Canto AI Visual Search: Goodbye to metadata

As a leading provider of Digital Asset Management (DAM) solutions, Canto is continually at the forefront of innovation, ensuring that its platform remains a powerful tool for businesses worldwide. With the introduction of AI Visual Search, Canto is revolutionising the way organisations manage and retrieve their digital assets. AI Visual Search is transforming the landscape of DAM by significantly enhancing efficiency, precision, and the overall user experience, making it easier than ever to locate and utilise digital content.

Discover the Future of Digital Asset Management

The Impact of Canto AI Visual Search on the World of DAM

Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands out as a beacon of innovation, reshaping how we interact with and manage our digital assets. Among these advancements, AI Visual Search emerges as a groundbreaking tool that goes beyond conventional search methods. Imagine searching your vast library of images and videos without needing a single keyword or manually inputting metadata—AI Visual Search makes this possible. This blog delves into how AI Visual Search is transforming the way you experience Canto, setting a new standard in Digital Asset Management (DAM).

What is AI Visual Search?

AI Visual Search is a revolutionary feature that harnesses advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning to transform how you interact with your digital assets. Unlike traditional search tools that rely on manually added metadata, AI Visual Search analyses the visual content of images and videos directly. This allows users to find and organise digital assets based on visual characteristics alone—no metadata required.

By employing sophisticated algorithms, AI Visual Search creates AI-readable equivalents of your images and videos, enabling precise and intuitive searches. Whether you’re looking for specific objects, scenes, or visual themes, AI Visual Search delivers instant, accurate results, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of your digital asset management.

Moreover, AI Visual Search operates entirely within your Canto account, ensuring that your assets remain secure and compliant with industry standards. This cutting-edge technology not only streamlines your workflow but also safeguards the integrity and privacy of your digital content.

With Canto’s industry-leading AI Visual Search, you can quickly scan your entire library to instantly find the exact images and videos you need.

Why choose AI Visual Search?

• Unmatched Efficiency

  AI Visual Search significantly reduces the time spent searching for assets by providing instant, highly accurate results. Whether you’re managing thousands or millions of digital assets, AI Visual Search enables you to find what you need in seconds, allowing you to focus on more strategic tasks.

• Superior Accuracy

  By analysing the visual content and context of your assets, AI Visual Search delivers precise search outcomes without relying on metadata. This advanced AI understands shapes, colours, patterns, and other visual elements to ensure that the right assets are always at your fingertips.

• Reduced Cost of Ownership

  AI Visual Search eliminates the need for extensive metadata maintenance, reducing the time and resources typically required to tag and manage your digital assets. By relying on advanced visual analysis instead of metadata, AI Visual Search lowers the ongoing costs associated with digital asset management while still ensuring quick and accurate retrieval of your content.

• Enhanced User Experience

  Designed with users in mind, AI Visual Search simplifies the search process, making it intuitive and accessible for everyone, regardless of technical expertise. Whether you’re an experienced digital asset manager or a novice user, AI Visual Search makes searching as simple as uploading an image or typing a keyword.

• Proven Security and Compliance

  AI Visual Search operates entirely within your Canto account, ensuring that your digital assets remain secure and compliant with industry standards. You retain full control over your data, with the confidence that your assets are protected and never shared with third parties.

 

See Canto AI Visual Search in action.

Revolutionising Efficiency: Reducing Manual Labour and Saving Costs

In today’s fast-paced digital world, reducing manual labour and lowering costs are key drivers behind the adoption of AI technologies. Canto recognises the importance of these needs for our customers, and that’s precisely why AI Visual Search was created—to provide a solution that not only enhances efficiency but also delivers significant cost savings.

Reduction in Manual Labour

AI-driven image recognition and tagging within AI Visual Search automates the traditionally labour-intensive process of labelling and categorising digital assets. What once required hours of manual effort can now be accomplished in a fraction of the time. This automation frees up your team to focus on more creative and strategic tasks, enhancing overall productivity.

While metadata has long been essential for organising digital assets, the manual process of tagging can be both time-consuming and prone to errors. With AI Visual Search, Canto has eliminated the need for manual metadata entry by automatically analysing the content of your images and videos. This ensures that your assets are accurately categorised and easily searchable, leading to a more efficient and streamlined workflow.

Cost Savings and Return on Investment (ROI)

The quick and precise retrieval of assets through AI Visual Search means that your resources are used more effectively, maximising the return on investment for your digital content. By reducing the time spent on manual tasks and improving the accuracy of asset management, AI Visual Search helps your organisation lower operational costs and achieve greater value from your digital assets.

The Cost of Manual Metadata Entry vs. AI Visual Search: A Clear Case for Savings

One of the most compelling reasons to adopt AI Visual Search is the substantial cost savings it offers compared to manually tagging digital assets. To illustrate this, let’s break down the cost of manually entering metadata for 10,000 assets, based on feedback from many of our customers.

Before AI Visual Search: The Cost of Manual Metadata Tagging

Manually tagging assets is a labour-intensive process. Typically, it takes between 3 to 10 minutes to correctly metadata tag each asset. For our calculation, we’ll use an average time of 5 minutes per asset.

Time Calculation:

• Average time per asset: 5 minutes

• Total assets: 10,000

• Total time required: 10,000 assets × 5 minutes = 50,000 minutes

• Convert to hours: 50,000 minutes ÷ 60 = 833.33 hours

Cost Calculation:

Let’s assume an annual wage range of $60,000 to $80,000:

• Hourly wage for $60,000 per year: $28.85
• Hourly wage for $80,000 per year: $38.46

Now, calculate the total cost:

This calculation shows that the cost of manually tagging 10,000 assets can range from $24,038.33 to $32,693.33.

Compare This to AI Visual Search

By adding AI Visual Search to your Canto instance, which costs approximately $10,000, you can eliminate the need for manual metadata entry. Not only does this result in immediate cost savings, but these savings will recur every time you add new content to Canto.

Visual Representation:

The chart below visually compares the estimated costs of manually tagging 10,000 assets at different wage levels:

As you can see, AI Visual Search presents a clear and compelling case for reducing costs, freeing up valuable time, and improving the overall efficiency of your digital asset management process.

Where Do These Cost Savings Come From?

The cost savings achieved with Canto’s AI Visual Search stem primarily from two critical areas:

1. Reduction in Time Spent Adding Content to Your DAM Solution (Canto)

2. Reduction in Time Spent by Users Finding the Right Content

Try for yourself: Calculate your annual cost of asset tagging

How Does This Work?

Uploading and Analysing Content

When you upload an image or video, Canto’s AI Visual Search immediately gets to work. It analyses the visual content using sophisticated algorithms to extract key features. This process involves creating an AI-readable equivalent of the content at the time of uploading, which is then stored and ready to be searched later. This automation drastically reduces the manual effort previously required to tag and categorise each asset.

Search and Discover

Canto’s AI Visual Search utilises a Natural Language Processing (NLP) engine that allows you to search using plain English phrases. When you input a search phrase, AI Visual Search generates an AI-readable equivalent image of what that phrase means visually. It then compares this generated image to the AI-readable equivalents of the content in your library, finding the closest matches.

Here’s how it simplifies and accelerates the search process:

• Keyword Search: Users can enter keywords related to objects, scenes, or attributes they are looking for. AI Visual Search will retrieve relevant images based on the visual characteristics of the assets, without relying on metadata.

• Image Search: Users can upload an image or select an existing one to find visually similar images within the Canto library. AI Visual Search analyses visual elements such as shapes, colours, and patterns to find the best matches.

By reducing the time spent both uploading and searching for content, AI Visual Search significantly lowers the overall cost of managing digital assets. These efficiencies translate directly into savings for your organisation, making AI Visual Search an invaluable tool for enhancing productivity and reducing operational costs.

How Does AI Visual Search Handle Complex Contexts?

For readers already familiar with the challenges of managing metadata in a Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution, a key question often arises: How efficiently can AI Visual Search locate content that requires specific contextual understanding?

In traditional DAM systems, accurately locating content based on nuanced contexts can be a daunting task. Metadata alone often falls short, especially when trying to differentiate between similar scenes with slight variations. This is where AI Visual Search truly excels—by understanding the visual context within images, it delivers precise search results that would be challenging, if not impossible, to achieve through manually entered metadata.

Contextual Analysis in Action

AI Visual Search goes beyond simple object recognition by analysing the context in which objects appear within images. This capability significantly enhances the accuracy of your searches. Let’s explore an example to illustrate this:

• Scenario 1: You’re searching for images of “a group of students in front of stairs”. AI Visual Search can effortlessly retrieve all relevant images featuring groups of students in this specific setting.

  

• Scenario 2: Now, suppose you need an image of “a single university student in front of stairs”. This is a more specific request that would typically be difficult to capture accurately with traditional metadata tagging. However, AI Visual Search can distinguish this nuanced context, allowing it to retrieve images that match this precise requirement.

These examples highlight the remarkable ability of AI Visual Search to understand and process complex visual contexts, enabling you to find exactly what you’re looking for—quickly, easily, and at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional methods.

By leveraging this advanced contextual analysis, AI Visual Search simplifies the search process, eliminates the frustrations associated with incomplete or ambiguous metadata, and ensures that your digital assets are always easily accessible.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Metadata, Content Management, and Data Security

As we dive deeper into the benefits of AI Visual Search, we know you’ve got some burning questions—especially if you’re already well-acquainted with the challenges of metadata in a DAM solution. Let’s tackle these questions head-on, with a sprinkle of fun to keep things interesting!

How Can I Avoid or Reduce Time Spent Entering Metadata?

Ah, the old metadata conundrum. For those who’ve been wrangling with DAM systems for a while, you know how time-consuming metadata entry can be. Until mid-2023, AI in DAM solutions was all about automating metadata tagging. But now, with AI Visual Search, you can kick back and relax—because there’s no need to add metadata at all! That’s right, AI Visual Search doesn’t rely on metadata to find your content. Instead, it’s all about visual analysis, making your life a whole lot easier and freeing up your time for more creative pursuits.

Will I Be Able to Upload More Content with AI?

Absolutely! With AI Visual Search handling the heavy lifting, you can upload more content without breaking a sweat. By automating those repetitive tasks that used to take up so much of your time, AI Visual Search gives you the freedom to scale your digital library without the usual headaches. Think of it as your personal DAM superhero—saving the day (and your sanity) by making content management a breeze.

How Does AI Visual Search Process My Data?

Great question! We know that data security is top of mind for you, and rightly so. Canto’s AI Visual Search has been designed with your security in mind. It operates entirely within your Canto account storage, meaning your assets are never shared with third parties or leave your control. The AI works within a self-contained environment, mapping the visual data of your images and videos without ever accessing the original files. And because confidentiality matters, the AI only processes visual content—no audio, text-based documents, or presentations.

In short, AI Visual Search ensures that your data stays safe, secure, and under your full control, all while delivering top-notch performance in visual search.

Practical Examples: See AI Visual Search in Action

To truly appreciate the power and precision of Canto’s AI Visual Search, let’s dive into some practical examples that showcase how AI Visual Search can transform your search experience—especially when it comes to marketing and advertising campaigns. Imagine you’re managing a vast library of 1.8 million records, and you need to find just the right images for your next campaign. AI Visual Search makes this process not only possible but also incredibly efficient.

Example 1: Searching for “A wooden boat”

You begin with a broad search—“a wooden boat”. Instantly, AI Visual Search scans through your extensive library and pulls up images of all types of wooden boats. Whether they’re modern or rustic, minimalist or ornate, AI Visual Search delivers a comprehensive selection that fits your initial search criteria.

Example 2: Narrowing Down to “a wooden boat on a mountain lake”

Now, you need something more specific—“a wooden boat on a mountain lake”. With just a slight tweak to your search phrase, AI Visual Search refines the results, presenting you with images that capture a wooden boat surrounded by mountains. The search becomes more focused, yet AI Visual Search still operates with speed and precision, ensuring you get exactly what you need.

Example 3: Pinpointing “a woman in a wooden boat on a mountain lake in Thailand ”

Finally, you require an even more specific image: “a woman in a wooden boat on a mountain lake in Thailand” This level of detail would typically be a nightmare to search for manually, but with AI Visual Search, it’s a breeze. In just seconds, AI Visual Search hones in on images that match this exact description, saving you valuable time and ensuring you find the perfect visual for your campaign.

These examples highlight the incredible capability of AI Visual Search to understand and process complex visual queries, allowing you to find the right content quickly and effortlessly. Whether you’re conducting a broad search or looking for something highly specific, AI Visual Search delivers accurate results that keep your projects on track and your creativity flowing.

More Ways AI Visual Search Can Transform Your Workflow

As we’ve seen, Canto’s AI Visual Search offers powerful tools for marketers, but its benefits don’t stop there. Let’s explore a few more scenarios where AI Visual Search can make a real difference in your day-to-day operations. Imagine how these capabilities could simplify your work and boost your efficiency.

E-commerce: Boosting Consistency and Accuracy in Product Listings

In the fast-paced world of e-commerce, consistency and accuracy in your product listings are crucial. With AI Visual Search, you can efficiently manage and retrieve product images from your vast digital library. Imagine needing to update a series of product pages with images of a new collection—AI Visual Search allows you to quickly locate all relevant images based on visual characteristics alone. This ensures that your listings are not only consistent but also accurate, reducing the risk of errors and enhancing your brand’s credibility.

Benefit: By streamlining your image retrieval process, AI Visual Search helps maintain a high standard of quality across your product listings, ultimately improving customer satisfaction and driving sales.

Media and Entertainment: Streamlining Large Volumes of Content

If you’re in the media or entertainment industry, you know the challenge of managing vast amounts of media content—whether it’s photos, videos, or promotional materials. AI Visual Search enables you to streamline the search and organisation of this content, so you can easily find the exact assets you need for your next project. For example, if you’re assembling a promotional video and need specific clips or images that match a particular theme, AI Visual Search can quickly pull up the most relevant files, saving you hours of manual searching.

Benefit: AI Visual Search accelerates your content creation process, allowing you to focus on producing high-quality media rather than getting bogged down in endless searches.

Corporate Communications: Enhancing Internal and External Communications

Effective communication is at the heart of any successful organisation, and AI Visual Search can play a pivotal role in managing the digital assets you use in both internal and external communications. Whether you’re preparing a presentation for a board meeting or creating content for a corporate newsletter, AI Visual Search helps you quickly locate and organise the images, videos, and documents you need. Imagine the ease of pulling up exactly the right visuals to support your message, all within moments.

Benefit: AI Visual Search enhances your ability to deliver clear, consistent, and visually engaging communications, improving the overall impact of your corporate messaging.

These examples demonstrate just a few of the many ways AI Visual Search can elevate your work across various industries. By directly addressing the challenges you face and offering tailored solutions, AI Visual Search not only makes your job easier but also adds tangible value to your organisation.

Exciting New Features for AI Visual Search

We’re thrilled to share some breaking news with you—Canto has just rolled out an exciting update to AI Visual Search that takes its functionality to the next level!

Enhanced Video Clip Search Functionality

In the latest release, AI Visual Search has significantly improved its ability to search and preview video clips. Here’s what’s new:

• Thumbnails for Video Clips: Now, every video clip found by AI Visual Search will be accompanied by a thumbnail, giving you a quick and easy way to preview your search results at a glance. No more guessing or clicking through countless files—these thumbnails bring instant clarity to your search.

• Relevance-Based Organisation: AI Visual Search now organises video clips based on their relevance to your search query, making it even easier to find the perfect match for your needs. The top match is highlighted, so you can quickly zero in on the content that best fits your criteria.

• Visual Timeline Indicators: To further assist you in navigating through your video assets, AI Visual Search now includes a diamond symbol on the asset’s timeline, indicating the exact location of each clip. This feature streamlines the process of locating specific moments within your videos, saving you valuable time and effort.

These enhancements make AI Visual Search an even more powerful tool for managing your digital assets, particularly when working with video content. Whether you’re assembling a complex media project or simply need to find the right clip quickly, AI Visual Search has you covered with these innovative new features.

See this Canto Feature Update 5-10-16 article for full details.

The Future of AI Visual Search in Canto: A Vision from databasics

As we look ahead, we at databasics are genuinely excited about the future of AI and Digital Asset Management (DAM). The world of AI is advancing at an incredible pace, and with every new development, we see a future brimming with possibilities. These are our thoughts—our dreams, really—about where AI Visual Search in Canto and similar platforms could go. And yes, we’re as passionate as it gets about what lies ahead!

• Shared Workspaces: Imagine a world where collaboration knows no bounds—where multiple users can work on digital assets simultaneously, with AI seamlessly organising and synchronising contributions in real-time. We believe this could be a game-changer for creative teams, bringing efficiency and harmony to collaborative projects.

• Feedback Integration: We envision AI that not only helps you search but also listens to your team. Picture an AI that can analyse and incorporate feedback from team members, streamlining the review and approval process. It’s like having a smart assistant that helps everyone stay on the same page, making your workflow smoother and more cohesive.

• Secure Tracking with Blockchain: The future of AI in DAM could also see the integration of blockchain technology. This would provide an unbreakable chain of custody for your digital assets, ensuring that every image, video, or document you manage has its authenticity guaranteed. Say goodbye to worries about copyright infringement—AI could keep everything in check.

• Personalised Results: AI that knows you as well as your best colleague? It’s not far-fetched. We imagine AI learning from your behaviour and preferences, delivering search results that are tailor-made for you. It’s like having a search engine that’s been designed just for you, improving efficiency and satisfaction in ways we can only dream of—right now.

• Custom Tagging Systems: Forget one-size-fits-all. We see a future where users can create and refine their own custom tagging systems, perfectly aligned with their unique needs and workflows. This level of personalisation could make managing digital assets more intuitive and effective than ever before.

• Scalable Solutions: As enterprises continue to grow, so too must their DAM solutions. We foresee AI becoming even more scalable, effortlessly accommodating the expanding digital libraries of tomorrow’s businesses. This ensures that no matter how much your organisation grows, your AI tools will grow with you, maintaining peak performance and reliability.

At databasics, we’re not just watching these developments unfold—we’re actively engaging with them, bringing our insights and enthusiasm to everything we do. The future of AI and DAM is bright, and we’re thrilled to be on this journey, helping our clients navigate the exciting path ahead.

Final Thoughts: Join Us in Shaping the Future

As we’ve explored throughout this blog, the advancements in AI Visual Search are more than just technological innovations—they’re a glimpse into a future where managing digital assets is not only more efficient but also more creative, collaborative, and tailored to your unique needs. With improvements in accuracy, personalisation, integration, collaboration, and ethical compliance, AI Visual Search is set to redefine what’s possible in the digital asset management landscape.

At databasics, we’re not just excited about this future—we’re actively working to bring it to life alongside Canto. We believe in the power of these tools to transform the way you work, unlocking new levels of productivity and creativity. But more than that, we believe in building this future together with you, our valued partners and clients.

We invite you to join us on this journey. Let’s embrace this marvellous future together, creating a world where AI not only meets but exceeds your expectations, helping you achieve your goals and realise your vision. Together, we can shape the future of digital asset management in ways we can only begin to imagine today.

Thank you for being a part of this exciting adventure. We can’t wait to see where it takes us—all of us—next!