Search for Images by Color Using TinEye’s Multicolr Search Lab

I’ve previously written about TinEye’s interesting image search tools, such as their tool that allows you to upload an image and find its sources on the internet; but their latest tool is worth specifically highlighting. Called Multicolr Search Lab, it takes millions of Flickr images that are available for use under a Creative Commons-license and allows you to search through them by color.

The tool allows you to search by up to five colors simultaneously. You can select colors by clicking on the desired color in a rainbow colored box. While this only allows you to choose from a limited number of colors, once you have selected one or more, you can refine your color choice by clicking on the color wheel within the resulting block of color or manually entering a hexadecimal value. Once you select a single color, the screen will fill with dozens of images pulled from Flickr that match it and as you add each additional color the results will change to reflect your new search. The results are displayed as small thumbnails, but clicking on any of them will take you directly to the image on Flickr where you can see it larger, check the licensing terms and download the image.

TinEye says that this tool is addictive and they aren’t exaggerating by much. I found myself enjoying searching for various color combinations even when I wasn’t really looking for an image for a project. The tool is fun and easy to use. My only complaint is that I wish you could limit your results by the type of Creative Commons-license under which they are available. Overall though, it is a great new image search option. If this doesn’t quite meet your image search needs, be sure to check out my guide to other tools for finding Creative Commons and public domain images.