Frequently asked questions

Q. Can I see MulticolorEngine in action?

Yes, you absolutely can! Visit TinEye labs to try searching by color and identifying color palettes.

Q. What can I use the MulticolorEngine API for?

MulticolorEngine, our color analysis API, allows your users to easily browse your collection using color. MulticolorEngine can also be used to create a comprehensive color palette from the images in your image collection.

MulticolorEngine is most useful when you have an image collection where color plays an important role, such as:

E-commerce

Fashion

Art collections

Q. How can I get started with the MulticolorEngine API?

Select a plan. Sign up for an account. Use our Getting started guide to integrate your code with the API.

Q. How does MulticolorEngine work?

MulticolorEngine creates an index of the images in your collection by extracting detailed color information about each one. This information is kept in a specialized color database that facilitates fast searching based on color. This database can also maintain additional information about your images, such as tags and categories, and allow you to search based on this information as well as searching by color.

Q. What are the major functions supported by the API?

add and delete images from your collection.

and images from your collection. color_search is the core color-based search method. You can search for images that match one or more colors, or find images that match the colors of another image.

is the core color-based search method. You can search for images that match one or more colors, or find images that match the colors of another image. extract_image_colors returns the dominant colors of a given image. This is useful if you want to use the color information about your images in an application outside of MulticolorEngine.

returns the dominant colors of a given image. This is useful if you want to use the color information about your images in an application outside of MulticolorEngine. extract_collection_colors returns the colors of a subset of the images in your collection. This lets you show your users what colors you have, before they even start a color search.

returns the colors of a subset of the images in your collection. This lets you show your users what colors you have, before they even start a color search. count_collection_colors returns the number of your images that match a given color.

Q. Will MulticolorEngine work with my images?

MulticolorEngine works with most images. If you are concerned about your images or your particular use case scenario, please get in touch to describe your project in as much detail as possible, and we will provide an expert opinion. We are happy to work on challenging implementations!

Q. How do I prepare my image collection for use with MulticolorEngine?

Images should be in JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF or WebP format. They should be sized to approximately 600 pixels in the smallest dimension.

Q. Where can I find documentation about the MulticolorEngine API?

Documentation for the MulticolorEngine API can be found here.

Q. What programming languages are supported?

You can work with any language you like: the API uses a standard REST interface, which can be integrated with any major programming language. We give example code for several languages in our interactive developer documentation.

Q. How do I add my images to the MulticolorEngine API?

Images are submitted to the MulticolorEngine via an HTTP POST request using the API's add function. Submitted images are copied to our servers, where their color information is extracted and stored in your color DB. That information is used to find matches when searching by color. Images should be prepared as follows:

JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF or WebP file format (not animated)

Scaled to 600 pixels in the smallest dimension

Images that have not been scaled to 600 pixels will be scaled down automatically by the MulticolorEngine. However, large images increase transmission and processing time, so we recommend scaling the images ahead of time yourself.

Q. How are my images stored?

Your images are stored securely on our datacenter servers.

Q. Can I integrate MulticolorEngine with other search functions?

Yes! We designed MulticolorEngine with flexibility in mind. MulticolorEngine has extensive metadata support that allows you to associate and search by all sorts of data, such as keywords, prices or categories.