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Overview

This node enables users to perform image searches using Bing Images through the SerpApi service. It allows querying Bing's image search engine with various filters and parameters to retrieve relevant images based on a search query. This is useful for automating image retrieval tasks, enriching content with images, or integrating image search capabilities into workflows.

Practical examples include:

  • Automatically fetching images related to a product name for e-commerce listings.
  • Gathering visual content for marketing campaigns based on keywords.
  • Searching for images filtered by size, color, license, or layout for creative projects.

Properties

Name Meaning
Search Query (q) The main search term or phrase used to find images on Bing Images. Example: "coffee".
Market codes (mkt) The market locale for the search results, such as language and region (e.g., en-US). Mutually exclusive with the Country code parameter.
Additional Fields A collection of optional parameters to further refine the search:
- Country (cc) Country code to specify the country for the search. Mutually exclusive with the Market code parameter. Examples: US, GB, FR, etc.
- Result Offset (first) Offset for the first result to return, controlling pagination. Default is 1.
- Number of Results (count) Number of image results to return per page. This is a suggestion and may not be strictly followed by the API.
- Image Size (imagesize) Filter images by size: Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large (wallpaper).
- Color (color2) Filter images by color: Black, Black & white, Blue, Brown, Color Only, Gray, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, Teal, White, Yellow.
- Type (photo) Filter images by type: Animated GIF, Clipart, Line Drawing, Photo, Transparent.
- Layout (aspect) Filter images by layout: Square, Wide, Tall.
- People (face) Filter images by presence of people: Faces Only, Head & Shoulders (portrait).
- Date (age) Filter images by date range: Past 24 hours, Past week, Past month, Past year.
- License (license) Filter images by license type: All Creative Commons, Free to modify/share/use, Free to share/use commercially, Public Domain, etc.
- Device (device) Specify device type for search results: desktop (default), tablet, mobile.
- Disable Caching (no_cache) Whether to force fresh results ignoring cached data. Default false (allow cache).
- Async (async) Whether to perform the search asynchronously. Default false (wait for results immediately).
- ZeroTrace Mode (zero_trace) Enterprise-only mode to disable storing search metadata on servers for privacy. Default false.
- Output (output) Format of the output: JSON (structured data) or html (raw HTML). Default is JSON.
- JSON Restrictor (json_restrictor) Restricts fields returned in the JSON response, e.g., limiting to certain properties or number of results.

Output

The node outputs a JSON object containing the search results from Bing Images via SerpApi. The structure includes metadata about the search and an array of image results matching the query and filters. Each image result typically contains URLs, titles, thumbnails, source information, and other metadata depending on the API response.

If the output format is set to html, the raw HTML content retrieved from the search is returned instead.

Binary data is not directly output by this node; it focuses on structured JSON or raw HTML responses.

Dependencies

  • Requires an active SerpApi account with a valid API key credential configured in n8n.
  • Internet access to call the SerpApi endpoint at https://serpapi.com/search.json.
  • Proper configuration of the API key credential in n8n to authenticate requests.

Troubleshooting

  • Common issues:

    • Invalid or missing API key credential will cause authentication errors.
    • Using mutually exclusive parameters together (e.g., both mkt and cc) may lead to unexpected results or API errors.
    • Requesting too many results or unsupported filter combinations might result in partial or empty responses.
    • Enabling async mode without proper handling of delayed results can cause confusion.

  • Error messages:

    • Authentication errors indicate invalid or missing API credentials; verify and update the API key.
    • Parameter validation errors suggest conflicting or invalid input parameters; review property values especially mutually exclusive ones.
    • Rate limit errors mean the API quota has been exceeded; consider upgrading the plan or reducing request frequency.

Links and References

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