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picitup.com - Search Images by Content

URL:
http://www.picitup.com

Info:
Alexa | Whois

Submitted by:
AOS

Picitup.com is a very fast and functional image search tool for filtering pictures based on content.  Picitup’s search engine indexes a few major image repositories, then provides you with tools to filter your results based on category, color, shape and layout.

Most major image search engines will provide you with a few ways to filter your results, but these are normally left to image size and maybe orientation.  Picitup combines the indexing power of major image search engines and image repositories, then takes that service one step further by allowing you to fine tune your results.

Flickr, Yahoo!, and Picasa

When I first started using the Picitup, I thought they were actually indexing all these obscure web sites and blogs to find images.  However, as it turns out Picitup leaves the indexing to a few major image sites such as Yahoo! Images, Flickr, and Picasa. From there, Picitup works as a tool to refine your search based on visual cues. The advantage of this approach is that Picitup can concentrate it’s time on what it does best… filtering tools to refine search results.

The search will default to Yahoo! Images as it’s data source.  But after playing around with different search queries and data sources, I found that Flickr seems to return the most accurate results.  It would be nice to be able to change the defaults around, but this may be possible in the future.  The only dis-advantage to using Flickr, is that you can’t filter by size.  But, most Flickr images are big enough that this shouldn’t be a major problem.

The Interface

The interface of Picitup is fast, clean and extremely easy to use.  The layout and design of the navigation and tools are intuitive and require little to no learning curve to understand.

As an experiment, I did a side by side comparison between the Flickr and the Picitup search results pages. As you can see from the image to the right (click to enlarge), the same search returned identical results. However, I actually prefer the Picitup interface over Flickr’s, simply because of the gallery style layout.  Not only does it me to browse through the pictures faster than on Flickr, it also allows me to refine my results without having to do another search.

Filter Your Results Based on Content.

While testing the search engine out, I found that it tends to work better by doing a search for one major keyword than filtering results from there.  This isn’t always the case, but by using this route it allows you to take advantage of some of the tools Picitup has created.

Another feature of the search results page is the ability to find similar pictures.  Essentially, this takes all the key elements of the picture like it’s color, orientation, and shapes, then uses that to find images with similar elements.  Instead of taking the long way around and filtering by each of these items independantly, the similar pictures button put them all in one place.

This site can also be very useful for designers and bloggers alike, as it allows you to filter items listed under a Creative Commons license.  For those of you unfamiliar with this feature, Creative Commons allows you to use re-use images and other items for personal and commercial use. (With the proper reference to the creator)

You Remind Me Of…

Has anyone ever said to you; “Wow, you look like [instert celebrity name here]!”… We all have.  Typically, it’s someone that you don’t think looks anything like you.

To anwer this question, one fun little feature of Picitup is a tool called “Celebrity Match Up”.  This tool allows you to upload your photo and the system will match your picture to the portrait of a celebrity using their content recognition software.  You can also rate different people as to how close they are to what the computer thinks is their celebrity twin. (careful, it’s addicting)

So, to give this a whirl, I uploaded my own profile picture… Personally, I don’t think I look like Jay Mohr or Marky Mark.  But, it’s a fun little application to try.

Conclusion

Picitup is a very useful tool for anyone who has ever tried to find that “just right” image.  It provides you with an easy to use and intuitive interface