You probably already know how to use an internet search engine, but here's a quick run-down of what you can and can't do from the iStock search window. Then we'll move on to the latest changes, and what they allow you to do.

Search Basics

You can use several modifiers to narrow down your searches. These are called Boolean operators.
• Separate several terms with 'AND' to include all results for those terms. A space between terms will be understood as an AND.
• Use "or" to expand your results. For example, red or blue would find red OR blue.
• Use "not" keyword to exclude certain results. For example, wagons not red should find wagons that are NOT red.

These conventional words (AND, OR and NOT) only function as operators when searching in US and UK English. For searches in languages other than English, you will need to use Boolean symbols, as follows:
• AND operations can be performed using the + symbol. If you want pictures of dolphins wearing hats, enter +dolphins +hats.
• OR operations are performed using commas. If you want picture of dolphins, hats, or dolphins wearing hats, enter dolphins, hats.
• NOT operations are performed using the – symbol. If you want dolphins, but no hats anywhere in sight, enter +dolphins –hats.

Tags and Terms

iStock's search engine uses a Controlled Vocabulary containing a fixed amount of search terms. When a contributor uploads a file, they add between 5 and 50 Tags describing the image. iStock matches each of these tags to one or more specific meaning in our Controlled Vocabulary, which are called Terms. Each of these terms is then translated into all twelve of our supported languages.
All of this means that your ability to search for synonyms and phrases is much better than in the old system.

Synonyms

The traditional problem with keyword searches has always been that any given word can mean a lot of different things. A search for 'bowler' will bring back three different types of results: someone with rented shoes throwing a big ball at ten pins at the end of a lane, someone in a white sweater throwing a smaller ball across a lawn, or a jaunty hat your grandfather might have worn. If your default language is set to UK English, you might even get some Cricket players mixed in.

Now when iStock contributors upload their files, they must select the appropriate term for any amibiguous tag. Which allows the search engine to offer you a list of possible meanings to choose from. Any time your search leads to several potential terms, the engine will prompt you for clarification with a Did you mean… message, accompanied by hyperlinks, check boxes, or both. So you can select Lawn Bowling (team sport), and skip all the little hats and old white pins. What if you need a bowler (10-pin) wearing a bowler (hat)? It’s as simple as checking off both terms.

Other times you will be prompted with a Did You Mean… message include:
-typos (e.g. a search for mokney wrench will ask if you mean monkey wrench)
-words in multiple languages (e.g. if you enter a word that has a meaning in several different languages, the CV will prompt you to find out which language you meant)

The ability of the search engine to identify synonyms is also helpful when it comes to plurals. We treat plural and singular forms of words as synonyms. So whether you search for 'women' or 'woman', you will see the same results. For members who are searching for specific quantities of people or things, we've added some new numerical and group tags (see 'Search Shortcuts' below).

Phrases

Searching for phrases is much more powerful now. In the old system, contributors could assign a phrase as a tag, but unless the searcher was using double quotes (“abc xyz”), the search was treated as an “and” search. For example, the old engine would treat a search for white house as white AND house, and return pink houses, yellow houses, and blue houses that had other white elements present, as well as houses in snowstorms and Caucasians standing outside of houses.

Now, if you search for two or more words that already exist as a phrase in the Controlled Vocabulary, the search engine will give you the results for the phrase. It knows that the words 'white' & 'house', used in sequence and without other words, should be read as the phrase tag “white house” and will ask you to choose whether you mean the one in Russia or the one in Washington D.C. It knows many phrases in common currency, as well as figures of speech like “butterflies in the stomach,” meaning nervousness.

If you weren't looking for a specific phrase, but just wanted white houses in general, the option to see the results of that search will be available as well. Just click on the Did You Mean white AND house? link.

You can still use quotation marks if you're looking for a specific phrase as well. This is important if you want to find a phrase along with other terms. For example, let’s say we wanted a picture of a girl wearing a halter top. If we enter the words halter top girl, in this instance the CV won’t know that you meant “halter top” as a phrase, and will search for halter AND top AND girl, so you’re going to have photos of horse tack and spinning tops mixed in with the ladies. But if you search with the phrase “halter top” girl, the CV knows to treat halter top as a phrase separate from girl, just as it would recognize halter top as a phrase if girl wasn’t there.

In general, a phrase should be more than the sum of its parts, as with a phrase like halter top, which is a specific article of clothing and not just a combination of horse tack and spinning tops. Water bottle is a specific kind of bottle, and gets a phrase so that photos of wine bottles with condensation on them won’t turn up in a search for water bottles, and cowboy boots is a phrase so you don’t end up with a cowboy in galoshes. (Not that you see those much, but it could happen.)

We won't add things like 'yellow motorcycle' as phrases in the vocabulary, as a search for yellow AND motorcycle will cover anything you might need. In general, a phrase will only be added if an AND search would not get the intended meaning across, as with something like monkey wrench.

Multiple Languages

iStock is now searchable in any of 12 different languages. US English, UK English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Japanese, Polish and Greek are all supported in searches, and the contents of the entire site are available in English, French, Spanish and German.

Helpful Search Shortcuts

The engine now contains a lot of terms specifically designed to help identify particular image subjects. Contributors can add now add terms that precisely describe certain quantities and qualities related to their image. This helps you search for images with exactly the contents you need:



In addition, the keyword “background people” can be used to search for photos that contain people who are incidental to the shot’s composition and not the subject of the photo. “Nobody” is a useful tag to search for photos that do not contain people.

Spellchecking

When searching, if you enter a term that the CV thinks may be a misspelling, there will be a “Did you mean…” message above the search field with suggested alternate spellings. This only works in English (US and UK) at this time, but may be added in other languages later on.

Suggestions

If there is a tag you’d like to see implemented into the CV, or an existing tag that you think can be mapped to a term it’s not currently assigned to, please contact the metadata team at keywords (at) istockphoto (dot) com and let them know. They’ll consider your suggestion, and if they think it is valuable, implement it into the vocabulary.

If a file contains irrelevant tags, or tags that are mapped to improper terms, adding the file to the Keyword Wiki (using the “Report inaccurate Keywords” link above a file’s keyword list) will ensure it gets looked at by an administrator and the proper changes are made.

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Contact Support with an in-depth explanation of your troubles, and if they can’t help you, the issue will be passed on to the metadata team and site developers, who will work on a solution.