VISUAL RESTRICTIONS FOR IMAGE SEARCHES

A method and apparatus are provided for performing an image search based on a search query having a portion P1 and a portion P2. Based on the first search query, a second search query is generated that includes a portion P3 and the portion P2, such that the second search query is broader in scope than the first search query, while still retaining the portion P2 of the first query. A first image search is then performed for the first search query to obtain a first set of search results and a second image search is performed for the second search query to obtain a second set of search results. Consequently, an image from the first set of search results is selected for presentation to a user, wherein the selection is based on content of the second set of search results.