Now with Google Images, it’s even more fun to travel across the visual network.

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Mikhail Daychik, Google Technical Program Manager

When you think about what information is, you may immediately get streams of words and numbers. Google is pretty good at sorting this kind of information. However, things remain that cannot be expressed in words. What will you see in the center of the dust storm? What do the greatest architectural monuments of Art Nouveau look like? Which cake is better to order for a wedding?

So that you can get answers to such questions, in 2001 we created Google Images. We realized that for many search queries the best answer is not text, but one or more pictures. Since then, our system has grown significantly. In 2001, we indexed about 250 million images. By 2005, they became more than a billion, and today - more than 10 billion.

And this is not just a matter of quantity. Over the past decade, thanks to the efforts of our developers, we have learned how to easily and simply find exactly the pictures that interest you. We can not only find images of any objects whose names you enter in the search bar, - at your request, we can display separately cliparts, black and white drawings, faces and even colors.

Our Similar Images tool is based on an even more sophisticated image recognition technology. Do you know that in nature there are 9 subspecies of leopard, each of which has its own spotted pattern on the wool? Google Pictures can show you leopards related to a particular subspecies . The system will show you the name of the subspecies in the specific figure, even if it is not marked with the corresponding tag, because it knows that there are other similar images with this tag.

Similarly, our recent “Similar Colors” feature doesn’t just show images of that color. For example, if you are looking for [red dress], you need images in which the dress is red and not the background around it. A search engine requires very complex and resource-intensive algorithms to understand what exactly interests you.

This is just a small part of the technology that we have developed to make Google Images more useful to you. Moreover, the number and variety of images on the network has grown many times since 2001, and images have become one of the most popular types of content on the network. To keep up with the development of the visual network, we have updated Google Images.

Here is what has changed in the design of the service:
  • The dense arrangement of images - now you can see more images at the same time. We want you to find exactly what you need even easier.
  • Instant scrolling of pages - to better navigate in a large number of images. Up to 1000 images can now be placed on one scroll page. Compact page numbers let you keep track of images.
  • Larger thumbnails of images on the results page - for modern browsers and high-resolution screens.
  • Pop-up panel that appears when you hover over a thumbnail image. It allows you to see a larger picture, get acquainted with additional information about it, find out that there are similar pictures and other useful features.
  • By clicking on the picture a new page will open , on which a large picture is shown in its context. Behind the picture, the website on which it is stored will be visible. If you click anywhere outside the image, you can go to the original page and learn more about the source and context of the image.
  • Optimized keyboard navigation allows you to quickly scroll through a large number of pages and use standard keyboard shortcuts such as Page Up and Page Down. All these features are designed to ensure that you get the information you need as quickly as possible.

For our advertisers, we are launching a new ad format called Ads on Google Images. This ad will only appear on Google Images. In addition to the advertising text, they can include a thumbnail image. In our help center you can learn how to work with such advertising.

All these updates were launched in the Russian interface of Google Images. Currently only Internet Explorer 8, Chrome, and Firefox are supported - but we are working on supporting other versions.

We hope that this will not only simplify your search process, but also allow you to experience aesthetic pleasure.

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