Google has just ruined Google Images.

[Princess Luna]

Today Google has officially rolled out their new UI for world's known Google Images search engine which has brought a key change to how image previews are handled:

 

If you’re browsing Google Image search results today, you might notice a new interface element: A sticky side panel that displays any images you click on, providing a closer look at the specific image you want to see, including related images, additional info like ratings, price and in-stock status, ingredients and cooking times, depending on whether you’re searching for products, recipes or something else.

 

The new sidebar replaces a full-width, in-column interface element, with the advantage that the new interface allows you to continue to browse the image result thumbnails returned on the left. Clicking on any other images will replace the one in the sidebar, but you can easily navigate back and forth with your browser’s built-in navigation features, or you can page through the results in sequence using the right and left arrow keys.

 

 

Old Style on spoiler for reference:

Spoiler

 

While Google's intentions are good this change has already received an overwhelming amount of negative feedback and complains specially at Google Help Forums, lots of users have been criticizing this change as it makes using Google Images an worse experience from the previous UI design with many claiming Google should revert this change or allow the user to opt for which way they prefer.

 

People also have been requesting Firefox and Chrome extensions that can "revive" the old design where the image opens entirely at the bottom.

 

Myself on a personal note would like to point out that I also dislike this new design decision and I would much prefer to go back to the older one, genuinely considering DuckDuckGo for image searches until an alternative's met.

 

Source.

[Fasauceome]

Should be easy to make an extension to fix, not sure why they went out of their way to open images on the side an not bottom however, I don't necessarily see an objective advantage to rotating the image layout.

[Spotty]

1 minute ago, Princess Luna said:

Today Google has officially rolled out their new UI for world known Google Images search engine which has brought a key change to how image previews are handled

Oh! I was wondering why my google image search was being an ass earlier today.

 

3 minutes ago, Princess Luna said:

While Google's intentions are good this change has already received an overwhelming amount of negative feedback and complains specially at Google Help Forums, lots of users have been criticizing this change as it makes using Google Images an worse experience from the previous UI design with many claiming Google should revert this change or allow the user to opt for which way they prefer.

This is probably one of those things where everyone will hate it when it is new and then in a few months time everyone will love it and just accept it as being the norm, forgetting what the old design even looked like.

[Origami Cactus]

So that is why my incognito photo search looked like that...

Interesting that they launched the feature like 2 weeks earlier on the incognito search, but now my real search also looks like that...

 

Now the images are much smaller than before, harder to get a proper look.

[LukeSavenije]

this works horrible

 

you can't change my mind

[RejZoR]

As much as I hate Google, I don't see how this is bad design. I'm using DuckDuckGo and their segmenting across entire width (which I assume is similar to old Google design) is sometimes a bit annoying or clumsy as it's shifting the whole page around. Here, it's not which seems more convenient. You do need extra width on the screen tho...

[WereCat]

This looks neat. 

Better than previous design imo. 

[Origami Cactus]

2 minutes ago, RejZoR said:

As much as I hate Google, I don't see how this is bad design. I'm using DuckDuckGo and their segmenting across entire width (which I assume is similar to old Google design) is sometimes a bit annoying or clumsy as it's shifting the whole page around. Here, it's not which seems more convenient. You do need extra width on the screen tho...

As far as i can see you can't view a photo fullscreen anymore. So you now need to right click on the photo, "open in new tab", and then click "shift+tab" to navigate to that tab. More annoying than just clicking on the photo once.

[The Benjamins]

wait whats the issue?

[AHaskin14]

meh. kinda like it

[colonel_mortis]

I use DuckDuckGo anyway, so I've not tried this first hand for actually trying to find an image, but it looks sensible to me. It doesn't get in the middle of the thumbnails like it did before.

[dtaflorida]

The new side panel view doesn't really give much of and enlargement of the image that the old one did. Navigation from one image to another is better tho, but kinda pointless to click on anything since it doesn't enlarge much for me at the size browser window I like.

 

Ok... I was kinda ok with it until I found the randomly inserted related search tiles in the main results photos. How soon till they start inserting ads there?

[RejZoR]

6 minutes ago, Origami Cactus said:

As far as i can see you can't view a photo fullscreen anymore. So you now need to right click on the photo, "open in new tab", and then click "shift+tab" to navigate to that tab. More annoying than just clicking on the photo once.

Ok, that is a bit silly and clumsy. I like how DuckDuckGo does that. When you open it, there are two links next to image. One opens new tab with whole webpage which contains the image and another opens just the image in question. Works quite well.

[BuckGup]

Haven’t used Google in awhile now. Never looked back. I actually prefer DDG as the results aren’t bias and paid. You simply get what you search for and see the results as they should be

[jiyeon]

I kind of like this new layout, but I can't help but feel like the preview is too small, especially when viewing landscape-oriented images. It needs more width on the previews. I use an ultrawide and would appreciate if the width could be adjusted a bit to fill in the space a bit more.

I think for now I still prefer the older layout but I could certainly get used to it.

 

It does beg the question, why did Google decide Images need this change in the first place?

 

Spoiler

 

[toobladink]

I like this a lot because you can still see the other images you searched while expanding the one you want. I've always hated out it pushes other images aside when you click on one and you can't get a clear view if you're trying to compare one image to another

[flibberdipper]

I honestly don't mind it. Like it's not the best design ever, but it's far from the worst.

[syclone]

FFS, who even thought this is a good idea? I often have two windows side by side (with a 16:9 display) and this just kills me now. Hopefully someone with knowledge of code will make an extension or it would be posiible to edit code like with YT to switch back to the old design. 

Edit: Just tried DDG... speechless - so much customisation available

[schwellmo92]

Why so much backlash? It is functionally better. Some people just don’t like any change at all.

[rcmaehl]

Been having this "feature" for the past couple weeks. I guess G Suite accounts get first run at new features.

 

[rcmaehl]

1 minute ago, Jack_of_all_Trades said:

So is there a functionality change cause I do not see it ? This feels like that "debate" on where the taskbar should be (bottom,right,top and those crazy people on the left).

Left and right are obviously far superior placement for handheld devices.

Bottom is fine for desktop devices

Top is blasphemy unless it's integrated into the title bar like Mac/Linux does

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Jack_of_all_Trades said:

 (bottom,right,top and those crazy people on the left).

I'll let you know, Mister, that I'm one of those "crazy people"!

 

Here's my glove! Let's have a duel!

 

 

[Bananasplit_00]

Well, have fun people still using Google search.

[mr moose]

I hate it because its change and I hate change, but I do like that you can keep scrolling through the other results whilst looking at the one image you have enlarged.

[Anomnomnomaly]

19 hours ago, Princess Luna said:

Myself on a personal note would like to point out that I also dislike this new design decision and I would much prefer to go back to the older one, genuinely considering DuckDuckGo for image searches until an alternative's met.

 

Source.

 

I stopped using google for anything search related years ago... Been using duckduckgo across my desktop and mobile devices ever since.