Tip: Finding An Image Source

Ever wonder about the original source of an image you’ve stumbled across on the Internet? Where’d that cool thing you saw on Pinterest really come from?

Well, in case you didn’t know, finding the original source of an image (photograph, graphic, clip art, etc.) is easy, and you can learn the trick in about ten seconds. Ready? Here we go!

Open 2 tabs in your browser. In one tab, bring up the image. In the second tab, go to Google and click on Images. So far, so good. Now grab the image in the first tab, drag it into the second tab to just under the Search box. A box will open that says Drop Image Here. Do it. Google will perform a search for the image.

Cool, isn’t it? l’ve tried it and it works like a dream. But we can even go a step further…

Suppose you have a piece of clip art you’ve stored on your hard drive for years and you’ve forgotten where you picked it up at. A GCU reviewer is asking you to identify the source before they’ll approve your card. What do you do?

Just open the folder where you’ve stored the image. Open your browser and go to Google, click on Images. Same deal but first, you’ll need to minimize your browser window. Now grab the image from your folder and drag it to just under the Search box, and drop into the Drop Image Here box. Voila!

Now this isn’t magic. Sometimes, the source can’t be found. You could have too many multiple sources, too, such as a popular image shared a lot on places like Tumblr. But the technique will make your detective work a little easier.

Try it out!

And just in case you wonder where I dug up the information in this tutorial, here’s the original source of the tip. 🙂