AI IntelliSearch in DaVinci Resolve is a smart search tool that uses AI to analyze your footage. Instead of manually searching through clips, you can search for objects, people, or scenes using simple keywords. This saves time and lets you focus on editing rather than organizing. It's only available in the Studio version of Davinci Resolve and isn't installed by default so follow along as we show you how to install it and how to use it.
Takeaways:
- How to you set up and use AI IntelliSearch in DaVinci Resolve 21?
- Where is the InteliSearch option found in Davinci Resolve? Is it available in the Free Version?
Table of Contents
How to Set Up AI IntelliSearch in Davinci Resolve
Before using IntelliSearch, you need to install it as it's an additional package:
- Open DaVinci Resolve
- Click the top-left menu
- Go to the Extras download manager
- Choose between two options: Faster or Better
The Faster option processes clips more quickly, while Better provides more accurate analysis. Choose based on your system and needs. It's a bigger AI model so it will take more space.
Once you have it installed do the following
- Open the Media Pool
- Click the three dots in the top-right corner
- Enable Intelli mode
- Select either Faster or Better
This will activate AI-powered search across your media. However to make your footage searchable you'll need to to a few more things.
- Right-click your main bin
- Select AI Tools
- Click Analyze for Search
DaVinci Resolve will now scan all clips and identify visual elements. If you enable face analysis, it will run an additional pass to detect and group faces.
How to Use AI IntelliSearch in DaVinci Resolve
After analysis has finished.
- Click the search icon in the Media Pool
- Choose Search All or Visual Search
- Enter a keyword such as "man", "car", or "tree"
The AI will return clips that match your search. This works even for complex or varied footage. It's actually better than I was expecting for a new AI feature running locally.
What are the Clip Markers
Search results display yellow markers on clips. These markers indicate where in the clip the searched object appears.
You can switch between:
- Full Clips view, which shows entire clips with highlighted sections
- Segments view, which breaks clips into only the relevant portions
Segments are especially useful because you can drag only the exact moment you need onto the timeline. When you drag a segment to the timeline, only that specific portion is added. This makes it easy to build sequences quickly without trimming manually.
Using Face Recognition in Davinci Resolve
If you enabled face analysis:
- Open the face gallery from the Media Pool
- Browse detected faces
Clicking a face shows all clips or segments where that person appears.
To label faces:
- Open the face management menu
- Assign names to detected individuals
Once named, you can search by that person and quickly find all relevant footage.
Create Smart Bins for Automation
Smart bins automatically collect clips based on search criteria.
- After searching for soemthing click the smart bin icon
- Confirm the search parameters
- Create and name the bin
For example, you can create a bin for a specific person or object. As you add new footage and analyze it, smart bins update automatically. This means you do not need to repeat searches. Any new matching clips are added instantly.
