Artlist AI-Powered Stock Footage Search Launched

Software NewsArtificial Intelligence

by Julian MitchellJune 13^th, 2023

Subscription-based licensing platform Artlist offers library music, sound effects, stock footage, app templates, plug-ins, and apps. Now they have launched a new AI-engineered footage search engine. Let’s look at the details.

At the moment, Artlist’s new searchability is only available for stock footage but allows for variable search subjects that include composition, references, and moods to specific scenery and characters. The company promises more AI-powered products in the future.

The AI works by extracting images from the footage and converting them into a language model with lexical tagging, which creates semantic assumptions and makes searches more efficient. Users are encouraged to search “the way they think” and not rely solely on keywords, although they are available, too.

Machine learning improves results over time, based on the user’s search terms and contextual cues. Artlist says their new search is much more advanced than traditional keyword matching as it can understand the ‘nuances of human language.’

Their new search announcement follows music platform Uppbeat’s news of a new playlist generator powered by the AI engine Chat GPT.

Artlist’s search options

So, how does it work? When you go to footage search, you will write what you’re looking for in the search box. I asked it, ‘Horse galloping in the sunshine with views from above.’ You can then add other keywords or start refining your search. 

Search results appear as video stills activated on mouse hover; click them to go to the publisher’s home page where there’s more info on the clip.

You have video themes, shot types, and people menus to drill down further. Video themes might help with options like ‘animals and wildlife,’, notably with the horse search I was searching for, but the choices also include default terms like ‘green planet’ or ‘industrial,’ which aren’t helpful.

Shot type is where you choose anything from slow motion, 4K, framing, or shot with a tripod. The people menu asks what, who, and how many people you want in the shot.

The publisher’s home page has the spec of the shot, including camera, frame rate, resolution, and length. It also gives you a choice of possible sound effects for the shot. This option is obviously in beta, as it offered me a rustling cloth and a thunderous Canadian river, and neither suited my wild horses on a moor from a drone perspective shot.

Is the new AI search an improvement?

A clear description of the desired footage can significantly simplify the search process. However, it’s important to remember that this is not a generative AI system, so it’s best to provide practical descriptions. While this approach can quicken the search for suitable footage, it’s important to remember that stock footage libraries are limited to the quality of their current stock. As a result, it may still take some time to locate the perfect shot.

Presumably, Artlist will provide AI search for their other libraries and their recently announced Artlist Max, an all-in-one bundle of music, sound effects, stock footage, templates, plugins, and editing software. That could be a compelling product with a full AI search.

For additional information, please visit Artlist’s site here.

In the comments section below, let us know if you have tried the new AI-powered search on Artlist. Were you impressed by this new feature?