I’ve got no clue how to pronounce their name, but Idee is up to some cool stuff. This weekend I found a link to their Multicolr software, which extracts “the colours from 10 million of the most ‘interesting’ Creative Commons images on Flickr” and, by using “visual similarity technology,” allows you to navigate the collection by color. It is really pretty amazing. Give it a try.

What is “visual similarity technology,” you ask? Here’s what Idee has to say about it:

Visual similarity technology uses sophisticated algorithms to analyze hundreds of image attributes such as colour, shape, texture, luminosity, complexity, objects and regions.

These attributes form a unique visual signature and are arranged by our software into a visual index of your image set. The compact image signature is calculated quickly, stored efficiently and used to facilitate searches for similar images using an optimized and accurate comparison engine.

The implications and applications of the software are only limited by imagination. For our purposes, it’s a great way to test color combinations and find Creative Commons photos that might assist in comp layouts. Very awesome.