23 July 2010

Google Images has a new format


Embedded above is the first of about a dozen pages showing the result of searching Google Images for "TYWKIWBI."  The search algorithm is the same, in that the retrieval is not necessarily of images posted on this blog, but rather of images from pages containing the word TYWKIWDBI.

What has changed is the format of the presentation.  In the past, images were shown with a url and a notation re figure size; now that information is in the background and only appears when you mouse over the image.  I like the new view much better, though I understand some do not.
You can also search by type of image ("face" above), with clip art and line drawing as other subtypes.  finally, you can sort by the dominant color and/or by size of image.
These are the "red" "medium size" images associated with TYWKIWDBI.

9 comments:

  1. theduckthiefJuly 24, 2010 at 12:00 AM

    Is this for Google Chrome? I love the new format you've shown here but my image serach still shows urls at the bottom

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  2. MinnesotastanJuly 24, 2010 at 12:08 AM

    I don't know about Google Chrome. This is with Firefox 3.5.11 on an iMac. Are you using an older browser?

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  3. MaraKJuly 24, 2010 at 1:54 AM

    You could already sort them by size, color, and subject. You had to click the 'options' button, though. Now it's just unhidden.

    But yes, I love the new layout. You can make each picture have its size shown in the corner of the thumbnail, too.

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  4. Professor BattyJuly 24, 2010 at 9:32 PM

    One step forward, two steps back.

    You have to mouse over the image to find its size or whether it is from a blog or regular site, information you could see at a glance previously. Page numbers must be scrolled, no go to page number feature anymore. Some images go directly to the web page- very awkward.

    I think they did this to make image search more mobile-friendly. It will definitely slow some of my searches.

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  5. Z. ConstantineJuly 24, 2010 at 10:10 PM

    @Minnesotastan & Professor Batty:

    Use the site: search operator to isolate image search to a single site - example:

    site:tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com

    For more on Google search operators, check out this handy search operators guide.

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  6. Professor BattyJuly 25, 2010 at 9:53 AM

    @Z. Constantine~ It isn't that the search results have changed, it is the format in which they are presented. There is less information displayed now and mousing is much slower than reading. Some of the foreign Google image sites still work in the previous fashion, although I suspect they will change over time as well. This new system is almost as bad as Bing.

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  7. AmyJuly 25, 2010 at 1:10 PM

    bah. I hate those mouse-overs.

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  8. Z. ConstantineJuly 26, 2010 at 9:53 PM

    @Professor Batty (and anyone else who prefers the old-school Google Image Search results)

    I found that the site: operator displayed results in the customary fashion and a little digging suggests that you can use the Switch to basic version link at the bottom of the page or add &sout=1 to the search results page query string to get results with details.

    Example:

    tywkiwdbi

    tywkiwdbi &sout=1

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  9. Professor BattyJuly 27, 2010 at 8:40 AM

    @ Z. Constantine ~ Thanks for the tip! A little awkward, but it works perfectly!

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