The short answer: yes, with caveats
If you're a photographer, designer, or content creator who publishes images online, you can absolutely track where those images end up. Reverse image search makes it possible to find web pages that contain your photos — even when the images have been resized, cropped, or recompressed.
But let's be honest about what's realistic. You won't catch every single use of every image you've ever published. The web is vast, and no tool indexes all of it. What you can do is run regular checks that catch the most visible unauthorized uses and give you a clear picture of where your work is appearing.
Manual spot checks: the starting point
The simplest approach is to periodically run reverse image searches on your most important images. Pick your best-known work — portfolio highlights, images that performed well on social media, anything you've licensed commercially — and search them one at a time.
Upload each image to FindSource.io and review the results. You'll see a list of pages where the image appears. Cross-reference this list against your known licenses and authorized uses. Anything you don't recognize is worth investigating.
How often to check: For most photographers, once a month is a good rhythm. If you publish frequently or your work has wide reach, every two weeks might make sense. There's no need to check daily — new unauthorized uses take time to get indexed.
What to prioritize: Focus on images that have commercial value or wide exposure. Your best-selling stock image matters more than a casual snapshot. A photo that went viral on social media is more likely to have been copied than one with a handful of views.
Building a tracking system
A simple spreadsheet goes a long way. Track:
- Image name or filename
- Date last checked
- Known authorized uses (your own sites, licensed placements)
- Unauthorized uses found (with URLs)
- Action taken (contacted site owner, filed DMCA, etc.)
- Status (resolved, pending, ignored)
This turns random spot checks into a systematic process. Over time, you'll build a clear record of where your images travel — and which ones attract the most unauthorized use.
Batch searching for larger portfolios
If you have dozens or hundreds of images to track, searching one at a time is tedious. A few strategies help:
Prioritize ruthlessly. You don't need to search every image every month. Focus on your top 10-20 most valuable or most shared images. Rotate through the rest over time.
Group by risk. Images published on popular platforms, used in viral posts, or featured in high-traffic articles are more likely to be copied. Search these first and more frequently.
Track patterns. If you notice that certain types of images get stolen more often — landscapes used as blog headers, food photography used in restaurant marketing — focus your efforts there.
What image tracking can and cannot find
It can find: - Pages that contain your exact image or close variants (resized, recompressed, slightly cropped) - Stock site listings, blog posts, news articles, social media pages, and e-commerce listings - Images that have been posted publicly on the indexed web
It cannot reliably find: - Images used in closed platforms (private groups, messaging apps, password-protected sites) - Images embedded in PDFs, presentations, or print materials - Heavily modified versions (significant cropping, color changes, heavy filters, or collages where your image is one small element) - Very recently published pages that haven't been indexed yet - Images used on the dark web or in regions with limited web indexing
Being honest about these limitations helps you set realistic expectations. The goal is not perfect surveillance — it's catching the most visible and impactful unauthorized uses.
What to do when you find unauthorized use
When your tracking reveals an image being used without permission, you have a range of options:
- Ignore it. If it's a tiny personal blog with no traffic and no commercial use, the effort of pursuing it may not be worth it.
- Request credit. A polite email asking for attribution often works. Many people didn't realize the image was copyrighted.
- Request payment. For commercial use, you're within your rights to request a licensing fee.
- Request removal. If you want the image taken down, say so clearly and give a reasonable deadline.
- File a DMCA takedown. For unresponsive infringers or clear commercial theft, a formal DMCA notice to the hosting provider is effective.
The right response depends on the severity. Start with the least aggressive option and escalate only if needed.
Prevention alongside tracking
Tracking is reactive — it finds problems after they happen. You can also take steps to reduce unauthorized use in the first place:
- Watermark selectively. Visible watermarks deter casual copying, though they won't stop determined theft.
- Embed copyright metadata. Include your name and copyright notice in the image file's metadata. It's not foolproof (metadata gets stripped), but it establishes ownership.
- Use clear licensing terms. State on your website what is and isn't permitted. This removes the "I didn't know" excuse.
- Register your copyrights. In the US, registering with the Copyright Office before infringement occurs gives you stronger legal options.
The realistic approach
Perfect image tracking isn't possible. But consistent, focused effort catches the cases that matter most. Set up a simple system, check your most important images regularly, and respond to unauthorized use proportionally.
Most creators who start tracking are surprised by what they find — and relieved to discover that handling it is usually straightforward.