casualsecurityinc Bellingcat Image & Video Investigation Tools
Tools for verifying, analyzing, and extracting information from photos and videos. Covers reverse image search, metadata extraction, facial recognition, and video forensics.
Choosing Tools
- Use reverse search to investigate provenance, metadata tools for origin clues, and forensic tools to assess possible manipulation.
- Treat facial-recognition results as leads, not identification; corroborate with independent evidence and consider privacy impacts.
Tools
Reverse Image Search
| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Lens | An image recognition tool that can be used to identify locations or objects in photographs. | Free | Google Lens is an image recognition tool that can be used to identify locations or objects in photographs. | Details |
| InVID | A toolkit that supports the verification of videos and images. | Free | A toolkit that supports the verification of videos and images. | Details |
| RootAbout | Reverse search images on the Internet Archive | Free | Reverse search images on the Internet Archive | Details |
| Search by Image | A browser extension to reverse search an image on multiple search engines. | Free | A browser extension to reverse search an image on multiple search engines. | Details |
| TinEye | A search engine that allows the user to search using images (reverse image search). | Free | TinEye is a search engine that allows the user to search using images (reverse image search). | Details |
Facial Recognition
| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Rekognition | Check how similar two faces are | Free | Check how similar two faces are | |
| Azure AI Video Indexer | AI video tool for facial detection and other types of insights. | Paid | AI video tool for facial detection and other types of insights. | Details |
| Face Comparison by ToolPie | Compares two human face photos to determine similarity. | Free | Compares two human face photos to determine similarity. | Details |
| FaceCheck.ID | A facial recognition search engine that tries to find photos of people that look similar… | Paid | A facial recognition search engine that tries to find photos of people that look similar to a person of interest. | Details |
| PimEyes | An AI-powered facial recognition reverse image search tool. | Paid | An AI-powered facial recognition reverse image search tool. | Details |
| Search4Faces | Upload the picture of a face and find pictures of similar looking people on VKontakte,… | Free | Upload the picture of a face and find pictures of similar looking people on VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, TikTok and Club... | Details |
Metadata & EXIF
| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ExifPurge | EXIF Purge is a small portable application to remove EXIF metadata from multiple images at… | Free | EXIF Purge is a small portable application to remove EXIF metadata from multiple images at once. With the click of a ... | |
| Forensically | A collection of web-based image forensics tools. | Free | A collection of web-based image forensics tools. Can identify fake or doctored images. | Details |
| FotoForensics | Image forensics tool. | Free | Image forensics tool. | |
| InVID | A toolkit that supports the verification of videos and images. | Free | A toolkit that supports the verification of videos and images. | Details |
| Irfanview | Windows-based software to extract metadata. | Free | Windows-based software to extract metadata. | |
| Jimpl | Online EXIF data viewer | Free | Online EXIF data viewer | |
| metadata2go | Check metadata for both photos and videos online. | Free | Check metadata for both photos and videos online. | |
| Reveal Image Verification Assistant | Forensic providing eight filters to detect still images alterations. | Free | Forensic providing eight filters to detect still images alterations. Web-based image tool. Also available within InVI... | |
| xIFr | A Firefox add-on for extracting EXIF metadata by right-clicking an image. | Free | A Firefox add-on for extracting EXIF metadata by right-clicking an image. | Details |
Image Misc
| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AmIReal | Github - GAN detector detects if faces were generated by ThisPersonDoesNotExist | Free | Github - GAN detector detects if faces were generated by ThisPersonDoesNotExist | |
| AutoStitch | Autostitch is a free tool for seamlessly combining multiple photos into a single panoramic… | Free | Autostitch is a free tool for seamlessly combining multiple photos into a single panoramic image, making it ideal for... | Details |
| Cleanup.Pictures | Web tool for quickly removing objects from an image. | Free | Web tool for quickly removing objects from an image. | |
| fdupes | Github - Locating exact matches of duplicate files. | Free | Github - Locating exact matches of duplicate files. | |
| Forensically | A collection of web-based image forensics tools. | Free | A collection of web-based image forensics tools. Can identify fake or doctored images. | Details |
| Hugin | A free and open-source panorama photo stitching and HDR (High Dynamic Range imaging)… | Free | Hugin is a free and open-source panorama photo stitching and HDR (High Dynamic Range imaging) merging software that h... | Details |
| InVID | A toolkit that supports the verification of videos and images. | Free | A toolkit that supports the verification of videos and images. | Details |
| IPVM Calculator | Tool for simulating camera views (for geolocations). | Free | Tool for simulating camera views (for geolocations). | |
| PureRef | Image workspace; lets you arrange images in groups, organize them, etc. | Free | Image workspace; lets you arrange images in groups, organize them, etc. |
Investigation Tips
- Start with reverse image search (Google Lens, TinEye) to find the earliest known appearance of an image
- Extract EXIF metadata (Jimpl, metadata2go, xIFr) to find camera model, date, and GPS coordinates
- Use Forensically for a suite of forensic filters to detect manipulation (clone detection, error level analysis)
- For videos, use InVID to extract key frames for reverse image search and verify authenticity
- PimEyes or FaceCheck.ID for facial recognition — be aware of ethical and privacy considerations
- AmIReal detects GAN-generated faces; use before trusting facial recognition results