An image detection manager uses run length encoding to detect a target image in a candidate image. The image detection manager extracts run length encoding data from the candidate image. The image detection manager distinguishes between a foreground and background of the candidate image and target image, and takes into account an interval of scale factors for matching color runs in the foreground and length runs in the background. The image detection manager treats background pixels as wildcards, and utilizes fuzzy color matching in which color levels of adjacent pixels in the foreground are allowed a specified variation. Using such functionality, the image detection manager compares rows of the run length encoding data from the candidate image to rows of run length encoding data from the target image, and determines whether the target image is present in the candidate image.