How to find a shot by description in DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve 21 added AI IntelliSearch: it finds objects, faces and words from dialogue in the Media Pool. Here's how to set it up and use it, where it falls short, and how Rescanzo handles the same job.
With DaVinci Resolve alone
IntelliSearch runs on models you download separately, and it only searches clips that have been analysed.
- Open DaVinci Resolve › Extras Download Manager and download the IntelliSearch models: Faster, Better, or both.
- In the Media Pool's three-dot menu, choose IntelliSearch Mode › Faster or Better. Better is more accurate but slower to analyse; searching afterwards is equally fast.
- Click the AI Clip Analysis icon in the Media Pool, turn on Analyze for IntelliSearch (and Identify Faces if you want it), and click Analyze. All clips are analysed by default; a dropdown limits it to selected ones.
- Click the magnifying glass in the Media Pool, choose Visual Only, and pick where to search: all bins or selected bins.
- Results show as whole clips with a yellow line over the matching span (hover and press X to set In and Out), or as segments. You can save a search as a Smart Bin.
Limits
IntelliSearch only knows the open project. In CineD's hands-on tests it couldn't handle composition queries like "wide shot". Blackmagic's own pages don't say whether it needs Studio, but third-party reviews list IntelliSearch as a feature of the paid DaVinci Resolve Studio ($295), with the analysis icon greyed out in the free version.
The same in Rescanzo
Rescanzo searches by what's in the frame in Low and Mid mode on your computer, across the whole footage folder before import, and takes queries in Russian or English.
- Add your footage folder to Rescanzo and let indexing finish.
- Pick a mode: Low at 1 token or Mid at 2 tokens.
- Describe the shot, for example "kids blowing out birthday candles" or "car crossing a bridge at night".
- Add what you need to a collection, export it to DaVinci Resolve (FCPXML) and open it with File › Import › Timeline.
Which to use
If you have Resolve Studio and all the footage is already in the project, IntelliSearch is handy: it's built in and can search faces. Rescanzo helps in the free version of Resolve, when footage is still in folders, or when you want Pro mode, where a cloud AI double-checks what was found.
Questions and answers
How is the Faster model different from Better?
Better takes longer to analyse clips but is more accurate. Once analysis is done, searching is equally fast in both.
Will the free version of Resolve work with Rescanzo?
Yes, the FCPXML timeline imports through File › Import › Timeline in the free version too.
What does a description search cost in Rescanzo?
Low costs 1 token and Mid costs 2, however many hours are in the folder; a new account starts with 50 tokens.
Try it on your own footage
A new account gets 50 tokens: that's 25 searches in Mid mode.