Choose the file or URL method
If the picture is on your computer, uploading a file is usually the least ambiguous method. If it is on a website, distinguish the page URL from the image URL. The page provides context; the image URL points to the image resource. Some search services accept both, while others accept only a file.
Google’s desktop guide documents upload, drag-and-drop and image-link methods. Facehunch currently accepts file uploads only. Copying a web address into its upload area will not start a search.
Use two windows for the investigation
Keep results in one window and candidate sources in another. This reduces the temptation to infer facts from tiny previews. Look for a matching crop, distinctive background features and the caption associated with the picture. Check whether the page is quoting another source.
Create a short note for each useful result: the page address, the image address if available, the visible date, and what the page supports. If a result changes, your note should explain why it mattered without relying on memory.
Prepare a useful crop
For copied artwork, retain the artwork’s edges but remove the surrounding browser interface. For a product, keep the distinguishing label or model detail. For a consented portrait search, choose one clear face rather than a group photograph. Do not invent missing details with an AI enhancer; altered details can change the evidence you are comparing.
Try the original and one purposeful crop. Repeated arbitrary crops can produce a confusing pile of weak results. When a method stops adding useful evidence, change the search question or stop.
Keep download and search separate
A result page does not need an extension, executable download or remote-access session to show you its source. Treat a demand to install software before viewing basic results as a reason to reconsider the service. Review the URL before opening unfamiliar pages.
On Facehunch, an upload does not begin the API test until you press the start control. The test screen explains the limited index and the photo-removal request. If you want to learn the interface first, use the fictional report.
For stubborn failures, the troubleshooting guide separates file problems from missing search coverage.