Three useful starting points
- Find copies. Search for reuse of your photograph, illustration or product image.
- Understand a subject. Look for a recognisable object, artwork or public landmark, then confirm the suggestion with a reliable source.
- Review your own likeness. Understand the privacy implications and uncertainty of a face-similarity service before uploading.
These methods are related, but their results answer different questions. An object suggestion cannot prove an image’s origin. A similar portrait cannot authenticate an account.
Prepare a useful search copy
Keep your original file. Remove unrelated private details from a separate copy and check its location metadata. Use the full composition when looking for publication context, and consider a distinctive crop when surrounding elements obscure the subject. Do not use generative enhancement to invent details you later treat as evidence.
Use the device you already have
You can start with a saved picture, a screenshot or an accessible image URL, depending on the engine. Our iPhone, Android and Mac guides explain the practical choices. A page address is not always a direct image address; a protected image URL may not be accessible to another service.
Review pages, not only thumbnails
Open several source pages and compare what each actually says. A page may use stock imagery, embed another site’s image or repeat an incorrect attribution. Record the URL and your confidence separately. If the evidence is incomplete, leave the answer open.
Explore the Trace workflow
Trace’s workspace includes an offline fictional example and a limited FaceCheck API test. It is designed to make upload, progress and result context understandable. It does not currently combine multiple live image-search engines, identify products or provide full-index people search. Choose a guide below for the method that fits your question.