Ever stumbled upon an interesting video?
You’ll be happy to know there are many methods to locate a video source using reverse video searches.
This guide will show you how to perform a reverse-video search.
What is a Reverse Video Search?
Many people use Search engines to search for information. The search engine will show a page, video, or other content that matches the Search term.
Reverse search: Enter the content you are looking for (typically a video or an image) and find all the pages that contain it.
An RVS (reverse video search) is a method of entering a video into a search engine and finding the source.
Reverse Video Search: How It Works
Search engines like Google can read the colors and pixels of a video to find the same or similar videos on the internet.
This will reveal the source and other instances where the video is available online.
This process is not always 100% correct.
A single video pixel may have been changed and might not appear in search results.
Additionally, many videos are uploaded daily to the internet, meaning search engines must index all videos to show them in search results.
Reverse Video Search
Reverse video search can be used for a variety of reasons. These are some of the most popular uses:
Search For A Source Of A Video
Reverse video searches are often used to locate a video’s source.
Let’s say you stumble upon a valuable or funny video online. It might be interesting to find out who posted the video and whether any other content (such as a blog article) is related to it. Or if the owner creates similar content.
In this case, a reverse video search may be able to find the source of content.
Find Duplicate Videos
Video producers might use reverse video searches to check if someone has reproduced or copied one of their original videos.
You can use reverse video searches to find illegal uses of your content. After that, you can contact the owner to ask for credit or have the video taken down.
View The Complete Version Of A Video Clip
You might like to see more of a video clip.
Reverse video searches might be able to interpret and locate the complete video online.
Search Related Content
Reverse video searches may be able to help you find content that is related to the video.
It may show similar videos or content (such as articles, web pages, or blog posts that feature the video).
This is an excellent way for you to find more exciting content.
How To Conduct A Reverse Video Search
Reverse video searches can be conducted in many ways, and these are the best methods to perform a reverse-video search.
Run A Reverse Video Search On Google
Google does not offer a video reverse search function; you will need to capture the video and then use the reverse images search function.
- Search for a different frame in the video (i.e., a section most likely to be found online as an individual from other videos).
- Stop the video
- Take screenshots of the frame that you want to capture. (Shift-Command-4 for Apple/Mac or Ctrl+ PrtScn for Windows).
- Save this screenshot.
- Navigate to Google Images, and click on the camera icon. Use the Search by Image option.
- Upload
- Google returns the search results to your screenshot (if it is available).
Screenshot from Google Images search engine, September 2022
Screenshot from Google Images results for “domestic short-haired cats,” Google, September 2022
Run A Reverse Video Search Using Verify
Berify.com is an image and video reverse search tool that matches your search results to those from multiple search engines, such as Google, Bing, Yandex, and others.
This search engine may give you more results than a single one.
You can sign up for this freemium tool without paying a monthly subscription fee, but you will still be able to use it free of charge. The free version is best if you only look for a few searches.
How to use it:
- Take a screenshot of the video you wish to search for.
- Visit Berify.com.
- Upload the photo to the search box for Browse the image and then upload it
- Click Search.
- Berify will display any results that match your Search.
Run A Reverse Video Search Using Shutterstock
Shutterstock has a vast online collection of over 1 billion images and videos. You can also use it to perform a reverse search.
- Take a screenshot of the video you wish to search for.
- Visit Shutterstock.com.
- Navigate to the search field. Click on the camera icon to access the Search by Image function.
- Send the screenshot. (Note: You can specify whether you are searching for specific vectors or whether the illustrations in your video were animated/computer generated.
- Click on the magnifying glass.
- Shutterstock will display images and videos that are similar to your Search.
Run A Reverse Video Search Using TinEye
TinEye allows you to search for images that match your Search.
TinEye is a computer vision, image recognition, and reverse image search tool.
- Take a screenshot of the video you wish to search for.
- Visit TinEye.com.
- Search the box. To upload your screenshot, click the Upload button or drag and drop it.
- Click on the magnifying glass.
- TinEye will display any images or videos similar to your Search.
Reverse Video Search on Bing
Bing’s reverse search function is similar to Google’s. It works best when you have a video of the subject. It is easy to run a reverse search on Bing:
- Take a screenshot of the video you wish to search for.
- Open Bing’s Visual Search page.
- Upload the screenshot, drag and drop it, or enter the URL of the video or image in the search box.
- Bing will return results for related content similar to the image or video.
Conducting A Reverse Image Search is Simple
A reverse video search is a helpful tool that can help you find similar content or track down the source for a funny video.
Google, Yahoo, TinEye, and other tools provide reverse video search capabilities that make it easier to find a video’s origins.
Reverse video search can be used to find duplicate content. This could be a great way to protect your digital assets. It can also help you locate the original publisher of a particular video so that you can credit them where credit is due.
Video can significantly improve marketing campaigns, web content, and social media strategy. Reverse video search makes finding, sourcing, and attributing videos easier.