Taking its Image Search as well as Video Search to an attractive new level. Yahoo! has initiated a series of changes to redefine the experience through an extension of its existing partnership with Getty Images plus some smart redesigning and re-engineering of its multimedia search experiences. The idea is to deliver a more refined and timely experience, driven by high quality content.

Yahoo! Image Search will have access to some of the highest quality digital images on the planet. And these are not just any photos, they are the crème-de-la-crème, from the collection of more than 20,000 new Getty Images added every day by Getty Images’ award-winning network of photographers. Of course we also help people find top quality images of the very latest headline news, sports and entertainment events within minutes of being taken.

With an influx of new content thanks to Getty Images, Yahoo! has decided to juice up the whole experience so it has introduced several new features to help users take a closer look at the eye- catching images and videos that they want. Looking to optimize search results, especially the entire new pages for image and video search results, the engine has introduced an array of features, such as thumbnail viewing experience, preview on hover as well as continuous scroll as part of a video search results page, superior quality badge and latest filter, and facilities like ‘Search While You Watch’. An official blog post elaborates:

“Searching for images and video on the Web should be the most visually stunning experience possible. After all, sometimes a photo or video can tell a story better than words. Now more than ever, it’s easier to discover the images and video you are looking for on Yahoo!. We could not be more excited about these enhancements, and so is the Getty Images team.”

Here’s what Yahoo! has done to facilitate a more dynamic discovery for images and videos:

• Users can now have an exciting thumbnail viewing experience of all the images and videos on the search results page with a neatly tiled look that has each thumbnail squarely sized, then getting expanded as you hover over it. The page for video search results will now have continuous scroll plus the preview feature.
• Two prominent filters present on the left rail will let users find the most recent images. For them, the HQ badge will identify photos with 2 megapixels and an aspect ratio of 1024 x 768, at least. The latest filter will make it possible to see the most recent multi-media content available on the Web.
• An adaptive streaming technology for Yahoo! HQ videos optimizes the viewing experience by adjusting the streamed Yahoo! hosted video quality for matching the capabilities of a user’s device and network.
• Yahoo! promises a dynamic experience of continuous discovery on different searchable topics with another new option that will allow searching for a specific video sans revisiting the search results page. If a user wants to check interesting video search themes and topics, clearing of the query on the full image page now displays latest recommended and trending topics.
• Since the engine has built on the HTML5 browser’s power, it is now offering a full screen option plus cross-device support to help users discover the content they are searching for more easily.