Reverse image tools are like a genie for finding images. You can take an image from your computer and use it to find higher-resolution and alternate versions, additional/similar views, and pages on which an image may appear. Savvy users may even use reverse image search to find license-free versions of images that may otherwise be locked behind paywalls in image banks.
Some of the best reverse-image search services include:
- TinyEye: uses content-based image retrieval (CBIR) algorithms to compare an image you upload to every other image in their index to find matches. TinEye uses can find even partial image matches to your search image, though it does not typically find similar images (i.e., a different image with the same subject matter); it finds exact matches including those that have been cropped, edited or resized.
- Google Image Search: uses both CBIR and metadata to locate images
- Microsoft's Bing Visual Search: offers functionality like a list of webpages that include the image, shopping resources, and related searches
Results from reverse image search tools often vary and it is worthwhile to check more than one.