Workflows
How to Filter Video Search Results by Date, Duration, or Resolution
A search query might return hundreds of results. Narrowing by when it was shot, how long it is, or what resolution it was captured at turns a broad search into a precise one.
You search your library for "interview" and get 340 results. Somewhere in them is the one you need: last month's client shoot, the short version, shot in 4K.
Why keyword search alone falls short
Text search finds every clip where someone says "product launch" and every scene with a whiteboard in it. The bigger the library, the more results a broad keyword returns. A search for interviews returns all of them.
Filters layer constraints on top of the keyword search: when it was shot, how long it is, what format it is in.
The filters available in FrameQuery
FrameQuery's search combines content-based matching (what is in the video) with metadata filtering (facts about the file itself). The metadata filters include:
Date range. Filter by when the video was shot or when it was added to your library. Use a specific range (March 1 to March 31) or a relative range (last 30 days, this quarter). Date is usually the most effective filter, because you usually know the approximate shoot date.
Duration range. Set a minimum and maximum length. A 30-second social clip and a 45-minute full interview both match "interview."
Source folder. Filter by where the file lives on disk. If your footage is organized by project, client, or shoot on your drives, source filtering constrains your search to a specific location.
Project. Filter by which project the video belongs to in FrameQuery. Similar to source folder filtering, but based on your FrameQuery project structure rather than your file system.
Resolution. Filter by the resolution of the footage. Find only 4K clips, or only HD, or only footage above a certain resolution threshold. Useful when you need delivery-quality originals rather than phone footage.
Codec. Filter by the codec or container format. Find all R3D files, all ProRes clips, all H.265 recordings.
These metadata filters combine with the content-based search modalities: transcript (what was said), scenes (what was shown), objects (what appeared), filenames, color, and people.
Combining filters for precision
Filters combine in a single search.
- "product demo" returns every product demo in your library. Potentially hundreds of clips.
- "product demo" + last 3 months returns only recent ones. Maybe 20 clips.
- "product demo" + last 3 months + under 10 minutes returns short, recent product demos. Perhaps 5 clips.
- "product demo" + last 3 months + under 10 minutes + 4K returns short, recent 4K product demos.
Stacked, they take you from hundreds of results to a handful without knowing the filename or the folder.
Practical filtering scenarios
Finding footage from a specific shoot. You know the shoot happened last Tuesday. Filter by date (last week) and source folder (the drive you ingested to). Even without a keyword, this narrows your library to just that shoot's footage.
Pulling clips for social media. You need clips under 60 seconds that work as standalone pieces. Filter by duration (under 60 seconds) and search for the relevant topic. Smart collections can automate this further by saving the duration filter as a persistent view.
Locating 4K originals for delivery. The client wants the highest quality versions. Filter by resolution (4K or above) and codec (ProRes or R3D) to find delivery-grade files, skipping over proxies and screen recordings.
Reviewing recent additions. A team member processed new footage yesterday. Filter by date added (last 24 hours) to see what came in.
Finding everything from a client. Filter by project or source folder to see all footage associated with a specific client. Add a date range to narrow to a particular engagement period.
Saving filter combinations
FrameQuery saves filter combinations as saved searches for one-click reuse.
A saved search stores the complete query: keywords, content filters, and metadata filters together. Click it and the search runs with all filters applied. Typical saved searches are ones run weekly or daily, like "what new footage came in this week" or "short clips from the current project."
For filters you want to apply permanently as a persistent view, smart collections take saved searches a step further by updating automatically in the background.
Filters as a habit
Adding one filter (usually date) before running a search cuts the result set. Start with date when you know when something was shot, then layer duration and source on top when needed.
Download FrameQuery to try filtered video search with your own library.