How does PicScout ImageTracker™ work?
There are many ways to track images on the Internet. Some methods embed digital watermarks into the photo image by adding extra data to the image. Images can then be found by searching for the unique signature of the digital watermark. However, these watermarks can be altered or eliminated from the photo as the image is converted from one file type to another. A more reliable method is image recognition. This method examines raw image data to identify image “fingerprints” – unique patterns that are part of the image itself. This is the technique PicScout uses. Because this method does not rely on embedded watermarks surviving many forms of digital alterations, image recognition can match even highly manipulated or altered images with their original sources. PicScout’s image recognition algorithms can be tuned to achieve particular individual clients’ needs. For example, near real-time matches of images used in editorial contexts, such as news websites, require a different approach than
