The Google search filter was upgraded on Tuesday to include transparent images and GIFs.
Using the search giants “search tools” feature located via Google images search allows for easy perusal. Under the new system’s controls, users can choose to search for Gifs or transparent images with just a few clicks of their mouse or trackpad.
To use the platform, a web user much click “search tools” and then choose the box that says “animated.” Users are then told to look under “any type” via the dropdown menu and from there choose GIF or Transparent under the search engine’s color filter options.
While GIF based files have been around since the days of bulletin board systems, they have recently made a big comeback thanks to the internet meme crazy. The creation of platforms such as Viddy and Vine have also helped users reconnect with often hilarious and sometimes very inventive GIFs.
Internet GIF files offer animated responses to just about any situation. Even in today’s age of massive communication options, I have friends who communicate their emotions online almost purely through GIF-based links and postings on their own websites. Networks such as Tumblr and Reddit also capitalize on GIFs to express an emotion or share a quick clip from funny moments frozen in time.
Transparent images on the other hand could help webmasters and designers find images that would work well with their own web design backgrounds. Transparent images, before this system, were often hard to find and involved trial and error searches. In many cases, buying an image and turning the background transparent yourself was often a time saving method.
Google users should start seeing the new feature over the next few days, at which point we expect funny GIFs of cats and dogs to start trending on a more regular basis.
Do you see the value in being able to find GIFs and transparent images more easily? Give the new Google search filter setup for GIFs and transparent images a try and drop us a line with your thoughts.
