Dumb Question #437

[Ed Rooney 3,628]

I was just stumbling through a half-hearted search of subjects on All of Alamy, and I typed in "Chinatown New York." 

 

Anyway, up popped two search categories to choose from: Chinatown New York and Chinatown New York (horizontal). What?

 

So my latest dumb question is: do I need to be putting 'horizontal' or 'vertical' in the keywords? I found 73 images of mine in "Chinatown New York" and zero in the search that adds "horizontal." 

Edited August 18, 2013 by Ed Rooney

[wiskerke 3,294]

Just check how many times the words horizontal and vertical are being used in searches, and you have your answer. The same goes for all words we usually leave out.

 

wim

[Ed Rooney 3,628]

Just check how many times the words horizontal and vertical are being used in searches, and you have your answer. The same goes for all words we usually leave out.

 

wim

 

But I'm asking what others do.  ???

[Phil Robinson 1,141]

I started out doing that, then stopped when I realised there were choice options. But I do still add the words cutout and cut-out, which do get searched. Maybe I'll use the next rainy day to go through my collection and put them back.

[Jason O Watson 1]

For my Alamy keywording I use Keyword Perfect, which automatically determines if an image is horizontal or vertical and appropriately includes such status in the keywords.

[Richard Coombs 58]

Thats interesting Ed. I was just key wording some new pictures and wondering to myself, should I mark pictures as vertical or horizontal. I never have done in the past.

[John Morrison 3,703]

Alamy's software 'reads' whether a pic is tall, wide or square...

[spacecadet 3,787]

That's right, check your searches and there will be results for [Land] and [Port] regardless of keywording.

[Phil Robinson 1,141]

Alamy's software 'reads' whether a pic is tall, wide or square...

 

That's true, but that only works if the customer ticks the landscape / portrait box in the search options. If they use the terms in the keyword search instead, only images that have had those keywords added will come up. It's the same with cutouts - they are automatically recognised (mostly) by the system, but not if 'cutout' is used as a search term.

[John Walker 271]

Horizontal gives
4,064,132 Results

Most horizontal keyworded images are horizontal and the few vertical ones have 'horizontal' keyworded as it relates to the subject.

(That's a lot of horizontals! My bad grammar I suspect)

I've never added 'horizontal' or 'vertical' etc to keywords - perhaps I should start doing it.

John

Edited August 18, 2013 by John Walker

[OneWay 41]

Hmmm...if I shoot some dancers performing Argentine tango, I'd have to key word "vertical expression horizontal desire."

 

Dave

[ReeRay 351]

From day one with Alamy I've always added horizontal, vertical or square in the keywords. Not sure if they produce the goods but certainly can't be doing any harm. I previously also included portrait and landscape but this threw up far too many anomalies.

[dov makabaw 129]

I've always added horizontal, vertical, portrait and landscape. Looks like this is not one of my better ideas. Good post Ed, thanks

 

dov

[Phil Robinson 1,141]

I'm not sure adding 'portrait' and 'landscape' is a good idea. Yes, they are frequently used in the business as synonyms for horizontal and vertical, but they do also have other meanings, which will be frequently used by searchers to find portraits and landscapes. (Most of my portraits are 'landscape' and many of my landscapes are 'portrait').