Methods for automatically providing descriptors for images to a user include providing an image descriptor database having a plurality of image feature vectors, each of the plurality of image feature vectors having an associated descriptor. A specificity value is assigned to each of the descriptors such that the specificity value comprises an estimation of a degree of description specificity. A first image feature vector is determined for a first image, and the first image feature vector is compared with the plurality of image vectors in the image descriptor database. One or more descriptors for the first image vector is identified based on the comparison of the first image feature vector with the plurality of image vectors and the specificity value of the corresponding descriptor.