How to bring back ‘View Image’ button on Google’s Image Search.
Yesterday Google removed the View Image button from its image search as part of its deal with Getty Images.
Before that, you can search for any image in Google Image Search, and clicking the “View Image” button will allow you to view the full-size version of the photo without visiting the page on which it is published. But over time, this feature has become the cause of serious copyright violations. So Google signed the deal and the button was removed with an official Twitter announcement.
Today we are introducing some changes to Google Images that will help bring users and useful websites together. This will include removing the Image View button. The Visit button remains, so users can see the images in the context of the web pages they are on. pic.twitter.com/n76KUj4ioD
– Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) February 15, 2018
https: //platform.twitter.com/widgets.zhs
Google now wants you to visit the site where the image is posted. This way the site gets traffic for the content / image they share.
So far, I do not advise using copyright images without the permission of the owner. There are times when we have to use images in accordance with fair user policy, such as using a smaller version of an image in a video or setting it as wallpaper. And, fortunately, the Internet has already found a way around this limitation. Let me show you how.
Return the “View Image” button in Google Image Search
1. Browser extensions
The button was originally intended to enable users to see the full size image. This was useful if you wanted to reuse an image, with permission and link to the source, on your site or elsewhere. This saved a lot of time.
If you are a Chrome user, you can install a Chrome extension such as Image Viewer or the Image Viewer button in Google Search. After installation you will see the button “View image” in the place where it was before. The Image Viewer extension can also return Image Search to search Google for similar photos.
Both extensions received over 10,000 downloads on release day. However, if in the future Google tries to pull them out of the Chrome Store, try an open source browser extension called “Make Google Image Search Great Again” which is hosted on Github.
If you are a Firefox user, you can use the View Image installation.
If you don’t want to install the addon, you can still find and use a high resolution image. It only takes a couple of extra clicks. All you have to do is right-click the image in Google search and select “open image in new tab”. This will open the full image in a new tab and you can easily download it from there. But the addon makes your job easier.
2. Use another search engine?
Chrome is not the only browser and not only the Google search engine. Startup is another search engine that was built from the ground up with privacy and security in mind.
Just open the site in your favorite browser and search for images as usual. You will see the familiar image preview button with a privacy warning.
You can also use Bing, Google’s biggest competitor from Microsoft, which still offers a view image button in search results. Bing has long been known as the best image search engine. You can also download the Bing mobile app, which works like a charm.
Conclusion: repeat the “view image” button
The only reason photographers and image hosting sites have followed Google is because it is the mother of all search engines. Most people have heard of this and use it on a daily basis.
So, what do you think of the new changes? In my opinion, not as effective.