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LOS ANGELES -- Walking through gallery after gallery of classical European paintings, sculptures, and other antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum here, it's easy to get lost in the history and beauty of the often centuries-old art. Especially if you're toting today's latest mobile technology.

Home to some of the most celebrated European artwork in the world -- and one of the most visited museums in the United States -- the Getty has also become one of the museums most devoted to adopting technology aimed at enhancing guests' experience, as well as at using high-tech tools … Read more

The photo-friendly company Yahoo just got a new boost of professional images to pop up in image and video searches. In an announcement that it is partnering with stock photo agency Getty Images, according to VentureBeat, the search engine upps its esthetic image today.

Now when users search for images like Lake Tahoe, in addition to dozens of small thumbnails, they'll also see one enlarged photo of the Sierra Nevada lake taken by a Getty Images photographer. There is also a full-screen viewing option on some image searches and a video preview option when a user hovers over the … Read more

Getty Images today unveiled an API designed to make it easy for a wide range of Web site publishers to access, search, and use the company's vast collection of stock photography.

The new service, known as Connect by Getty Images, is designed to give Web publishers built-in access to Getty images, as well as the search meta data associated with them.

Getty said it already has more than 40 customers using Connect, including Bleacher Report, ReachLocal, Zazzle, and many other ad agencies and publishing platforms.

The Connect API is free for Web site publishers to use, but customers who … Read more

Mashup artists love to make and spread videos based on other people's content. But how many of those artists have explicit permission to use source material from archives like the video libraries of Universal Studios and Warner Brothers Film, and the image and music collections of Getty?

From now until February 29, as part of Getty's Mishmash remix competition, anyone can use those content riches to create a mashup and try to win the contest's $5,000 first prize, as well as get the work in front of a group of influential judges.

"Short story, video … Read more

Here's one that's sure to make art lovers go googly-eyed. Google has teamed with the Getty museum in Los Angeles to bring its Google Goggles visual search feature to museum-goers.

This means Getty-goers with the Google Goggles app on their Android or iOS device can just point their gadget at any painting in the Getty museum's permanent collection to snap a picture and instantly access mobile-optimized versions of the work from around the Web.

They'll also be able to get audio commentary from curators and conservators and biographical information about the artist, and locate other works by the creator at the Getty. We're betting Google Goggles for Getty (try saying that 10 times fast) will also make a great tool for those who get museum overload and want to further reflect on the "Adoration of the Magi" once they've escaped the crowds.

Google first launched its search-by-site tool for Android phones in late 2009 and made it available for the iPhone about a year later. It can recognize books, album covers, artwork, landmarks, product logos, and more, and can also instantly translate text that has been captured by your phone's camera. Google refers to its Goggles search method as "computer vision."

The Getty says it's the first museum to work with Google to make its entire collection of paintings available virtually via Google Goggles. We'd love to see Goggles pop up at more museums, as long as people remember to turn their flashes off and look up while they're Google Goggling. … Read more

Flickr has added a new option by which people can turn their images at Yahoo's photo-sharing site into revenue.

In Flickr's initial partnership with photo licensing powerhouse Getty Images, Getty representatives cherry-picked Flickr photos and photographers they liked. Later, Flickr members could offer their own candidates for evaluation by Getty for licensing.

The new option, called Request to License, lets photographers nominate photos in a way that those who want to license figure into the transaction.

Here's how it works. A photographer can label a photo to be part of the Request to License program. When somebody … Read more

Yahoo's Flickr site has deepened its relationship with photo-licensing power Getty Images so photographers can nominate their own photos for inclusion in Getty's Flickr Collection.

Previously, Getty decided which images it believed were commercially viable, and since the program launched in July 2008, it has put together a collection of more than 60,000 commercial images. Now photographers, instead of just being able to indicate that they're willing to be contacted by Getty, can actively submit a portfolio of images.

"A submission should include exactly 10 images that represent what you consider to be the best … Read more

Bruce Livingstone, founder and leader of microstock pioneer iStockphoto, is leaving the company he sold to Getty Images three years ago.

Livingstone, who launched the low-cost photo-licensing company nine years ago, said he's leaving of his own volition, according to a forum posting from iStock COO Kelly Thompson, who is taking over Livingstone's duties.

"This is my last communication as CEO of iStockphoto and SVP Consumer at Getty Images. It's been a difficult decision, but it's the right moment to move on," Livingstone said. "I need more time with my family, and time … Read more

Getty Images, one of the stock photography powerhouses, has switched on a program by which selected Flickr photographers can license their images to paying customers.

In earlier days of the microstock business, in which photographers license images over the Internet for relatively low prices through sites including Getty's iStockphoto, there was speculation Flickr might jump into the market. After all, there's plenty of good material, and it's often already tagged for easier categorization.

Instead, though, Flickr and Getty announced a partnership in which Getty taps Flickr photographers it believes have potential to sell their photos through Getty. … Read more