This Chrome extension just undid Google's image search changes from last week.

A few days ago, Google removed a feature that many people find quite usable: the ability to easily view — and download — an image found
through Google's search engine.

While the removal of this tool does make it a bit harder to download and potentially abuse copyrighted images, it also makes life a little harder for those who use those images in a fair way. 

However, a new Chrome extension fixes this in the simplest of ways: It brings back the "View Image" button exactly where it was before Google removed it.

Called simply "View image," the extension worked as advertised, at least in my testing. At the time of writing, more than 8,000 people have downloaded, and the reviews are great. 

Obviously, you can still do it in a roundabout way: By clicking "Visit" to go to the page where the image resides, and then downloading it with a right click (in Chrome). But the extension makes it just a little bit easier. 

Google removed the "View Image" button after it signed a licensing partnership with Getty Images, which gives Google the right to use Getty content in its products and services. But judging by the popularity of the extension that brings back the button, quite a few people were unhappy with the change.