While both Premiere and Final Cut have the ability to search clips, Resolve 21 takes this a big step further. Though still currently in beta, Resolve adds a new media search tool that simplifies finding the shot you need next: IntelliSearch.
Intellisearch is not a media asset manager, it only knows about media that you’ve imported into a currently-open project. But it can search for dialog, faces, and visual content.
“IntelliSearch uses AI technology to provide a comprehensive, near instant media search for people and objects. The benefits for increased efficiency in finding exactly the media you need are real and immediate. For all those times when you thought “where was that clip of …?” now you can just ask DaVinci Resolve and it will find it for you.” (DaVinci Resolve Manual)
Here’s how it works.
BEFORE YOU START
To start, you need to download one or both of the IntelliSearch AI models that provide the foundation for identifying content in your media from DaVinci Resolve > Extras Download Manager. There are two models one for the Faster Mode, and one for the Better Mode. You can download one, or both, but your searches will be limited to the packages you have installed. These only need to be installed once.
NOTE: While Faster worked perfectly for me, I had a crash when downloading Better. Because I’m using the beta version, crashes are to be expected. My recommendation is to use Faster during beta, then switch to Better when the Release version is available.
Next you have to decide how you want your content analyzed. Faster is, not surprisingly, faster, while Better provides more accurate content sensing, but the analysis takes much longer.
NOTE: If you are on tight deadlines, pick Faster. If you can allow your content to analyze overnight, use Better. The search speed once analyzed is the same. The speed of analysis depends upon the amount and duration of your media, the speed of your computer and the AI model you are using. I didn’t time it, but Better feels like it takes about 6X longer than Faster.
Click to see larger image.
Next, you tell Resolve which mode you want to use. To do so, click the “3 Dots” menu (left red arrow) and choose your model (right red arrow).
In my case I first analyzed my media several days ago using Faster. Then, while writing this article, I downloaded Better. If you switch models, this warning appears. I clicked Analyze to re-do the indexes..
Regardless of which model you pick, you need to analyze your media for dialog and visual content. This dialog shows the progress of analysis.
Media analysis only needs to be done once – when you import media or open an existing project.
USING INTELLISEARCH
To begin a search, click the magnifying glass (right red arrow). Here, for example, I’m searching for “blue flowers” (center red arrow). Three clips are displayed: one with blue flowers and two with people wearing blue shirts.
By default, Resolve searches across all bins in a project. You can limit that range using the menu for Search In (left red arrow).
NOTE: None of these found clips had the words “blue” or “flower” in the file name or metadata.
Here’s another example, searching for “bicycle.”
But wait! There’s more… Click this icon (red arrow) to the right of the search box, and you convert those search results into a Smart Bin; this is a dynamic bin that updates as additional clips meet the search criteria.
Finally, this icon – just to the right of Add as Smart Bin – opens something amazing – the Face Gallery.
Click it and Resolve displays all the faces in your current project. Click a face and all the clips that it appears in are displayed below. (This finds faces that are as small at 15 x 15 pixels.)
Click the chevron to the right of the Face Gallery icon…
Click to see larger image.
…and a window pops up displaying all faces and allow you to regroup or rename them.
Click the chevron on the left side of the search box (top red arrow) and switch the search from visual content to transcripts. Here, I’m searching for “Pixis 12K.” All the yellow bars under the image thumbnail indicate each time that someone says “Pixis 12K.”
Not only does this find the content, Resolve shows you exactly where it is in the clip.
SUMMARY
Once you find a clip, you review and edit it the same as any other clip. IntelliSearch simply makes finding the clip with the face, content or dialog you need fast and easy.
