What is AI video search?Find any moment inside a video.
AI video search is a way to find the exact moment inside a video by describing it in plain language, instead of scrubbing through footage or reading a transcript. SearchByVideo analyzes every scene — visuals, actions, objects, on-screen text, and speech — and returns the precise timestamp.
How does AI video search work?
AI video search works in four steps: you upload a video, the AI indexes every scene, you search in natural language, and you jump straight to the timestamp or export the clip.
Upload your video
Drag and drop any common video file — MP4, MOV, WebM, and more. No conversion or special software needed.
AI indexes every scene
The AI analyzes the full video — visuals, actions, objects, on-screen text, and speech — building a searchable understanding of every moment.
Search in natural language
Type what you are looking for the way you would describe it to a person, such as “the moment someone opens the red door.”
Jump to the timestamp
Get the exact timestamp of every match. Jump straight to it in the player, or export the clip to use it anywhere.
What can you search for?
You can search for almost anything the AI can see or hear in your video — not just the words that were spoken.
Objects
Find every frame that contains a specific thing — for example “a red sports car,” “a laptop on a desk,” or “a cup of coffee.”
Actions
Locate a specific action or event, such as “someone scoring a goal,” “a person shaking hands,” or “a door opening.”
Scenes
Search by setting or visual composition, like “a sunset over the ocean,” “a crowded city street,” or “an empty office.”
Emotions
Find emotional moments — for instance “a person laughing,” “someone looking surprised,” or “a tearful reaction.”
On-screen text
Search text that appears on screen, such as a slide title, a street sign, a product label, or a caption — even if it is never spoken aloud.
Spoken words
Find where something was said, like “the moment they mention the price” or “when the guest introduces themselves.”
AI video search vs transcript search vs reverse video search
These three often get confused, but they solve very different problems.
Transcript search
Transcript search only covers the spoken words in a video. It searches the text of what was said, so it misses anything visual and fails entirely on silent footage, B-roll, or screen recordings with no narration.
Reverse video search
Reverse video search finds where a video came from. You give it a clip and it looks across the web for the original source or other copies. It answers “where is this video from?” — not what happens inside it.
AI video search
AI video search finds moments inside your own video. It understands visuals, actions, objects, on-screen text, and speech together, so you can describe any moment in plain language and jump straight to its timestamp.
Frequently asked questions
How do you find a specific moment in a video?
Describe the moment in plain language and let AI video search locate it for you. SearchByVideo indexes every scene of your video — the visuals, actions, objects, on-screen text, and speech — so a query like "the moment someone opens the red door" returns the exact timestamp instead of making you scrub through footage.
Can you search a video without a transcript?
Yes. AI video search does not depend on a transcript. It analyzes the actual visual content of every frame — people, objects, actions, scenes, and any on-screen text — so you can find moments in silent footage, B-roll, screen recordings, or clips where nothing is spoken.
Can you search a video by scene?
Yes. You can search by scene, setting, or visual mood — for example "a sunset over the ocean," "a crowded city street at night," or "an empty office." The AI understands the visual composition of each scene and returns the matching timestamps, even when no one mentions the scene out loud.
Is AI video search free?
You can start for free. SearchByVideo gives you free credits when you sign up, with no credit card required, so you can upload a video and run searches right away. Paid plans (Pro and Max) add more monthly credits for heavier or ongoing use.
What video formats are supported?
SearchByVideo works with common video formats such as MP4, MOV, WebM, and other standard web video files. You upload the file, the AI indexes it, and you search it in natural language — no conversion or special software required.
How is this different from reverse video search?
Reverse video search finds where a video came from — it takes a clip and looks for the original source or other copies of it across the web. AI video search does the opposite: it looks inside your own video and finds the exact moment you describe. One answers "where is this video from?"; the other answers "where in this video does X happen?"
Find any moment in your video
Upload a video, describe what you are looking for, and jump straight to the timestamp. Start free — no credit card required.