So you found an image on Google/Pinterest/Instagram/Facebook/Twitter/Wattpad/Wherever and don’t know where it’s from? Here’s a guide to hopefully help. This seems like a lot, but a lot of the time this stuff can take a minute or less in practice once you get the hang of it. And always remember to repeat after me: art on Pinterest/Wattpad/Weheartit/Google images is not free real estate.
I would also highly recommend using a translator extension on Firefox (just google "translator extension Firefox") or browsers like Chrome with built-in translators so you can translate pages. It's a lot easier to navigate what people are saying that way. And I recommend using a pop-up blocker.
Please support actual artists: if you love their art, show it directly by supporting their posts! That's a very easy way to get them to do more art! Like/kudos/heart/bookmark/retweet/reblog/whatever directly on their post, leave them comments! Artists often get discouraged if people just repost their work, particularly on the same platform (and especially on pinterest), and will sometimes delete the work or all their art entirely, or even give up making art entirely.
Also, this is mostly something that works for fanart and maybe photography. Sourcing videos and text is a bit different.
Most importantly, you can usually ask the community for help! Tag the character, the series, go to a fandom discord, and ask. Typically there are folks who will either recognize the art and/or even know the artist, or can at least help with sourcing.
Sourcing
1. Is there a watermark/signature somewhere? Does the name on the account match it? If it doesn’t, is there other art on the account that has that watermark/signature (artists rebrand all the time)? If everything matches, are there comments on the post saying “hey stop reposting my art”/”stop reposting x’s art”? If there is a watermark, does it look obviously photoshopped (a lot of clickbait reposters will add fake watermarks)? If everything matches and looks fine, probably this is the artist and you need go no further and can reblog/like/share from there.
2. Is there a link in the post to the actual artist/at least a name? Sometimes on pinterest, there will be a link to the original post, usually on twitter, either in text or as an actual link. Reposters on tumblr often include links to pixiv and twitter. Please go to the original posting place - assuming that's what it is and it's not another reposter or deleted - and support it there, if possible, rather than the reposter. And maybe they have other socials that you also use, so you can support them in places you’re more familiar with (e.g., you want to retweet on twitter, but someone linked their tumblr; see if the artist has a twitter and if they’ve posted the art there so you can RT from them).
3. Has someone in the comments linked to the artist/the original art post? Or has the artist come in and said “hey this is my art!” Problem solved. Go there and support the art there. If there’s no link but there’s a name, try googling the name with “pixiv”/”deviantart”/”twitter”/”Tumblr”/[other art-sharing platform].
4. You have a watermark/signature but it doesn’t match who’s on the account.
If it is legible, try googling the name/title and “pixiv”/”deviantart”/”twitter”/”Tumblr”/[other art-sharing platform]. Support them there. Artists sometimes spread their art across multiple platforms, and sometimes take down fanart (particularly stuff that gets stolen a lot)/older art in particular, so be prepared to check multiple accounts. Artists will also sometimes change their screenname. Usually this can be spotted if they've shared a lot of art with both the old and new names, and sometimes they'll even list somewhere "formerly known as" or something.
5. Look at the account that posted it.
Are they an art account? If they are an art account, do they say they’re an artist? If they’re an art account but not an artist (e.g., they’re a blog that just reposts any art they find), chances are that’s not the creator.
Is that the only art image they’ve posted? Are the other images on the account similar in style and/or content? If they aren’t similar, is there a reason given for the change in style/content type (e.g., “I’m an artist who experiments in things”/multi-fandom accounts)? Also check the dates: if art pieces are posted with a long time between, sometimes the stylistic/content differences are just because the artist developed a lot between posting or switched fandom. But it shouldn't really be a radical change without explanation. If they’re an artist, but the art doesn’t generally match the style of the other images on their account, they also probably aren’t the artist.
6. Dates
Take note of the date of posting: if you're struggling to tell who's done a thing, chances are the person with the earlier posting date is the actual artist, because the art thief had to see it first to share it. Sometimes this doesn't work because an artist reposted their own work and/or deleted the original, but it's good to keep an eye on. This is mostly more valuable for tracking down videos, but it can be helpful for images, as well.
Image searching platforms and how to use them:
Google image search
If you know you have a repost on a reposter's account, you can use Google image search to try and source it.
If you're on browser on a computer, go to Google's homepage, go up to the top right of the screen, and click "images".
This will reload the page in the image section.
In the new search bar, click the little camera next to the magnifying glass. This will bring up a pop-up window, where you can drag an image, upload an image, or paste an image link. Personally, I have the most success saving the image to my computer and uploading it that way, but all methods generally work. To get an image URL, right click the image, and then click "Copy Image Link". If you just paste say, a Tumblr page, chances are that won't work. If you can't save an image or copy an image URL, screencap it, cropping as much non-image as possible, and use that. If you're trying to source fanart in a video compilation, pause the video and screencap the image.
Once you've done that, Google will take you to a new window with the image on the left, next to suggestions and visual matches.
Sometimes, the visual match section will list the actual source, usually a twitter, deviantart, pixiv, maybe a vk. If you click it and everything checks out, you're done. Follow the steps above to make sure it's the right account and not another reposter.
If this only gives you sourceless pinterest reposts, look at the left side of the screen and click the bar that says "Find image source" with an outgoing link icon. This will take you back to normal Google search, and you can browse your options, looking primarily for actual art sites like Tumblr, artstation, deviantart, instagram, etc.
Sometimes, if you're desperate, and you see in the link preview for a pinterest or a Youtube or w/e a reference to an art site, click there and see if that'll get you to the actual artist. Pinterest or another reposter is not your end goal. You're looking for someone, somewhere, who's actually listed the right artist and where to find their art.
Note if you've only got part of an image/a blurry version of it
If you search and all your search comes up with is at least a larger version of the image or a higher quality version of an image, perhaps with a signature or watermark, this is a great new starting point, because it helps search engines find things better. Heck, maybe you can just type in the name on the image and find an account that way. In this case, start the image search over with the better quality version of the image.
Sometimes, going to the search bar and typing in the name of the character in the art/a description of the image or what seems to be the artist signature (next to the uploaded image) and hitting enter will help the search engine.
Yandex image search
Yandex image search is honestly where I have a lot more luck finding things these days. If you just google yandex, click the images icon above the search bar, and it'll take you to the right page.
Once on the images page, click the camera icon in the search bar (you do not need an account with yandex for this).
You can drag an image in, upload it, or share the image URL. Again, I find generally saving the image to my computer and uploading it gets better results. To get an image URL, right click the image, and then click "Copy Image Link". If you just paste say, a Tumblr page, chances are that won't work. If you can't save an image or copy an image URL, screencap it, cropping as much non-image as possible, and use that. If you're trying to source fanart in a video compilation, pause the video and screencap the image.
The page will reload.
The image will be in the top left. Similar images will be on the right. Links with the image will be on the bottom left. If you scroll through the links, look for a legitimate art account, and check all the stuff at the top to make sure it's the right one, or maybe links to the right one. Remember, pinterest is not your end goal (unless that's actually where the artist posts, which is 1 in a million). If need be, check the non-art sites (like pinterest) to see if they've listed a name or a URL somewhere you can go to in order to look there.
Note if you've only got part of an image/a blurry version of it
If you search and all your search comes up with is at least a larger version of the image or a higher quality version of an image, perhaps with a signature or watermark, this is a great new starting point, because it helps search engines find things better. Heck, maybe you can just type in the name on the image and find an account that way. In this case, start the image search over with the better quality version of the image.
Similar images is good for this, because it's a fast refresh of the page if you look for the right one.
Sometimes, going to the search bar and typing in the name of the character in the art/a description of the image or what seems to be the artist signature (next to the uploaded image) and hitting enter will help the search engine.
SauceNAO
I haven't had much luck with SauceNAO in a while, but it is typically good if the artist posted on either pixiv, deviantart, or twitter.
Go to the page, and you can select the image to upload or paste the URL. I have far better luck uploading images than pasting URLs, particularly with SauceNAO. To get an image URL, right click the image, and then click "Copy Image Link". If you just paste say, a Tumblr page, chances are that won't work. If you can't save an image or copy an image URL, screencap it, cropping as much non-image as possible, and use that. If you're trying to source fanart in a video compilation, pause the video and screencap the image.
When the page reloads, it should have a list of suggestions. Follow the links or google the names with websites it suggests. If that's not the art at all, or it doesn't suggest any links, but shows "Low similarity results have been hidden. Click here to display them...", click that bottom link. It'll show you the low similarity results. Sometimes this will get you what you're looking for. Sometimes it won't, but it's worth checking.
TinEye
I haven't had any luck with TinEye in ages, but it is there as an option, and it was useful once upon a time. And maybe it'll be useful with something. The helpful thing is that TinEye actually has a guide on how to use it.
Specific websites:
Tumblr
Go to the original source account. Sometimes this will give you an "this page does not exist". This does not always mean the artist deleted. It might mean they changed their URL. Try going to the closest reblog and see where they reblogged it from. There might be a "source: " section that can get you there, or a name you can at least type into google and follow up that way. It's also important to remember that even if you do find the source post for an image, that may not be the actual artist of the image, but just a reposter. Sometimes they will list where they got the art from. Sometimes someone in the notes (replies and/or reblogs) will list where the art is from. Follow the steps above for checking if the account posting it is an actual artist account who actually made the art (e.g., if the name on the account matches any signatures or watermarks, if the signature/watermark isn't clearly a photoshopped thing by someone else).
Twitter
A lot of the time this is as simple as checking who is being quote retweeted or retweeted. But if you're on an account that has an original post: to make searching easier and to figure out if they're an art reposter, go to their media tab. If there's no art there and it's just GIFs or a variety of dissimilar art, possibly with other names on it, chances are that's not the actual artist, and potentially a serial reposter. Twitter's archiving sucks, and it's possible the artist just deleted the art, but this is an easy way to winnow out the chaff. Sometimes it can be helpful to browse the regular twitter profile to see if they've retweeted the piece from the original artist. Again, sometimes going to the "original" twitter post doesn't mean that person is the artist. It might just be a reposter. Use the above steps to be sure the person who posted it actually made it.
Facebook
On Facebook, go to the original sharer. Often people will just keep sharing forever. Check the description: does it have a name? A date shared? A company website? Read the comments: perhaps someone else has already shared the link, or even the artist has commented. If you find the artist on Facebook, check their about section and see if they have accounts on the platforms you prefer.
YouTube
Check the summary for a name and/or links to the actual poster. If all else fails, check the comments to see if someone else has done the work for you.
Reddit
Has the poster listed a username? Has someone in the comments listed a link and/or username? Check there.
Pixiv
This isn't so much search on pixiv as it is finding pixiv accounts outside pixiv: if you get a pixiv ID, which should be a string of numbers, google "[the pixiv ID] pixiv" and that should get you to the right account. Unless they've deleted, which unfortunately happens.
Weibo/Lofter
Unfortunately if you're not Chinese it's very hard to get an account on Weibo, so if this is your only source, you may have better luck asking your community if they know where the art is from. They might be able to link you directly to the Weibo/Lofter post. I haven't been able to use it as a search engine, but it is at least sort of like an art archive if you can find the right artist.
VK
VK is, at least for this post, a Russian art hosting service. There is a lot of reposting on here, but if you find the right artist, you can browse back through their archive to see if you can find their work. I would highly suggest getting a free account on there. It's, well, free and easy to make, and makes browsing easier. Plus, you can keep bookmarks and follow artists.
Edits/Spotting style differences
Unfortunately there is a part of this that is just about getting better at spotting edits and stylistic differences that usually indicate edits/a reposter who takes from multiple accounts. A lot of the time, you don't have to go into depth on this: if most of the results you see when you say, use an image search engine, have a part of the piece that looks very different from what you have, chances are either the version you have was edited by a reposter, and the common image is the original, or the piece has been buried under folks reposting an edited image.
Some basic edit spotting help: does part of the anatomy of a figure look odd, often in the hands or expression (e.g., the hands might look broken or the perspective is off)? Does part of it look blurry? Is there something off about the coloring in part of the image? Is part of the image covered by what looks like a low quality border/effect?
Artists tend to keep the same general style over time, e.g., how they draw eyes, mouths, body shapes, what effects they use. But a lot of artists will experiment with mediums and their style will evolve over time. If you look at an art collection that comes from one account, you should start to see similarities (e.g., they give everyone black lipstick on their upper lip, they draw squarish eyes, their way to draw hands is very specific). If there are no similarities, and particularly if all the fandoms are different, typically that means a reposter.
One of the easiest ways to spot this is if someone else has said in a comment, "Hey stop reposting my art/this art belongs to x (please take it down!)". Very easy.
Blurriness and cropping
Another easy way to tell something is a repost is if it's weirdly blurry/fuzzy and seems to have been cropped. Sometimes artists will post cropped works in progress ("WIPs")/slightly fuzzy versions of WIPs as previews, but unless this is marked as a WIP, generally fuzzy/cropped stuff is a repost. If you plug these into Google and can find higher quality and less cropped versions of the image, chances are the original thing you were looking at is not the origin post.
Hopefully something here is helpful! If there's anything that's confusing, let me know! I'll try to keep this up to date over time.
