Where can i search for similar images?

It’s not uncommon to come across stock photos that aren’t quite right for your needs. Browsing or performing keyword-based searches can help you uncover a wealth of potential photos at the various stock photo agencies, but may not help you locate the exact photo you’re looking for. Coloration, image quality and a wealth of other features only need to be slightly off to justify looking for something better.

Fortunately, there are numerous ways to locate the perfect stock photo by searching for similar images. Performing similar image searches can help you find photos that are closely related to the images you’ve already searched to find, making it easy to discover photos that fit your needs perfectly. Similar image searching is something of a new feature, and is not in full use at every stock photo agency yet. That said, there are a few well-known places to search for similar stock images, and find your ideal photos.

Similar Images from iStockphoto

Perhaps the most common place to perform a similar image search is at the popular stock photo agency iStockphoto. This site is known for its comprehensive search feature, which allows you to easily browse through the millions of photos housed on the site. Other media such as vector illustrations and video clips are also licensed for stock use at iStockphoto, and these items are also available via search.

The search feature at iStockphoto allows you to find photos and other media via several parameters, including color and relevant keywords to help you narrow your choices. When you find an item you’re interested in using, or want to refer back to, the built-in Lightbox feature allows you to save it for future viewing. This is particularly helpful if you want to save a great photo for a future project without having to purchase a license to it in advance.

Pixmac’s Similarity Search

Another great tool for finding similar photos is Pixmac’s similarity search. This service is a part of Pixmac’s stock photo agency, and makes it very easy to locate photos that are similar. Pixmac’s search features an intuitive visual similarity tool, which analyzes an image before returning similar results. The visual similarity function within Pixmac is capable of analyzing attributes such as colors, shapes and photo composition to return very similar photo choices. Unlike the tool at iStockphoto or other stock photo agencies, this tool allows you to upload your own images and find similar results. Pixmac’s similarity search also works as a photo search engine, allowing you to easily find photos based on keyword searches.