2022-10-12
Say you like a wardrobe item: a jacket, a shirt, a dress that looks great on your favorite movie actor. You took a photo or a screenshot, what's next? Next, you'll need a mobile app or service that will help you find clothes in a store based on a photo sample or brand name. We will look at mobile apps and services for iOS, Android that make the task easier.
How clothing search apps work
The working principle is simple:
- You upload a photo of a dress, a sweater, a shirt, etc., or you take a picture immediately with your mobile camera.
- The artificial intelligence scans similar styles from its own database or from pictures on the Internet.
- The result is a link to the product or detailed information about the garment.
- Click the link and you will be directed to the product card and purchase the item.
It is not always guaranteed to be 100% successful, but nevertheless there is always a chance to get your hands on an item of clothing.
Google Chrome
It is no secret that the Yandex and Google search engines excel in searching not only text, information, but also things - by pictures and photo samples. In the following we will talk about searching for clothes through Google's search engine, although for Yandex, with its Pictures service, this also works.
Here are the detailed instructions : Search by photo on your phone. Or read on:
- Copy the image used as a reference. You can copy it from any web page or take a picture with your phone camera (command "Save picture as...").
- Save the image to your phone or copy the link to the photo to the clipboard.
- Open the Chrome mobile browser or other navigator.
- Go to the Google Images section.
- Find the icon with the camera icon ("Search by Picture"), click on it.
- If you prefer, copy the URL in the tab "provide link" or go to the section "Download file" and from there download the image.
- Select the image of the outfit and click on the Search by Image button on the right.
- The clothing options will be displayed with links to sites where you can purchase this particular item or to view detailed information about the potential purchase.
Google Lens
Google Lens is a powerful image reference tool. You can use it to search for similar clothes and not only - for example people, animals, objects, and more - on the web. As for clothes, searchable objects include shirts, T-shirts, socks, dresses, everything, even jewelry and bracelets.
It's easy to use Google Lens. To search for a piece of clothing by reference,
- open the Google Lens application.
- Put your camera near the item you want to find or photograph it from a distance.
- Crop the image to make it as clear as possible.
- After you have uploaded the image, Google Lens will notify you with a small status icon.
- After this you will be redirected to Google Shopping.
- This platform allows you to choose any website you wish to shop from.
- If your clothes do not match the given photo or if you are just looking for other similar results, re-scan the clothes.
Google Lens is downloadable as a standalone application for your Android phone. If you have an iPhone, check out the iOS app Google Photos which provides the same function.
Download Google Lens for Android | iOS
CamFind
CamFind is a visual search engine which is able to search for items from photos, including clothing. It offers not only results in pictures, but also a detailed description of the garment with links to the product in the different marketplaces (depending on the region of the user).
The application works as follows:
- Load CamFind (previously downloaded to Android or iOS)
- Take a screenshot or a photo with your camera
- Look at the results after a few seconds in a category
- Check the price and description of the items you search for.
- If necessary, search again.
What else does this tool offer you? First of all you can share the result with your friends. Secondly you can see what are the current trends and fashions on the market and what people are looking for with CamFind. By the way, the application is scrupulously confidential and you may not expose results to other users.
As compared to other search engines CamFind may not provide such great results and the search speed is low. However it is convenient to use it, because all information about clothing is in the palm of your hand.
Download CamFind : Android | iOS
Lamoda
Another branded mobile application, limited to the selection of the Lamoda online store. Men's, women's and children's clothing search is done in the same way as with the other apps:
- Find a reference picture: take a photo with your camera or upload an image from your phone.
- Download and install Lamoda search engine on your phone (iPhone and Android supported).
- Open the application, click on the camera icon, point to the image of the clothes.
- If you are not satisfied with the chosen variation, crop the picture or take a new picture and search again.
The search algorithms are quite qualitative and fast, though the color and category of the clothes is not always guessed, and the price might not suit everybody.
Download Lamoda : (iOS / Android)
Service Lykdat
It is not necessary to install a special application to search, just go to the online service Lykdat (available only in English, but the choice of clothes is wider than on the Russian language sites).
Here is a small instruction how to search for clothes by photo:
- Go to the main page of the Lykdat service.
- Click the button Search with image.
- Load the photo.
- Tap the circles to crop the clothing image and remove unnecessary details in the background.
- The results will be available on the next page - Similar products.
- Click on the thumbnails to obtain information about the brand.
The Lykdat service may well be used for wardrobe selection - it's a pity that shipping is likely to be problematic or expensive. But maybe it will allow you to pick up cheaper counterparts in your country, guided by the name.
The main trick of the Pinterest app is to find clothes through social networks, something that search engines like Yandex or Google cannot do. This tool scans user pro/files and online shops, then gives you results as you find them, as well as providing information on products - clothes and more - that you can buy and try on the spot.
Of course, the Russian-speaking users do not have such a wide choice if you search through Pinterest: the shopping sites are not as numerous as in the Western resources. However, for reference purposes it is possible to search for clothes via this search engine.
We would advise you to use Pinterest to find what more powerful and convenient search engines or the built-in store locator, which we will also talk about next time.
We hope that, in time, Pinterest will settle into the Russian-speaking segment as well and please its users with integration with online venues.
Download Pinterest : Android | iOS (Free)
