Why can't I search for images?

Ah! that's a good question.

We humans are good at storing images and remembering them. Think of all the people you know who you recognize the moment you see them.

Unfortunately, computers aren't smart enough to do that... or rather, they could be, but they need some help from us.

If an image has a name and (hopefully) a description embedded within it, then a computer CAN search for an image, by cheating just a bit, because what it actually searches for is the text embedded in the image.

Modern cameras (including those in many smartphones) actually attach a title to each image (albeit not super useful, such as IMG6785) and some include additional info such as date and time, and location.

What each of us needs to do is pass each of our digital images through a process that embeds meaningful text, so when we share that image, the description comes along with it. This embedded info is known as EXIF data, and you can search for tools to add EXIF to your own digital images.

For an explanation of how Search works on the site, see Search Tips