Organize footage with collections

A collection groups videos and gives a search a defined scope. Use collections when you want to work with a particular project, client shoot, or reusable footage category. They help answer a practical question before searching: which material should this request consider?

Choose a useful naming scheme

Use names you can distinguish quickly, such as “Client A — Autumn campaign” or “City B-roll.” Include a project or date when similar names would otherwise be ambiguous. A name should help you select the right collection without opening several unrelated videos.

Start with the way you retrieve footage. If most requests refer to a specific project, organize around projects. If you repeatedly reuse your own general-purpose footage, a recognizable category can be useful. Neither approach changes the need to check the actual source before using a result.

Create and populate a collection

1. Use the new-collection action in ShotAI.
2. Enter a recognizable name.
3. When importing videos or a folder, select that collection as the target.
4. Open it and check the video list before running AI understanding.

The library can show video information and how many shots are searchable. A collection containing videos is not necessarily fully understood yet. Follow Import and understand footage for the processing step.

Collections organize the videos in ShotAI. They do not replace the original files, a backup plan, or a stable storage location. Keep the underlying footage accessible for playback and export.

Search inside the intended scope

Choose the collection before searching, and check the collection filter when changing tasks. Search results should be reviewed with both their picture and source context in mind. A visually suitable result from the wrong project may still be unsuitable for the job.

When asking the AI assistant, state the collection name explicitly:

Search only “Client A — Autumn campaign” for a close-up of hands using the product. Return a short candidate list and keep the search in this collection.

If the name is ambiguous or there is no match, resolve the scope before expanding the request. Finding no result within a project is useful information; silently including another project can hide that gap.

Know what a collection does not establish

Collection scope is an organizational and search boundary, not a team-access permission system. It does not prove that a clip is licensed, approved by a client, or authorized for a new campaign. Keep those decisions in your existing approval and rights workflow.

A collection also differs from a saved editorial selection. The selected-shots panel tracks whole shots for the current workflow; this guide does not promise named, persistent selects, ratings, or approval states.

A quick check before export

Review the source video and selected range for every chosen shot, especially after searching several collections. Confirm that the original files are available and that the intended material is selected. Then continue with Review and export.