smart-image-finder

# Smart Image Finder A complete solution for AI agents to find high-quality images for articles, dashboards, and content creation. **No browser required** — all methods work via command line in the background. ## Core Methods | Method | Best For | Pros | Cons | |--------|----------|------|------| | **News Site Extraction** | Specific news events | Authentic, high-res, authoritative | Need to know source | | **Brave Image Search** | General keywords | Fast, free, good relevance | Variable quality | | **AI Generation** | Concept art, custom visuals | Fully customizable | Requires good prompts | --- ## Method 1: News Website High-Res Extraction (No Browser) ### Workflow: curl + grep (Recommended) Extract image URLs directly from HTML without opening a browser: ```bash # Step 1: Fetch page HTML and extract image URLs curl -sL "https://www.reuters.com/world/article-slug/" | \ grep -oE 'https://www\.reuters\.com/resizer/v2/[^"]+\.jpg[^"]*' | head -3 # Step 2: Download with HD parameters curl -sL -o photo.jpg "https://www.reuters.com/resizer/v2/xxx.jpg?width=3000&quality=100" # Step 3: Verify it's actually an image file photo.jpg # Should show: JPEG image data ``` ### Source-Specific Extraction Patterns ```bash # Reuters curl -sL "$URL" | grep -oE 'https://www\.reuters\.com/resizer/v2/[^"]+\.jpg[^"]*' | head -3 # TechCrunch curl -sL "$URL" | grep -oE 'https://techcrunch\.com/wp-content/uploads/[^"]+\.(jpg|png)' | head -3 # Bloomberg curl -sL "$URL" | grep -oE 'https://assets\.bwbx\.io/images/[^"]+\.(jpg|webp)' | head -3 # BBC curl -sL "$URL" | grep -oE 'https://ichef\.bbci\.co\.uk/news/[0-9]+/[^"]+\.jpg' | head -3 # France24 curl -sL "$URL" | grep -oE 'https://s\.france24\.com/media/display/[^"]+\.jpg' | head -3 # Spaceflight Now (WordPress) curl -sL "$URL" | grep -oE 'https://spaceflightnow\.com/wp-content/uploads/[^"]+\.jpg' | head -3 # ThePaper (澎湃) curl -sL "$URL" | grep -oE 'https://imagepphcloud\.thepaper\.cn/pph/image/[^"]+\.jpg' | head -3 ``` ### Verified Sources (Direct Download Works) #### Tech/AI Category | Source | CDN Pattern | HD Parameters | Notes | |--------|-------------|---------------|-------| | **TechCrunch** | `techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/` | `?w=2048` | Most stable ✅ | | **Bloomberg** | `assets.bwbx.io/images/` | Direct HD | WebP format | #### Politics/International Category | Source | CDN Pattern | HD Parameters | Notes | |--------|-------------|---------------|-------| | **Reuters** | `reuters.com/resizer/v2/` | `?width=3000&quality=100` | Most stable ✅ | | **BBC** | `ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/` | `/1024/` max | Limited to 1024px | | **NBC News** | `media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/` | Direct download | Medium size | | **France24** | `s.france24.com/media/display/` | `w:1920` | Adjustable ✅ | #### Space/Science Category | Source | CDN Pattern | HD Parameters | Notes | |--------|-------------|---------------|-------| | **Spaceflight Now** | `spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/` | Remove size suffix | WordPress standard | #### Chinese Sources | Source | CDN Pattern | Notes | |--------|-------------|-------| | **ThePaper (澎湃)** | `imagepphcloud.thepaper.cn/pph/image/` | Direct download ✅ | ### Sources Requiring Manual Save | Source | Issue | Workaround | |--------|-------|------------| | Guardian | URL signature validation | Right-click save | | The Verge | Complex CDN format | Use Brave search instead | | Wired | Page protection | Manual save | | CNN | URL extraction difficult | Use Brave search instead | | AP News | Parameter adjustment fails | Save original manually | ### HD Parameter Quick Reference ```bash # Reuters ?width=3000&quality=100 # TechCrunch ?w=2048 # BBC (replace number in URL) /1024/ # Max available # France24 w:1920 # NBC News (URL parameter) t_fit-1500w ``` --- ## Method 2: Brave Image Search (No Browser) Best for: Quick general-purpose images, automated workflows. ### Basic Usage ```bash # Set API Key (first time) export BRAVE_API_KEY="your_api_key" # Search images curl -s "https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/images/search?q=keyword&count=10" \ -H "X-Subscription-Token: $BRAVE_API_KEY" | jq '.results[] | {title, url: .properties.url, width: .properties.width}' # Get first image URL directly curl -s "https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/images/search?q=SpaceX%20Starship&count=1" \ -H "X-Subscription-Token: $BRAVE_API_KEY" | jq -r '.results[0].properties.url' ``` ### Rate Limiting ⚠️ Brave API has rate limits. When making multiple searches: ```bash # Add delay between requests (1-2 seconds recommended) for query in "query1" "query2" "query3"; do curl -s "https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/images/search?q=$query&count=1" \ -H "X-Subscription-Token: $BRAVE_API_KEY" | jq -r '.results[0].properties.url' sleep 2 # Wait 2 seconds between requests done ``` **Best practices:** - Free tier: ~1 request/second max - Add `sleep 1` or `sleep 2` between batch requests - If you get 429 (rate limited), wait 60 seconds before retrying ### Search Tips 1. **Add year**: `SpaceX Starship 2025` is more precise than `SpaceX Starship` 2. **Add event terms**: `Keir Starmer Xi Jinping Beijing handshake` beats `UK China meeting` 3. **Site restriction**: `site:reuters.com Trump tariff` limits to specific source ### One-liner: Search and Download ```bash # Search, get first result URL, download IMG_URL=$(curl -s "https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/images/search?q=SpaceX%20launch%202025&count=1" \ -H "X-Subscription-Token: $BRAVE_API_KEY" | jq -r '.results[0].properties.url') curl -sL -o spacex.jpg "$IMG_URL" file spacex.jpg ``` ### Verify Image Accessibility ```bash # Check if URL returns 200 curl -sI "$IMAGE_URL" | head -1 # Should return: HTTP/2 200 # Check content type curl -sI "$IMAGE_URL" | grep -i content-type # Should return: content-type: image/jpeg or image/png ``` --- ## Method 3: AI Image Generation (No Browser) Best for: Concept images, creative illustrations, when real photos unavailable. ### Free Option: Pollinations ```bash # Generate image (completely free, no API key needed) curl -sL -o output.jpg "https://image.pollinations.ai/prompt/description?width=1920&height=1080&nologo=true" # Example: Tech-style AI concept image curl -sL -o ai-concept.jpg "https://image.pollinations.ai/prompt/futuristic%20AI%20chip%20glowing%20blue%20on%20dark%20background%20minimalist%20tech%20style?width=1920&height=1080&nologo=true" ``` ### Prompt Best Practices ``` # Good prompt structure {subject} + {style} + {color tone} + {composition} + {exclusions} # Example "Sam Altman speaking at conference, professional photo, warm lighting, shallow depth of field, high resolution, no text no watermark" # 16:9 cover image "... 16:9 aspect ratio, horizontal composition, clean space on right for text overlay" # Avoid garbled text "... no text, no letters, no words, no watermarks" ``` ### Platform Comparison | Platform | Prompt Language | Size Params | Notes | |----------|-----------------|-------------|-------| | Pollinations | English | width/height | Free unlimited | | Jimeng (即梦) | Chinese | 16:9/1:1 | Best for Chinese scenes | | DALL-E | English | 1792x1024 | Highest quality | --- ## Complete Workflow Example (All CLI, No Browser) ### Scenario: Find image for "UK PM visits China" article ```bash # Option A: Extract from Reuters (no browser) # 1. Find article URL via web search or known URL # 2. Extract image URL from HTML IMG_URL=$(curl -sL "https://www.reuters.com/world/uk-pm-china-visit/" | \ grep -oE 'https://www\.reuters\.com/resizer/v2/[^"]+\.jpg' | head -1) # 3. Download with HD params curl -sL -o starmer-xi.jpg "${IMG_URL}?width=3000&quality=100" # Option B: Brave search (no browser) IMG_URL=$(curl -s "https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/images/search?q=Keir%20Starmer%20Xi%20Jinping%202025&count=1" \ -H "X-Subscription-Token: $BRAVE_API_KEY" | jq -r '.results[0].properties.url') curl -sL -o starmer-xi.jpg "$IMG_URL" # Option C: AI generate (no browser) curl -sL -o uk-china.jpg "https://image.pollinations.ai/prompt/British%20and%20Chinese%20flags%20diplomatic%20meeting%20minimalist?width=1920&height=1080&nologo=true" # Verify result file starmer-xi.jpg ls -lh starmer-xi.jpg ``` --- ## Quick Reference Card ### Choose Method by Scenario | Need | Recommended Method | Reason | |------|-------------------|--------| | Specific news event | News site extraction | Authentic, authoritative | | General concept image | Brave search | Fast, free | | No suitable real photo | AI generation | Fully customizable | | Article cover | AI generation | Controllable text space | | Dashboard news | Brave search | Automation-friendly | ### Image Quality Checklist - [ ] Resolution ≥ 1200px width - [ ] File size > 50KB (smaller likely thumbnail) - [ ] `file` command confirms image (not HTML) - [ ] No watermarks - [ ] No copyright issues (news images for commentary/citation) --- ## Troubleshooting | Problem | Cause | Solution | |---------|-------|----------| | curl returns HTML | Hotlink protection/signature | Try different source or Brave search | | Image 403 | URL expired | Re-fetch URL | | Blurry image | Downloaded thumbnail | Adjust HD parameters | | Brave no results | Keywords too specific | Simplify keywords | | grep returns empty | Page uses JavaScript rendering | Use Brave search instead |