PhotoShelter's AI-driven Visual Search gives you and your team the power to search the content of your images rather than the associated metadata (or lack thereof). It's our easiest, fastest, smartest AI update to-date, saving your organization time and money otherwise spent on manually tagging images with IPTC keywords.
Enabling AI Visual Search in the Library
- In the Library, click File Search > in the Left Pane
- Click the toggle to Enable AI Visual Search
- Enter a Search term or phrase i.e. "sliding into home plate" or "students in the classroom." AI Visual Search uses artificial intelligence to show results that are similar in concept to what you ask for.
- Take actions on your results by using the Select All option at the top of the Center Pane, or select images individually. You can also batch select images by dragging your cursor across your selection. Then, click the Actions drop-down menu or use the tabs in the Right Pane.
Search Tips
AI Visual Search does not solely rely on image metadata to return results. This means you can search for broad terms or phrases to find the content you want. Visual Search will return images visually similar to the concept of your search term or phrase. Some examples of this include:
- players celebrating on the field
- keeper diving for a save
- catching a ball mid-air
- staff welcoming guests at check-in
- families enjoying a hike outdoors
- detail shots of the appetizers
- students in the classroom
- the campus at sunset
There's no limit to the length of your search terms or phrases, so the more specific you are in your search, the more specific your results will be. However, keep in mind that AI Visual Search is driven by a conceptual similarity between your search terms and the content of the image. Searches for a specific "when" or "where" may not always return the expected results.
Disclaimer: AI Visual Search uses AI to show results that are visually similar to what you ask for. Though safeguards are in place, it can occasionally produce misleading or biased results.
Filtering AI Visual Search with Metadata
In conjunction with our AI visual search capabilities, Library users (this feature is coming to the Portal soon, for Portal/Invited users) have the ability to locate assets through various metadata tags, such as descriptions, titles, keywords, and more by inputting their search criteria in the "Metadata Search" field displayed below. By selecting the "Include Automated Metadata" option (also shown below), the search will incorporate any AI-generated tags associated with the search results:
You can apply the same filters to your image searches that you would use in a basic non-metadata search. This includes options for custom metadata, dates, attributes, location, gallery location, contributor, and more. If an AI filter has been applied, a banner will be displayed to indicate this:
FAQ
Can I save my AIVS results as a Smart Gallery?
No, Smart Galleries are not yet enabled for AI Visual Search.
Can I disable AIVS for Portal users?
Yes, Admins and Editors can disable AIVS on the Portal via the Automated Metadata settings page.
Will AIVS return non-image results, i.e. videos or PDFs?
AI Visual Search is currently limited to image files only.
What languages are supported for AIVS?
AI Visual Search was built using the English language model. Support for other languages is limited.
Will AIVS learn from the images in our account?
Nope! AIVS is a model built and trained by our team here at PhotoShelter. Your images are not used to train the model, nor are the images stored or cached by AIVS.
My organization has an Integrated Account. Can AIVS search all of my Shared Libraries?
No, AIVS cannot be enabled on a Shared Library. You can only enable AIVS on your primary Library.
I don't see AI Visual Search in my library. How do I get it?
Contact our Customer Success team for more information about adding AIVS to your PhotoShelter account.