Heat and drought led to the largest recorded spike in carbon levels

In 2015 and 2016, NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite recorded spikes in the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. These were 50 percent larger than expected increases. Now, a series of new studies set to publish tomorrow in Science can tell us why. Eighty percent of the spike, or the equivalent of 2.5 gigatons of carbon, occurred because of natural processes due to drought and high temperatures in South America, Africa and Indonesia.

Specifically, the increase in carbon dioxide was due to the El Nino weather phenomenon, which scientists have long suspected. But they weren’t able to pinpoint the precise mechanisms that led to the carbon dioxide increase until now. A team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) led by Junjie Liu compared the 2015 data to readings taken in 2011 — a year with a “normal” increase — by the Japanese Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite to figure it out.

The team found that the temperature and rainfall conditions brought about by El Nino dramatically affected these three regions. In South America, there was severe drought and hotter than normal temperatures because of the weather phenomenon. These conditions led to a lower level of photosynthesis, as trees and plants absorbed less carbon.

During that same time, in Africa, rainfall was normal but temperatures were higher than usual. This led to a higher decomposition rate for trees and plants, which resulted in an increase in carbon emissions. Indonesia also saw a dry year; its carbon spike was due to both peat and forest fires.

Annmarie Eldering, who is the OCO-2 deputy project scientist at JPL, said, “The team’s findings imply that if future climate brings more or longer droughts, as the last El Nino did, more carbon dioxide may remain in the atmosphere, leading to a tendency to further warm Earth.” Understanding how our planet’s tropical areas will react to a warmer planet is crucial. We must be able to predict how the Earth will behave in the face of climate change, and this study is an important part of that research.

Source: NASA

The Windowed app allows Instagram users to post photos from their desktop

Why it matters to you

Windowed makes it easier to post a photo to Instagram from a desktop computer.

Instagram stays true to the “insta” by only allowing uploads from the mobile app or a mobile browser, an often frustrating hurdle for DSLR photographers. But a photographer and engineering student has developed a workaround that tricks the system — Windowed is a free, open-source software that allows for uploads to Instagram from desktop computers.

The idea behind Windowed isn’t entirely new. Since Instagram allows uploads from mobile web browsers, a bit of coding can trick the platform into thinking that a desktop browser is, in fact, a mobile one, effectively disguising the upload (a similar trick can be used to save Instagram photos). Windowed is based on the same concept — it is actually a web browser with mobile code, so sites like Instagram think you are using a smartphone.

Windowed was created by Felix Sun, a photographer that was frustrated with the process of getting photos from a computer to a smartphone to upload. He used his experience as an engineering student to develop a workaround, then decided to share the tool with other photographers.

Windowed is a mobile web browser for desktops — that means, according to the developer, that Windowed does not collect your Instagram information and does not have access to your account. The platform also isn’t affiliated with Instagram in any way, which also means there is no guarantee that Instagram won’t develop a way to block Windowed from uploading.

Instagram’s mobile website doesn’t have all the same functions as the app, though the mobile browser version is closer than before thanks to an update launched earlier in 2017. The feature to view and post Stories is also expanding the mobile browser options.

Instagram is growing at a fast pace — and if the growth continues, the platform will have users in the billions next year. Instagram is focused on instant sharing, which means the platform has traditionally made it difficult to schedule posts, features available for Facebook Pages and even Twitter through third-party apps like Hootsuite, as well as limiting uploads to mobile devices. While getting a photo that was not shot from a smartphone is possible through a camera’s built-in Wi-Fi, AirDrop and file-sharing tools or emailing it to yourself, the workaround means non-smartphone photos are even less instant.

Windowed is a free, open-source download for both Mac and PC.

Target teams up with Google Assistant for voice-powered shopping

Why it matters to you

It’s now easier than ever to order paper towels from Target, thanks to the Google Assistant.

It turns out that the Google Assistant, Google’s artificial intelligence, is good for more than just queuing up podcasts, spitting out weather reports, and pre-heating your Wi-Fi-enabled smart oven. It’s also a personal shopper. On Thursday, October 12, Target announced an expanded partnership with Google that lets U.S.-based Assistant users search, reserve, and buy products from the retailer’s expansive catalog.

Now customers can add Target items to a shopping cart in Google Express, Google’s same-day delivery service, with a voice command. The feature is available nationally, following an expansion to California and New York City markets earlier this year. And it’s tied into Target’s REDcard, a specialty credit card the retailer launched last year.

Here’s how it works: Shouting something like, “OK Google, re-order paper towels from Target” to a Google Home speaker, a supported Android device, or the Google Assistant on Android TV starts a cart in Google Express. From there, you can opt for Google Express’s free delivery option (if their total exceeds $35, or $25 for REDCard holders) or pay a small fee.

Google says that in the coming months, customers be able to specify pickup at a local store (within two hours) with voice and that REDcard customers will get a five percent discount on purchases and free shipping.

But Assistant support is just the start of Target and Google’s collaboration. In the coming months, Target will work with Google to design “digital experience[s]” for voice shoppers based on customers’ purchase histories. It might recommend shirts in your size, for example, or movies in your favorite genre.

“When it comes to technology and things like natural language processing, Google [leads] the way,” Mike McNamara, Target’s chief information and digital officer, told TechCrunch. “I’d love to have all of Google’s capability around these deep engineering things […] Our world is more about making sure we have the right products in the right stores at the right time.”

The Target partnership comes on the heels of new Walmart Assistant integration, which saw Google team up with the retail behemoth for voice-powered shopping on Google Home and Android devices. And it marks an expansion of Google Express, which acts as a delivery middleman between retail chains and customers. Google previously levied $10 a month or $95 a year on Express deliveries but eliminated membership fees earlier this year.

It signals, too, Target’s digital commerce ambitions. In August, the brick-and-mortar retailer acquired a software company that manages local and same-day deliveries and recently started offering curbside pickup of delivers in some cities.

Robot hand is dexterous enough to screw in a lightbulb, turn a screwdriver

Why it matters to you

New soft robot gripper is not only incredibly dexterous, it can also recognize objects based on touch alone.

How many robots does it take to screw in a light bulb? If you’re talking about a new soft robotic gripper developed by engineers at the University of California, San Diego, the answer is just one. The soft robot gripper in question is able to pick up and manipulate objects based on touch alone, meaning that it can do so regardless of lighting conditions.

“In this work, we developed a soft gripper that uses tactile sensing to model the objects it’s interacting with,” Michael Tolley, a roboticist at UC San Diego, told Digital Trends. “By rotating the object around in-hand, similar to what you would do when you reach into your pocket and feel for your keys, the gripper can map out a point cloud representing the object. Our gripper is unique in its ability to twist, sense, and model objects, allowing the gripper to operate in low light, low visibility, and uncertain conditions.”

The robot hand has three soft flexible fingers, which are powered pneumatically using air pressure. Sensors in the robot’s “skin” allow it to work out what it’s holding, and transmit this data to a control board, which creates a three-dimensional model of the object for reference.

When the gripper hand was attached to an industrial Fetch Robotics robot arm for testing, the researchers demonstrated that it was able to carry out a range of fine precision tasks, such as the aforementioned screwing in of lightbulbs — along with turning screwdrivers and holding individual sheets of paper.

“[As the next stage of research,] we are interested in incorporating techniques from machine learning to allow the gripper to semantically identify the objects it’s manipulating,” Tolley said. “We are also prototyping a 3D-printed version of the gripper for more consistent fabrication. We would [additionally] like to test with a wider variety of objects that also contain uncertainty in their positioning and orientation.”

In the real world, Tolley says he hopes a robot gripper such as this might be useful for tasks like fruit picking, or potentially working as an assistive robot in the home. To reach this point, it will need to be further put through its paces with a more extensive set of real-world objects.

The ION360 U is a mobile 360 camera that doesn’t drain your phone’s battery

Why it matters to you

The ION360 U makes 360 photos accessible as a smartphone accessory, but without the smartphone battery drain.

Shooting 360 photos and videos with a mobile accessory makes the format easily accessible — and now that 360 camera can also recharge your smartphone. Today, October 12, startup ION360 launched the ION360 U, a 360 camera and case that snaps onto iPhone and Galaxy smartphones — and charges them, too.

The ION360U has two 7.4-megapixel cameras built into a camera case. The two cameras sit at the top of the smartphone, with a 200-degree lens on each side to capture the immersive perspective. The battery inside the case powers the camera while shooting, which means the camera doesn’t drain the smartphone battery. ION360 says the feature is unique to the U camera. When the camera isn’t in use, the battery can be used to recharge the camera as well.

The case design allows the camera to connect directly to the smartphone, which means no Wi-Fi linking in order to get the camera and the app to communicate, preventing slowdowns and offering quick access to shooting. Launching the app automatically launches the camera, the company says.

The ION360 U is capable of shooting 4K quality video for up to around 100 minutes on a fully charged battery. The company says the camera is also live-stream capable for both Facebook and YouTube and is ready to go live in a matter of seconds, thanks to quick-stitching software. Facebook has already granted the Live 360 Ready designation to the new camera.

The case and camera weighs only about 4.3 ounces, with models available for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+. The ION360 U app is available from both the App Store and Google Play. The camera is launching with exclusive availability through Sprint stores and the ION360 website.

“Through our Sprint partnership, the ION360 U is very well positioned to give customers an opportunity to see for themselves how easy to use and integrated the camera, case, and app are,” said Giovanni Tomaselli, founder and president of ION360. “Instead of taking a still image from a static viewpoint — which traditional standalone or smartphone cameras provide — the ION360 U allows you to bring your family and friends into your experiences, from all perspectives, instantaneously, without changing the smartphone experience. Just snap it onto its case, and go.”

The ION360 U retails for $300.

Foolproof ways to remove the background from an image

Looking to remove the background from an image, but not quite sure how to go about doing it? You’ve come to the right place! Don’t worry, changing a background is probably easier than you may think — especially with the right software! Below, we’ll cover web apps like Background Burner, as well as offline tools like Photoshop. Read on for all the details.

We also have guides on how to create a watermark and how to make an animated GIF, if you’re looking for additional tutorials related to photography.

Web-based apps

Background Burner

Removing simple backgrounds

So let’s say you want to Photoshop a mustache onto your coworker’s face or tweak an image you found online, but you don’t have access to Photoshop and all of the mustaches you find feature an annoying background. In order to strip out the background and get a PNG file, which will allow you to isolate your image and save it without any background content, follow these steps:

Step 1: Download and save the image in question to your computer.

Step 2: Head over to the official Background Burner website.

Step 3: Click the blue Choose File button in the bottom-right corner, or simply drag and drop your image into the dotted box at the bottom.

Step 4: Now, watch as the tiny dragon eradicates the background of your image. The tool does a pretty precise job with basic backgrounds, but if you want to make additional changes, click the Touch up button below the resulting image. Then, use the Mark Foreground and Mark Background tools to define the parts of the image you’d like to remove.

Step 5: Once the image preview on the right-hand side of the page looks correct, click the green Log in to download button. You’ll need to create a free account in order to download the resulting image, but doing so is easy, especially if you allow the site access to your Facebook or Google credentials.

Removing complex backgrounds

Looking to remove the background from an actual photograph, not just some clip art with a white background? Don’t worry — Background Burner can handle this, too. To get the job done, simply follow the steps as outlined above, but be a little bit more precise when marking up your image. For example, the picture below is pretty good, but the background doesn’t quite fit. We want to replace it with something a bit more impactful.

To begin removing the background, follow steps 1 through 3 above, and allow the dragon to do its job. As you can see below, the tool’s edge-finding algorithm did a decent job of finding the model, and provided us with four options to choose from.

We chose the one that left most of his body intact, but nixed the grill and various party goers. If you’re happy with the initial results, simply click the green Select button. If not, click Touch up and fine-tune your image. Using the first image as our outline, we started painting green lines on the parts of the image we wanted to be restored.

So, to make it more accurate, we needed to zoom in and get more precise with our markings. You can change the size of your brush in the top menu, but we’ve found that’s it’s far easier to zoom in. Once you’re close enough to see where the algorithm missed the edges, drop a few green marks to encapsulate the part of the image you’d like to keep. Once done, zoom out to see if the finished product looks OK. Ours isn’t perfect, but it’ll do. Now, do the same with the red brush (aka, the Mark Background tool).

When you’re happy with your product, click Use This in the bottom-right corner. Again, you’ll need to create a free account in order to download the resulting image, but doing so is easy if you allow the site access to your Facebook or Google credentials.

Now we can add a newer, more appropriate background…

Perfect! Keep in mind that there is also a professional version of Background Burner — one that’s specifically focused on ecommerce — if you plan to remove image backgrounds on a regular basis or need access to more advanced tools. Oh, and if you’re interested in augmenting a sweet profile image like this, we’ve rounded up a collection of the best selfie apps.

Alternative: Clipping Magic

If you want to explore a more detail-oriented option, check out this alternative to Background Burner: Clipping Magic. Like the aforementioned tool, it uses automated software to detect edges — all you have to do is mark the “foreground” and “background” with red and green strokes.

Clipping Magic also provides a useful live preview, which lets you tweak the results on the fly. The web app provides basic options for shadow and color adjustment, too, along with a couple other tools that allow you to better adjust the resulting image. This makes the software more suitable for detailed projects, ones in which you want more control over how your image looks.

How to convert a PDF to EPUB on Windows, MacOS, and Linux

The PDF is a versatile file type which can handle images and text well and look good on a variety of devices. Not every one displays them as well as others, though, and in the case of Ebook readers, there are often better options. With that in mind, in this guide, we’ll teach you how to convert a PDF to EPUB document in several different ways.

As easy as it is to convert PDFs to EPUBs, it’s also a cinch to convert a PDF to a Word document. If you want to edit that PDF before converting it any format, make sure to check out our guide to the best PDF editors.

Calibre (Windows, MacOS, Linux)

The open-source Calibre is a great piece of ebook software for Windows, MacOS, and Linux, and includes a file conversion feature among its suite of tools. Here’s how to make that PDF-to-EPUB conversion.

Step 1: Drag and drop the PDF you want to convert into Calibre, or click the “Add books” icon in the top left-hand corner and select “Add books from a single directory.” Then, choose the PDF you want to convert.

Step 2: Highlight your book from the main-window list and then click the “Convert Books” button.

Step 3: Choose the “Epub” output format using the drop-down menu on the right-hand side and make any necessary adjustments to the title, and other details.

Step 4: Once the conversion is complete, you can click the “Jobs” icon in the bottom right-hand corner to find out more. Clicking “Show job details,” will show you where it was output. You can now use your newly converted Epub document as you wish!

Online-Convert.com (web-based)

Online Convert is one of the more reliable web-based options out there, and you can use it to convert a wide variety of file types. Aside from converting PDFs to EPUBs, you can also convert DOCX files to DOC, for example.

Step 1: Navigate to the main Online Convert homepage.

Step 2: Find the PDF file you want to convert by clicking “Choose File,” “Choose from Dropbox,” or “Choose from Google Drive.” Alternatively, enter the URL leading to the PDF. Here, you can also enter additional information regarding the book, such as the title or author.

Step 3: Click “Convert file” and wait for the conversion to complete. Afterward, you’ll be able to access the file from its designated folder.

EPUBator (Android)

The EPUBator app for Android allows you to convert PDFs directly on your smartphone or tablet. It’s easy to use, too, rendering it a go-to solution for those looking to convert PDF files on the go.

Step 1: Download and launch the app. Then press “Convert PDF.”

Step 2: Locate the folder on your smartphone or tablet that contains the PDF you want to convert. Once found, select it.

Step 3: The conversion process should begin automatically. Once finished, tap “Verify ePUB” to confirm the conversion worked as intended. The new EPUB file should be in the same folder as the original PDF. You can also halt the conversion for whatever reason by tapping “Stop” during the conversion process.

Now that you’ve made your new EPUB document, if you need a new ebook reader to view it on, these are our favorites.

Updated 10/02/2017 by Jon Martindale – updated images and confirmed methods.

How to convert a PDF to EPUB on Windows, MacOS, and Linux

The PDF is a versatile file type which can handle images and text well and look good on a variety of devices. Not every one displays them as well as others, though, and in the case of Ebook readers, there are often better options. With that in mind, in this guide, we’ll teach you how to convert a PDF to EPUB document in several different ways.

As easy as it is to convert PDFs to EPUBs, it’s also a cinch to convert a PDF to a Word document. If you want to edit that PDF before converting it any format, make sure to check out our guide to the best PDF editors.

Calibre (Windows, MacOS, Linux)

The open-source Calibre is a great piece of ebook software for Windows, MacOS, and Linux, and includes a file conversion feature among its suite of tools. Here’s how to make that PDF-to-EPUB conversion.

Step 1: Drag and drop the PDF you want to convert into Calibre, or click the “Add books” icon in the top left-hand corner and select “Add books from a single directory.” Then, choose the PDF you want to convert.

Step 2: Highlight your book from the main-window list and then click the “Convert Books” button.

Step 3: Choose the “Epub” output format using the drop-down menu on the right-hand side and make any necessary adjustments to the title, and other details.

Step 4: Once the conversion is complete, you can click the “Jobs” icon in the bottom right-hand corner to find out more. Clicking “Show job details,” will show you where it was output. You can now use your newly converted Epub document as you wish!

Online-Convert.com (web-based)

Online Convert is one of the more reliable web-based options out there, and you can use it to convert a wide variety of file types. Aside from converting PDFs to EPUBs, you can also convert DOCX files to DOC, for example.

Step 1: Navigate to the main Online Convert homepage.

Step 2: Find the PDF file you want to convert by clicking “Choose File,” “Choose from Dropbox,” or “Choose from Google Drive.” Alternatively, enter the URL leading to the PDF. Here, you can also enter additional information regarding the book, such as the title or author.

Step 3: Click “Convert file” and wait for the conversion to complete. Afterward, you’ll be able to access the file from its designated folder.

EPUBator (Android)

The EPUBator app for Android allows you to convert PDFs directly on your smartphone or tablet. It’s easy to use, too, rendering it a go-to solution for those looking to convert PDF files on the go.

Step 1: Download and launch the app. Then press “Convert PDF.”

Step 2: Locate the folder on your smartphone or tablet that contains the PDF you want to convert. Once found, select it.

Step 3: The conversion process should begin automatically. Once finished, tap “Verify ePUB” to confirm the conversion worked as intended. The new EPUB file should be in the same folder as the original PDF. You can also halt the conversion for whatever reason by tapping “Stop” during the conversion process.

Now that you’ve made your new EPUB document, if you need a new ebook reader to view it on, these are our favorites.

Updated 10/02/2017 by Jon Martindale – updated images and confirmed methods.

The trickiest iPhone 8 problems, with advice on how to fix them

Smartphones are complex devices designed to make our lives easier, but sometimes they end up causing frustration instead. We’re impressed by the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus, but they’re not perfect. While Apple’s devices are generally well made and smooth-running, things can — and do — go wrong from time to time. We’ve gathered together some notable issues with the latest iPhone 8 Plus and common iPhone 8 problems here, along with advice on how you might deal with them.

Issue: Swelling battery

You may have seen some reports about iPhone 8 Plus batteries swelling up and causing the screen to detach from the body of the device. The first report, picked up by TNW seems to have centered on an iPhone 8 Plus in Taiwan, but MacRumors has since reported a few more similar incidents in Japan, Canada, and Greece. It’s not clear how widespread the issue is, but it appears to be a relatively rare occurrence.

Solution:

• Apple is investigating this, but if you encounter a similar problem there’s really only one course of action: Contact Apple and get a replacement handset.

Problem: Crackling earpiece

Several iPhone 8 and 8 Plus owners have been complaining about a crackling earpiece during calls. A repetitive, intermittent static sound or distortion makes it difficult to hear properly during normal calls and FaceTime calls. The problem has popped up on the Apple support forum, on Reddit, and elsewhere.

Potential solutions:

• Wait for a software update. Apple has acknowledged this issue and told The Verge, “We are aware of the issue which is affecting customers in a small number of cases. Our team is at work on a fix, which will be included in an upcoming software release.”
• Reportedly it is fixed in the iOS 11.1 developer beta. If you have a developer account, you can try it out via the Download New Betas tab after signing in at developer.apple.com.
• It’s possible there’s a separate, but similar hardware problem to do with touching the earpiece, according to this Reddit post. If that’s your issue, then you may need to contact Apple about a replacement handset.

Glitch: App Store keeps refreshing

If you load up the App Store and find that it just repeatedly refreshes every few seconds, then you are not alone. We encountered this problem on our iPhone 8 review unit, but it has been reported elsewhere and it doesn’t seem to be confined to Apple’s latest devices.

Potential solutions:

• A simple restart was enough to get our iPhone 8 back on track. Hold down the Sleep/Wake button and slide to power off. Then press the Sleep/Wake button to turn your iPhone back on. We haven’t seen this issue return.
• Some people had success by signing out of their account and back in again. Go to Settings and tap on your name at the top, then iTunes & App Store > Apple ID and choose Sign out. Tap Sign In and enter your details to sign back in and then try the App Store again.

Issue: Screen unresponsive or frozen

There have been a few reports on the Apple forums about the iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus becoming unresponsive and freezing on the lock screen or the home screen. Unusually, in a few of these cases, some of the hardware buttons and certain gestures still work, but everything else is frozen.

Potential solutions:

Hold down the Sleep/Wake button and then slide to power off, assuming it works. Press the Sleep/Wake button to turn it back on again.
The force restart method has changed for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. You must press and quickly release the Volume Up button, then press and quickly release the Volume Down button, then press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until you see the Apple logo.
If the problem returns after a restart, then backup anything precious and try wiping your iPhone, then restoring your backup. Check out how to factory reset an iPhone for full instructions.
If you’ve tried a factory reset and then restored your backup and the problem returns, then it could be something in your backup that’s causing it. Try factory resetting your iPhone 8 and set it up as a new device, then test to see if the problem is gone.
Still no joy? It’s time to contact Apple or head into an Apple Store and ask about a repair or replacement.

Problem: Overheating

If you find that your iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus is getting very warm, or even hot, to the touch, then there’s generally no reason to panic. We found that our iPhone 8 got very hot when playing AR games, but it can also get warm when you’re first setting it up, restoring a backup, or using GPS and a game simultaneously, like with Pokémon Go. If it gets too hot, the iPhone 8 is designed to disable certain features, like the flash, display a temperature warning on screen, and shut itself off.

Potential solutions:

• The obvious thing to do is take a break from using it until it cools down.
• If you can go to a cooler environment, then do so. Leaving your iPhone 8 on the dash in your car on a hot day, for example, could cause a problem.
• If you have an iPhone 8 case or cover, then consider removing it to allow the heat to dissipate faster.
• Try turning off any functions you aren’t using. For example, go to Settings > Privacy and toggle Location Services off.
• If you’re in an area with poor signal, then it may be worth swiping up to open the Control Center and tapping the Cellular Data icon to turn it off. Just remember to turn it on again later.
• Hold down the Sleep/Wake button and then slide to power off. Press the Sleep/Wake button to turn it back on again.
• The most likely culprit for overheating is a specific app or game, so pay attention to what is running when it happens and consider uninstalling anything problematic.

Shutterstock now lets users search for photos with specific compositions

Why it matters to you

The new search tool makes it easy to find a specific layout for graphics projects.

Computer vision is empowering keyword searches and auto-tagging, but a new Shutterstock feature is allowing designers to search for not only what objects they want in the photo, but where they want them. Shutterstock Labs is now publicly testing a composition search tool that allows browsers to mix keywords with the layout of the photo.

In graphic design, stock photos are often paired with text or more graphics. The new Shutterstock compositional search tool allows designers who are looking for a specific layout to find the right image without sifting through all the options that don’t have the right layout.

Inside the tool, designers can search for one or more keywords. Those keywords then pop up inside a layout square. Dragging the keyword icons within that space will put the matching images in the search results first. Multi-keyword capability means that you can search specifically for a photo with, for example, a cat on the right and a dog on the left.

In addition to adding keywords, designers can also add a “copy space” icon to the compositional tool. This tells the search engine to look for images that have empty space suitable for adding text in that portion of the image.

Shutterstock built the new tool using a combination of machine vision and natural language processing, along with advanced information retrieval or search techniques.

“Shutterstock is on the front lines of improving the future of visual search technology using pixel data, deep learning, and artificial intelligence. What’s remarkable about this breakthrough is that we only trained our model to learn what things are, but our deep network learned how to represent where things are, ” Jon Oringer, founder and CEO of Shutterstock, said in a press release. “For marketers, searching for an image with copy space using this tool will save a significant amount of time. We continue to innovate on this valuable search technology and invest in machine learning to improve the customer experience and provide more time for productivity and creativity.”

The compositional search tool has some similar functionality to the platform’s reverse image search tool that finds similar images, but doesn’t require a photo as a starting point. The tool also joins Shutterstock’s AI-powered auto keyword tool.