiquitous image marketplace where millions and millions of images bear the international information symbol –a small encircled “i”. Wherever they find a noted image, licensor/owner information is available for that image, and users can immediately connect to transact for usage rights. PicScout and the image industry are restoring integrity to the industry and dissolving image rights issues that have persisted too long for both image owners and image buyers.
Indeed, thank you, Rebecca and Steve, for bringing attention to a long overdue solution! Many will thank you, no doubt!