# Scene browser and search

> Analyze media locally to caption scenes, then search by keyword, meaning, or color.

Formats Studio docs · Creative tools · https://formats.app/docs/scene-browser · Updated 2026-09-27

## Analyze with AI

- Run **Analyze with AI** on a clip from the media library, or from the Scene Browser **Analyze** menu.
- The pass runs entirely on your machine: it describes sampled frames, extracts color palettes, and builds local text and visual search indexes. It does not inspect every frame or transcribe speech.
- First use asks to download Local AI. New small imports can be prepared automatically when AI is already available; larger batches ask first.
- Choose **Analyze new media** for clips without captions, or **Re-analyze all** to refresh everything.

> **Note:** Results are reused when source content, sampling interval and AI version match. Descriptions can be wrong; inspect the source before relying on a match.

## Open the Scene Browser

- Open the **Scenes** tab in the Media panel, or press `⇧⌘F`.
- It searches the AI captions and scene data produced by Analyze with AI.
- Set the scope to all analyzed media or a single clip, and sort by **Relevance**, **Timestamp**, or **Media name**.
- Switch between **List view** and **Grid view** to suit browsing or scanning.

## Search modes

| Mode | Matches by |
| --- | --- |
| Keyword | The exact words in a caption — good for a specific object or label. |
| Semantic | Meaning and visual similarity, using downloaded Local AI. Without it, keyword search remains available. |
| Color | A similar palette — pick a swatch from the library palette. |

> **Note:** Results carry match badges — Strong, Good, or Fair — and note whether the match was by keyword, meaning, visual similarity, or color.

## Use a result

- Click a scene to preview it in the source monitor.
- Drag a scene to the timeline to add that moment to your edit.
- If nothing is found, confirm the clip has been analyzed — only analyzed media is searchable.

## Related

- [Media library](https://formats.app/docs/media): Import media, inspect files, and generate proxies, transcripts, captions, and AI scene data.
- [Local AI and transcription](https://formats.app/docs/local-ai): What runs on your Mac and what runs hosted: Local AI for your footage, and transcription.
- [Source monitor](https://formats.app/docs/source-monitor): Preview a source, mark an in/out range, and insert or overwrite it onto the timeline.