Yahoo has announced they’ve reengineered and redesigned multimedia search. In addition to their partnership with Getty Images, which gives Yahoo access to more than 25,000 images uploaded by Getty’s photographers, Yahoo Image Search and Video Search have been given a huge makeover.
The deal uses Getty’s API, Connect, to deliver high-quality photos and images to Yahoo Image Search users. Users can hover over image result thumbnails for previews, or click through to view images as a slideshow. They can also be expanded to fullscreen.
Though the examples in the blog announcement are ad-free, a search for tourist destination Huntington Beach shows a row of ads at the top of the Image and Video Search results.
The Video Search results page is redesigned, with tiles that autoexpand and autoplay a short video preview on hovering over the result. Yahoo is pulling in YouTube videos through their video search; clicking on these results takes users to a Yahoo page where they can watch the full video. It takes another click to actually get back to YouTube.
Yahoo has also introduced a Quality Badge, used to identify top quality images and video. Users can choose HQ from the left sidebar on the results page. In order to earn this designation, photos must have be at least 2 megapixels and have a 1024 x 768 aspect ratio. HQ videos are played using adaptive streaming technology that adjusts the quality depending on the user’s device and network capabilities.
In their announcement on the Getty Images blog, a spokesperson writes, “…we’re thrilled to be able to provide power and depth for (Yahoo) visitors and fans with content that is moving and engaging… and most of all inspiring.”
Yahoo also unveiled an Image Search redesign last August, later adding infinite scroll and social sharing.
What do you think of the new layout? Let us know in the comments!
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