Frequently Asked Questions

This is where you find answers to questions you may have.
Reverse image searCH

What is a reverse image search?

It is a search performed from an image. An image is supplied to the system, and the system tells you where this image is found. Instead of supplying keywords to a search engine, you supply an image and you get the matches found, for that same image or variations of it. Examples of Reverse Image Search services available for free are Google Images and Bing Image Search. They are free, but they are a manual process, as opposed to picMatch, which does it for your automatically, every month. picMatch retrieves the results from Google and Bing.

Screenshot of Google Images Search page.
Screenshot showing the match details page.
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What is picMatch?

It's an image monitoring service. picMatch is a tool to keep track of where your images are used on the web. It uses reverse image search technology to find images. You import your images into picMatch, and it will keep searching and document the findings for you. No need to do manual reverse image search on Google anymore. The system searches automatically for you and will keep the results indefinitely, as long as your account is active.

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What can picMatch be useful for?

You can use picMatch to:

  • Locate where your pictures are used on the web;
  • Find if your images are used illegally (copyright infringement);
  • Document where your images have been used over time;
  • Find where to buy an image. Just add an image to your account, press the Search button, and it will tell you on which stock agency you can find the picture.
Copy of  a document containing an image from one of our users (the Chipmunk image).
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Can it locate an image within a document?

Yes. It can even find an image embedded in a PDF document.

I found out that one of my images was used by the Humane Society in their Annual Report document.
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Can it locate an image even if it has been altered?

Yes. Even if your image is in color, and its counterpart is in black and white, it will find it; Even if text has been added to the image; Even if only part of the image is used; Here is an example :

It found one of my pictures that I sell through stock agencies used on a product's packaging for lawn fertilizer.
Example of anime from one of our users (left) found online on a product packaging.
Showing an image of a St-Patrick's green beer glass (sold on a stock agency), and it's conterpart infographic that is using the picture.
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Another example...

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Can it find a video?

Yes. If you upload a single frame from the movie you are looking for, it may find the video that contains it. As long as the frame that you are searching for is the one displayed as the featured frame of the video.

Symbol of video media and film, showing that the system can also find videos.

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