Understanding image extraction options
Browse AI offers two approaches to working with images:
Method | What you get | Use when |
Screenshot | Visual capture (PNG file) | Need visual proof or documentation |
Extract image URL | Link to image source | Need to download or reference images |
Extract alt text | Image description | Need accessibility text or captions |
Extracting image URLs
From a single image
Start training your robot in Robot Studio
Click Capture Text → Just text
Hover over the image
When prompted, choose "Image URL" or "Image source"
Label it (e.g., "Product_Image_URL")
Continue training
From multiple images (galleries)
Click Capture Text → From a list
Hover over the image gallery or grid
Select when the outline covers all images
Browse AI detects:
Image URLs
Alt text (if available)
Any associated captions
Configure how many images to extract
Common galleries:
Product image carousels
Real estate photo galleries
Portfolio showcases
Social media image grids
📖 You can use our Google Sheets integration to display the images directly in in Google Sheets.
Taking screenshots of images
When to use screenshots instead
Use screenshots when you need:
Visual documentation of how images appeared
Proof of content at a specific time
Images that might change or disappear
Complex visual layouts with text overlay
How to capture image screenshots
During training, click Capture Screenshot
Choose screenshot type:
Selection: Draw around specific image
Visible part: Current viewport including image
Entire page: Full page with all images
Name your screenshot clearly
Continue training
Common image extraction scenarios
E-commerce product images
Main product image URL
Gallery thumbnail URLs
Alt text for SEO insights
Image count per product
Real estate listings
Property photo URLs
Number of photos
Floor plan images
Virtual tour links
💡 Some sites lazy-load images - scroll to trigger loading during training.
Social media images
Profile pictures (usually small, consistent URL pattern)
Post images (vary in size and number)
Story highlights (may require clicks to access)
News and blog images
Featured image URL
In-article images
Image captions
Photo credits
💡 Extract both URL and alt text for context.
Handling different image formats
Dynamic images
Lazy-loaded images:
Scroll to image location during training
Wait for image to load
Then extract URL
JavaScript-rendered images:
Browse AI executes JavaScript
Images load normally
Extract once visible
Base64 encoded images:
Embedded directly in HTML
Extract as data URL
Larger file size in results
Working with image URLs
What you can do with extracted URLs
✅ Possible actions:
Import to spreadsheet with IMAGE() function
Use in automated workflows
Pass to image processing tools
Create image galleries
Download via other tools
❌ Limitations:
Browse AI doesn't download image files
Can't extract from password-protected images
Some sites block external access to images
Temporary URLs may expire
Post-extraction processing
In Google Sheets:
=IMAGE(A2) // Displays image from URL in cell A2
Via Zapier/Make:
Pass URL to cloud storage
Process with image tools
Create backups
Python example:
python
import requests url = "extracted_image_url" response = requests.get(url) # Save or process image
Best practices
During training
✅ DO:
Check if images are fully loaded
Test with different image types
Label image fields clearly
Consider extracting multiple attributes
❌ DON'T:
Assume all images load immediately
Ignore alt text (valuable for context)
Extract unnecessary high-res versions
Violate copyright or terms of service
Choosing extraction method
If you need... | Use this method |
Image files | Extract URLs → Download separately |
Visual proof | Take screenshots |
Image metadata | Extract alt text and URLs |
Gallery analysis | Capture list of all images |
Quick reference | URL extraction only |
Troubleshooting image extraction
Common issues
Problem | Cause | Solution |
No image URL option | Image is CSS background | Try screenshot instead |
Broken image links | Relative URLs extracted | May need base URL |
Images won't load | Lazy loading or auth required | Scroll or login first |
Wrong image selected | Multiple images overlapping | Use manual selection |
URLs expire quickly | Temporary/signed URLs | Extract and process quickly |
When images are protected
Some sites prevent image extraction:
Right-click disabled
Images in canvas elements
Watermarked overlays
Flash or proprietary viewers
Alternatives:
Screenshot the visible image
Check for API access
Look for public image sources
Contact site owner for access
Image extraction limits
What Browse AI cannot do
Download and store image files
Extract from protected/encrypted images
Process or edit images
OCR text from images
Extract EXIF metadata