https://github.com/ultralytics/flickr_scraper

Simple Flickr Image Scraper
https://github.com/ultralytics/flickr_scraper

flickr flickr-api image-downloader image-downloader-python image-scraper image-scraping photos scraper

Last synced: about 2 months ago
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Simple Flickr Image Scraper

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/ultralytics/flickr_scraper
• Owner: ultralytics
• License: agpl-3.0
• Created: 2020-02-21T21:41:34.000Z (over 5 years ago)
• Default Branch: main
• Last Pushed: 2025-05-11T00:13:41.000Z (about 2 months ago)
• Last Synced: 2025-05-11T00:26:44.069Z (about 2 months ago)
• Topics: flickr, flickr-api, image-downloader, image-downloader-python, image-scraper, image-scraping, photos, scraper
• Language: Python
• Homepage: https://ultralytics.com
• Size: 92.8 KB
• Stars: 223
• Watchers: 9
• Forks: 64
• Open Issues: 7
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md
  • License: LICENSE

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README

        


# 🚀 Introduction

The Flickr Scraper is a [Python](https://www.python.org/) tool designed to help you gather images from [Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/) for creating custom datasets, particularly useful for [Ultralytics YOLO](https://docs.ultralytics.com/models/yolo11/) model training. Based on your search criteria, this tool simplifies the process of collecting relevant images for various [computer vision tasks](https://docs.ultralytics.com/tasks/), streamlining your [dataset preparation](https://docs.ultralytics.com/guides/data-collection-and-annotation/) workflow. Learn more about datasets in our blog post on the [best computer vision datasets](https://www.ultralytics.com/blog/exploring-the-best-computer-vision-datasets-in-2025).

[![Ultralytics Actions](https://github.com/ultralytics/flickr_scraper/actions/workflows/format.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/ultralytics/flickr_scraper/actions/workflows/format.yml)

[![Ultralytics Discord](https://img.shields.io/discord/1089800235347353640?logo=discord&logoColor=white&label=Discord&color=blue)](https://discord.com/invite/ultralytics)

[![Ultralytics Forums](https://img.shields.io/discourse/users?server=https%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.ultralytics.com&logo=discourse&label=Forums&color=blue)](https://community.ultralytics.com/)

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## 🌟 Key Features

- **Keyword Search**: Find images on Flickr using specific keywords relevant to your project.

- **Direct Download**: Easily download images to assemble your [computer vision](https://www.ultralytics.com/glossary/computer-vision-cv) [dataset](https://www.ultralytics.com/glossary/benchmark-dataset).

- **Streamlined Data Collection**: Simplify the process of gathering training data for [model training](https://docs.ultralytics.com/modes/train/) with YOLO models.

## 🔧 Requirements

Ensure you have Python 3.7 or later installed. The necessary dependencies can be installed using [pip](https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/):

```bash

pip install -U -r requirements.txt

```

Key packages include:

- `flickrapi`: A Python wrapper for the Flickr API, essential for interacting with Flickr services. You can find more details on the [`flickrapi` PyPI page](https://pypi.org/project/flickrapi/).

## 🛠️ Installation

To set up the Flickr scraper on your local machine, follow these steps using [Git](https://git-scm.com/):

```bash

# Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/ultralytics/flickr_scraper

# Navigate to the project directory

cd flickr_scraper

# Install the required packages

pip install -U -r requirements.txt

```

## ⚙️ Running the Scraper

Before you begin scraping images:

1.  **Get a Flickr API Key**: Obtain your unique API key and secret by applying [here](https://www.flickr.com/services/apps/create/apply).

2.  **Configure API Credentials**: Insert your API key and secret into the `flickr_scraper.py` script:

```python

# flickr_scraper.py

# Replace with your actual Flickr API key and secret

key = "YOUR_API_KEY"

secret = "YOUR_API_SECRET"

```

3.  **Execute the Script**: Run the script from your terminal, specifying your search query, the number of images to fetch (`--n`), and the `--download` flag to save them locally. Downloaded images are saved by default to the `flickr_scraper/images/` directory, organized into subfolders based on the search query.

    **Important**: Be mindful of Flickr's API rate limits and terms of service. Excessive requests may lead to temporary or permanent blocking. Refer to the official [Flickr API documentation](https://www.flickr.com/services/developer/api/) for detailed usage guidelines.

Example command to download 10 images matching 'honeybees on flowers':

```bash

python3 flickr_scraper.py --search 'honeybees on flowers' --n 10 --download

```

You should see output indicating the download progress:

```plaintext

0/10 https://live.staticflickr.com/21/38596887_40df118fd9_o.jpg

...

9/10 https://live.staticflickr.com/1770/43276172331_e779b8c161_o.jpg

Done. (4.1s)

All images saved to /Users/glennjocher/PycharmProjects/flickr_scraper/images/honeybees_on_flowers/

```

The downloaded images will be available in the specified folder (e.g., `images/honeybees_on_flowers/`), ready for annotation, further processing, or direct use in training your models.



## 📜 Citation

If the Flickr Scraper tool helps your research or work, please consider citing it using the following DOI:

[![DOI](https://zenodo.org/badge/242235660.svg)](https://zenodo.org/badge/latestdoi/242235660)

## 🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! We value input from the community to fix bugs, add features, or improve documentation. Please see our [Contributing Guide](https://docs.ultralytics.com/help/contributing/) for details on how to get started. Don't forget to share your experiences and feedback by completing our [Survey](https://www.ultralytics.com/survey?utm_source=github&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Survey). Thank you 🙏 to all our contributors!

[![Ultralytics open-source contributors](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ultralytics/assets/main/im/image-contributors.png)](https://github.com/ultralytics/ultralytics/graphs/contributors)

## ©️ License

Ultralytics provides two licensing options for this project:

- **AGPL-3.0 License**: An [OSI-approved open-source license](https://opensource.org/license/agpl-v3), ideal for students and enthusiasts who wish to contribute and share improvements publicly. See the [LICENSE](https://github.com/ultralytics/flickr_scraper/blob/main/LICENSE) file for details.

- **Enterprise License**: Designed for commercial applications, this license allows for the integration of Ultralytics software and AI models into commercial products and services without the open-source requirements of AGPL-3.0. If your use case involves commercial deployment, please contact us through [Ultralytics Licensing](https://www.ultralytics.com/license).

## 📬 Contact

For bug reports, feature suggestions, or contributions, please visit [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/ultralytics/flickr_scraper/issues). For broader questions and discussions about Ultralytics projects, join our active community on [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/ultralytics)! Explore the full range of our resources at [Ultralytics Docs](https://docs.ultralytics.com/).