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| Both CogniSign and BrightQube are developing new technologies to search for stock photos using visual clues rather than the traditional keyword-based model. |
Monterey, CA--At this year's 6Sight conference, two companies showed innovative tools for finding stock photos online. CogniSign demonstrated its xcavator visual search technology, which is currently in beta, and BrightQube showed its recently launched multiple-source search engine.
Xcavator offers users three different ways to search for images: by keyword, by visual comparison, and by color. The visual comparison search lets the user select a photo to find similar images. To search by color, the user chooses a color from a virtual palette. Hue can be adjusted with a circular slider on the outside of the palette, and intensity can be adjusted with a slider inside, allowing very precise color selections. Image, color, and keyword searches can be combined to refine a search. In its current beta version, xcavator searches iStockphoto's collection. CogniSign plans to end the beta phase and make several other stock collections accessible with its search tools by 2008. You can try the xcavator search tools out for yourself at http://xcavator.net.
BrightQube's recently launched search engine includes photos from numerous stock collections and individual photographers in a multiple-image display that the company calls its Dynamic Mosaic. To search for an image, a user enters a keyword and views hundreds of results as thumbnail images in the Mosaic. This provides a visual overview of the search results, which the user can then explore by zooming into the Mosaic and magnifying individual images. Enlarged images show pricing and other information. Additional search tools include filters for price and image resolution limits, as well as selectable criteria for sorting images. Try a BrightQube search at www.brightqube.com.
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