Firefox add-on behind! lets you download any image that is behind the cursor
It is sometimes difficult to download certain elements from websites. Some sites use code that actively prevents the use of save options of the browser that is being used; many use Javascript for that, others try to force you to sign-up for an account before some functionality becomes available.
The new Firefox add-on behind! has been designed as a workaround. It allows you to display and then download any image that is behind the cursor, even on sites that try to prevent this from happening.
All you need to do is install the extension in the browser, right-click on the image that you want to display fully or download, and select the behind! option of the right-click context menu. The extension opens a new tab and loads the selected image in that tab.
The extension may display multiple versions of the image on the opening page; this is the case if the site uses multiple versions, e.g. a small resolution one that it displays on the page and a larger one that it links to.
You can look at the images and use built-in functionality to zoom the content or to save it. To save one of the images, right-click on the image and select the "save image as" option of the context menu to do so.
The developer of the extension lists a number of cases where the extension may help users. It can reveal:
- Background images
- Images under layers of nonsense (e.g. clickable surfaces designed to hide the image from you)
- Embedded images / base64-encoded image chunks
- Alternative resolutions
- Vector images (even when they are inlined)
- Images in shadow DOM
The extension has no options at the time of writing. It worked really well on all tested websites but a set of options would certainly make it more useful or flexible. An option to select the target action when selecting the behind! option comes into mind, e.g. to open the image in a foreground tab instead of a background tab, or to download all images or the smallest/largest right away.
Other than that, it is a great extension for Firefox users who sometimes or often encounter sites that somehow block them from displaying or downloading images.
Now You: Do you use download extensions?
Anyone porting this to XUL?
Doesn’t even work. Why do you recommend stuff that doesn’t work? I see this all over the Internet. People recommend stuff they don’t even check!
Don’t you think you should be a little more specific?
Does this work on OnlyFasn?
https://github.com/kubuzetto/behind
Well if this ain’t the source code what the hell is it?
Is there any extension to clear those overlays?
Used to be able to consistently do so with uBlock Origin, but nowadays it seems that more often than not removing those layers also removes the content they are covering.
Only 3 users… I find that very odd. Think I’ll wait before installing.
this looks really useful. shame there is no access to the source code though. im done installing things like this that need permissions without allowing you to see what they are actually doing behind the scenes. its just not worth it
I keep the thing disabled until I need it. Then I disable it again until next time.
“… and select the behind! option of the right-click context menu”
The option don’t appear in Waterfox Classic (last version)
Hi Belga, all now 100%, test the latest version of behind! 0.2.5 with the latest version of Waterfox Classic 2020-07. Obviously I’m still also using pinterest-guest 3.2.1.
Thank you Martin for this neat topic.
Also running Waterfox Classic and using extension pinterest-guest 3.2.1, different but you can surf without logging in.
After contact with the developer, the problem is resolved. It seemed to concern only the Classic version!
If you see it on your screen, you’ve already downloaded it.
I have to explain this fact to computer illiterate people all the time but I never expected to run across that misconception in an article here.
I read it as the difference between downloading [and saving as a discrete file on disk] and downloading [temporarily into RAM or cache, while page is loaded], myself.
@Dave
“If you see it on your screen, you’ve already downloaded it.” – This really isn’t true. Images are shown in a browser but not cached all the time.
This addon is an elegant and useful solution. Even useful to those droves of computer illiterate people you know.
While that may be the case it is a) not necessarily the highest quality version of the image and b) more cumbersome in my opinion.
I use Image Max URL, in addition to letting me popup and download images and videos, it also tries to find the larger version available using rules, even find images without a watermark for certain sites. Really useful, specially in combination with reverse image search.
@Rnk,
I checked the extension “Image Max URL” you mentioned:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/image-max-url/
maxurl: Finds larger/original versions of images | GitHub – qsniyg
https://github.com/qsniyg/maxurl
I tried using it, it’s certainly very useful!
I thank you.
An article on an add-on which you provide no link for? Martin, you’re slipping!
The link is as always in the Summary box below the review.
What’s that?
Landing Page https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/behind/
Almost no users and no link to source code..
Author here. Thanks for the heads-up! I completely forgot to release the source code… yeah I know
Repository link: https://github.com/kubuzetto/behind
It would be great the exact same extension, but for the video.
XPI files are just ZIP files. extract the 4 JS files and read them. The code is trivial and short enough to understand.
But I agree with your point.
Thank you for this tip. I do use a number of image-related extensions, including Double-Click Image Downloader and twitter-image-helper.
I also use Personal Blocklist, which I have happily used to block Pinterest for spamming Google’s search results with annoyances and dead links.
I would love to see this developed for Chromium based browsers. It would make life easier for sure.
Here is the Chrome version: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/behind/blfpdedbdighagggfhgihcocfheicfjk?hl=en&authuser=0
Very useful tool, but will be great open the images in a new active page and not in background.
Thanks Martin.