Find Objects, Text, or Products in YouTube Shorts with Google Lens

Google Lens is a powerful visual search tool that allows you to search for information using your camera or by scanning an image from your gallery. It’s not designed to search directly inside YouTube Shorts but you can use it to find any visual information while watching YouTube Shorts.

What is Google Lens and how does it work?

Google Lens is an AI-powered technology that uses your phone’s camera or photos to find information in Google’s vast database. It’s basically a “visual search engine.” When you point Lens at something or show it a picture, it analyzes that thing and presents results related to it.

It can perform the following tasks and Text Translation and Search Scan text written in any language and instantly translate it, or search for that text on the web. For example, text written on an advertisement or signboard. and Object Identification It can recognize plants, animals, famous buildings, artworks, clothing, furniture and other objects. If you point Lens at an object, it can show you information about it, related pictures or links to buy it. and Shopping If you look at a product (such as clothing, shoes, electronics), Lens can recognize it and provide you links to online stores where you can buy it.

What are barcode and QR code scans?

By scanning barcodes and QR codes, it can navigate to related information or websites. Place Identification If you point Lens at a famous place, monument or building, it can provide historical information about it, opening hours or directions. and Homework Help It can help find solutions or explanations for math problems, science equations or other academic questions by scanning them.

How to use Google Lens while watching YouTube Shorts

Since Google Lens is not an inbuilt function directly within YouTube Shorts you will be using it as a separate app. To get information from YouTube Shorts you will need to use the technique of taking a screenshot.

Step-by-step process and how to open and watch YouTube Shorts Open the YouTube app on your smartphone and start watching any Short video. Pause the video and identify information When you see something in a YouTube Short that you want to know more about just pause the video immediately. This can be anything and everything from a specific object in the video (e.g. a unique gadget a particular type of plant a piece of furniture) a specific clothing or accessory worn by the person a text written on a poster banner or book a famous building or place that you want to identify.

What is Google Lens.

You may have the Google Lens app pre-installed on your phone (especially on Pixel and some other Android phones) and if it isn’t you can download it from the Google Play Store (for Android) or Apple App Store (for iOS) and alternatively the Google Photos app also has a Google Lens icon (which looks like a little lens icon). You can also use Lens by opening a screenshot in Google Photos. The Lens icon is also often available in the Google Search bar or Google Assistant and upload the screenshot After opening the Google Lens app you will see the camera view. At the bottom of the screen, you will find the gallery or images icon (it’s usually a square or a small picture icon). Tap on it and select from your screenshot gallery Now your phone gallery will open. Select the screenshot you just took from YouTube Short.

Let Google Lens analyze

As soon as you select the screenshot Google Lens will start analyzing it. It will try to identify the different elements present in the image. Get information and if Google Lens has recognized the text it will give you the option to copy it, translate it or search it on the web and if it is an object plant or place it will provide related web results, shopping links, similar images or information like Wikipedia. And you can also tell Lens to focus on just that part by tapping on a specific object or area on the screen. This is useful when there are multiple things in your screenshot and you just want to know about one.

Let’s use an example and imagine you are watching a YouTube Short where someone is showing a unique plant and you want to know its name. And you pause the Short at the point where the plant is clearly visible and you take a screenshot of that scene. And you open the Google Lens app and select that screenshot from your gallery.

Google Lens will scan that plant and show you its botanical name care tips or maybe even links to nurseries to buy it online. And similarly, if you see a book in Short whose title is not clear on the cover, then you can take a screenshot of it and let Google Lens recognize that text.