- Where can I find Google's Image Search?
- Are there any copyright restrictions associated with the images?
- Why does Google show the image in a frame?
- How do I use image search?
- How do I prevent seeing inappropriate mature content?
- Does Google's mature content filter work in all languages?
- How do I turn the mature content filter off?
- How does image search work?
- How do I remove a copyrighted image that I don't want displayed?
- How do I search for images with a specific filetype extension?
- An image I know is online wasn't found when I did my search. Why?
- Can I search for images of a specific size or type?
- Can I do complex searches with image search using Boolean operators and other Google commands?
- Sometimes I see what appear to be news photos at the top of my results. Why is that?
- Can I use Google Image Search on my mobile phone?
- What if I need to find the personal photos on my computer?
| About Google's Image Search |
Google's Image Search is the most comprehensive on the Web, with more than one billion images indexed and available for viewing. To use Image Search, select the "images" tab or visit http://images.google.com. Enter a query in the image search box, then click on the "Search" button. On the results page, just click the thumbnail to see a larger version of the image, as well as the web page on which the image is located.
The images identified by the Google Image Search service
may be protected by copyrights. Although you can locate and access the
images through our service, we cannot grant you any rights to use them
for any purpose other than viewing them on the web. Accordingly, if
you would like to use any images you have found through our service,
we advise you to contact the site owner to obtain the requisite permissions.
WARNING: The results you see with this feature may contain mature content. Google considers a number of factors when determining whether an image is relevant to your search request. Because these methods are not entirely foolproof, it's possible some inappropriate pictures may be included among the images you see. (The mature content filter is only available from an English interface.)
| Frequently Asked Questions |
Where can I find Google's Image Search?
You can access Google's Image Search by selecting the "images" tab. It can also be found at http://images.google.com.
Are there any copyright restrictions associated with the images?
The images identified by the Google Image Search service may be protected by copyrights. Although you can locate and access the images through our service, we cannot grant you any rights to use them for any purpose other than viewing them on the web. Accordingly, if you would like to use any images you have found through our service, we advise you to contact the site owner to obtain the requisite permissions.
Why does Google show the image in a frame?
The top frame enables the user to see a slightly larger version of the thumbnail result and provides the image URL. Clicking the image in the top frame links to the actual .jpg or .gif file.
The bottom frame displays the image in its original context.
To use image search, simply type your query in the image search box and click the "Search" button or hit "Enter" on your keyboard. When you see the results page, click on the thumbnail version of the picture you want to view. This displays a larger version of the image, as well as the page on which the original image is located.
How do I prevent seeing inappropriate mature content?
Google's Image Search defaults to using a mature content filter on your initial search. The filter removes many adult images but it can't guarantee that all such content will be filtered out. To turn off this filter, click on the link that says "mature content filter is on". (The mature content filter is only available from an English interface.)
There is no way to ensure with 100% accuracy that all mature content will be removed from image search results using filters.
Does Google's mature content filter work in all languages?
No, the mature content filter is only available from an English interface.
How do I turn the mature content filter off?
Underneath the image search box on the search results page, there is a link to turn off the mature content filter. By clicking on it, users can toggle the filter on and off. Once the mature content filter is turned off, it stays off for the rest of the session and will remain off on the next visit to Google's Image Search.
Google analyzes the text on the page adjacent to the image, the image caption and dozens of other factors to determine the image content. Google also uses sophisticated algorithms to remove duplicates and ensure that the highest quality images are presented first in your results.
How do I remove a copyrighted image that I don't want displayed?
To remove a copyrighted image from Google's Image Search, please visit our Remove Content page. Here you will find instructions on what to do or how to contact us regarding copyrighted images that need to be removed.
How do I search for images with a specific filetype extension?
From the advanced search box, you can specify the filetype extension by using the operator filetype: in your query. For example, if you wish to see images of flowers that are in .jpg format, then enter [ flower filetype:jpg ] in the search box.
An image I know is online wasn't found when I did my search. Why?
You can search more than one billion images on the Web with Google's Image Search. However, there are many more images on the Internet that Google has not yet added to its index. Google is working to crawl more images to increase the quality and quantity of images returned when you search, so it's likely we will add the image you're looking for in the near future.
Can I search for images of a specific size or type?
Yes. Use the Advanced Image Search page to refine your search. Options include size ranges, coloration, filetypes and more.
Can I do complex searches with image search using Boolean operators and other Google commands?
You can use all operators for image search that you would use in a Google text search. For example, you can use "site:" with image search to restrict your search to images on a particular website. So, to find all the pictures of lemurs at the Duke Primate Center, the query would be " site:duke.edu lemurs". You can also refine your search using the Advanced Image Search page.
Sometimes I see what appear to be news photos at the top of my results. Why is that?
If you're searching Google Images for a particular subject, it's likely you'll want to see the very latest images available as well as those created some time ago. If we find images that match your search in Google News, we deliver them at the top of the Google Images results page. Because news is time sensitive, your search may show news images one day, but not another or the news images may be different each time you search on the subject.
Can I use Google Image Search on my mobile phone?
Yes you can. Simply access your mobile web browser and enter http://www.google.com/xhtml as the URL. You'll go to the Google mobile home page, where you can choose to do either an ordinary web search, local search, or an image search.
To learn more about Google mobile products, please visit http://mobile.google.com on your computer.
What if I need to find the personal photos on my computer?
You might want to try Picasa, Google's digital photo organizing software. Picasa is a free downloadable application that automatically locates all the images on your hard drive and sorts them into easily scanned albums. Picasa also instantly detects and adds new images to your collection as soon as you add them to your computer.
