In short: Image Match groups identical and near-identical images into Duplicated Groups, so one label applies to the whole group and to any new matching image Zeal finds later.
Understanding Image Match
Image Match is the image-recognition technology built into Zeal. It finds images that are the same, or close variants of one another, and groups them together. A decision you make on one image then carries across to every other image in its group, however it has been altered.
You'll see Image Match at work in Explore > Images, where each group of matched images appears as a single tile. The size of a group also feeds the Impact Score, so images that are copied most widely rise to the top of your list.
1. How images are matched
Infringers often reuse the same product photo and tweak it to avoid detection. Image Match is designed to see through those tweaks.
It uses semi-exact matching, a form of image fingerprinting. Rather than looking for a pixel-perfect copy, it compares each image's underlying visual fingerprint, so it still recognises an image that has been:
Cropped
Blurred
Resized
Slightly modified (for example, a logo edited out)
Note: Image Match groups copies and close variants of the same image. To find different images that look alike, use Similar Images on the image moderation page.
Learn more: Images
2. Duplicated Groups
Duplicated Groups let you review one image instead of dozens of copies. Each set of matched images is called a Duplicated Group. To look inside a group:
Go to Explore > Images and click the Image ID of the group you want to review. This opens the image moderation page.
Scroll to Related Posts to see every post that uses an image from the group, sorted by Impact Score.
Example of a Duplicated Group:
Example of Related Posts for a Duplicated Group:
Learn more: Images · Impact Score
3. How labels carry across
This is where Image Match saves the most time: you moderate once, not once per copy.
Label once: when you label an image (for example, as Counterfeit), the label applies to every image in its Duplicated Group.
New matches inherit the label: when Zeal finds a new image that matches an existing group, it joins that group and takes on its label straight away, with no need to moderate it again.
Important: Because a label applies to the whole group, check the group's Related Posts before you label it. A wrong label carries across to every image in the group.
Learn more: Understanding Moderation · Labels
4. Why it matters
Image Match turns one moderation decision into protection at scale.
Faster detection: new copies of a known infringing image are labelled as soon as they're found.
No repeat work: the same or near-identical images aren't moderated over and over, so your team can focus on new threats.
Harder to evade: infringers who crop, blur or edit images are still matched, because Image Match compares visual fingerprints rather than exact copies.
Clear priorities: the most widely copied images score higher on Impact Score, so you can tackle the images that reach the most listings first.
Learn more: Impact Score · Reverse Image Search Engine (RISE)
Quick reference
Not sure where to look? Start here.
If you want to know… | Look at… |
Which images are copied most widely | Explore > Images, sorted by Impact Score |
Which posts use a copy of this image | Related Posts on the image moderation page (section 2) |
Whether there are different images that look alike | Similar Images on the image moderation page (section 1) |
Why a new image was labelled automatically | It matched a Duplicated Group that was already labelled (3. How labels carry across) |
Why an image is ranked so high |