Better intelliscript

I would like to see the intelliscript have an option to follow the exact crafted transcript.

I have sentences taken from different takes (exact words), and the actual intelliscript only use like 20% of it. I want it to make a timeline with the exact transcript, and not having it to choose which sentences are added or no.

I had hope of this tool when I saw it, I tried today, it's just some kind of gimmick, when it could be something very useful.

Yeah sadly it’s not even close to working for me either. Have tried it on two existing short projects and it creates a timeline that’s like monkeys throwing darts at a target. Random.

I sent the project and trimmed media to BMD - they said they’d look at it - but that was about a week ago and so far radio silence.

Yeah, and honestly, it wouldn't take much to make it pretty good for the most basic function... just by arranging a timeline based on the transcript. If it would have done that, it would be 90% there, right off the bat

Why not starting with that... No, we need something gimmicking with zero input control.

When I first heard about the feature, I was genuinely excited at the idea of being able to "edit" outside of Resolve and generate a timeline from that. Just jump in and go. No scrubbing. No mess.

Like: "I need this paragraph, this one, and that response, this goes here, that there..." Done. And then resolve takes these parts and put them in order on a timeline.

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm feeling pessimistic about the future of this new tool. We've seen way too many features roll out half-baked, only to be left hanging with the occasional bug fix months later.

Even the transcription tool regressed. Yeah, it's in beta, but with Resolve, it constantly feels like we're starting from scratch, again and again. Same with Magic Mask. It was never properly "fixed" or updated with a better-trained AI model, or whatever.

Meanwhile, RunwayML's been doing it right for ages with an online tool lol (yeah I know the processing is done on their server, but the "logic" and the selection is pretty straight forward). They've had object tracking with this dot selection method for years. And we always could add points to a keyframe and it would some kind of interpolation to not select parts of an object.

Boris FX has their Matte ML does that (and their "AI" nodes and stuff are really polished too). They fix stuff so quickly. They never left their tools rotting away.

They implement their AI tools so much better, there is not even competition. No need to paint frame-by-frame (unless you're fixing something really specific), same as Runwayml, you paint on specific frames, and the "AI" does the rest.

Nooooo, Resolve with Magic Mask couldn't have this fixed,... having a line on something to be removed, to have it back like 10 frames later (when it works, because we can only do that in on way).

I know I sound really negative but this doesn't feel like a major version to me. Maybe in the code it is, but for me… it's more like a 19.5.

And I'm just tired of reading, "but it's a beta". Resolve has felt like a beta for the past five years. This whole "one step forward, two steps back" pattern is exhausting to experience. Nobody of these people really use these tools fully. We have bug introduced with minor update that only exists to fix bugs lol.

When I test something new, I test everything, I throw things at it, I try to "break" things so I can report, and have something better. But nothing is really fixed. The basic bugs from basic uses are constantly ignored for months and months.

They constantly start new stuff and never finish the previous things.

I prefer to be negative and have a good surprise than the opposite like I was for many years, and be constantly disappointed.

[Shrinivas Ramani]

Hi Maxwell

Would you be able to give us a project file, a script and a piece of media so we can take a look at the results?

Does this happen in the machine in your signature? Can you provide a more complete picture of your set up? Including windows version etc?

Thank you
Shrinivas

Hi Shrinivas. I sent this to Peter but apparently he’s still on the road. Here’s the (second) project I tried that produced a random timeline. Perhaps it can’t really understand a script?

In any case the results don’t make sense even if it read none of the script. Here’s a link to a folder that has the script, project, a flat mov, and trimmed media:

Please everyone be discreet and don’t share it anywhere. Not that there’s anything other than the script that’s coherent.

https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/f ... sp=sharing

[Shrinivas Ramani]

Thanks Joe. Appreciated.

Today I had a full intention to use intelliscript and could not find it in the Timeline AI menu item. Was it quietly removed?

Are you sure you’re in the Edit page? Or perhaps cut page? It’s not in the Media page for some reason.

Nobody of these people really use these tools fully.

I also often have this impression. BM seem to have excellent technical software engineers, but it feels like there is not much input from real users during the development phase and not much thought put into the user experience. You can argue that the beta phase is where real users make their input, but the product would feel much better if it were designed with user input from the beginning.

but the product would feel much better if it were designed with user input from the beginning.

Hahaha, respectfully, no. It's pretty apparent that they already use professional user input to design their software. To open up all user input would just mean chaos. Intelliscript is a brand new (as in literally brand new, never-seen-before) feature, using cutting-edge technology, and it's in beta. Can you guys give it a second before losing your **** over how it doesn't work properly?

It clearly works, or they wouldn't have implemented it. BMD is in here examining projects that don't seem to work, and I'm confident that they'll get it to a point where it will work for most people out the gate.

It clearly works, or they wouldn't have implemented it.

I have some cruise tickets for you. The ship is called the Titanic.

Are you sure you’re in the Edit page? Or perhaps cut page? It’s not in the Media page for some reason.

I am dead sure. One should try very hard to confuse the media page for cut page ))

Here's where I see it in the Edit page:

Screenshot 2025-04-14 at 9.40.24 AM.png (624.02 KiB) Viewed 2260 times

I also often have this impression. BM seem to have excellent technical software engineers, but it feels like there is not much input from real users during the development phase and not much thought put into the user experience.

Yes, exactly.

--------------------

I've said it before too: you need a group of people who are tinkerers, not big-shot editors or rigid companies with their fixed workflows. You need people who actually move stuff around, copy/paste things, break things. Give them an alpha or beta version and let them use it. Then just fix whatever breaks.

"I nested this twice and it crashed." Okay, fix it, maybe you uncover a deeper issue.
"We can't change the font-case of the text." Alright, fix that. Cool. What's next?

Man, I was really excited for Intelliscript, because this is exactly the kind of thing I've been hoping for, for so long. I have a whole database of videos we edit, with full transcriptions (from Resolve or WhisperX), and we do our rough cuts completely offline, just working with the text. Then we jump into Resolve and search the script to build the final version.

We've got some Python scripts that create EDLs based on the timestamps in the transcripts. We throw in some rough padding, and it works, it's a massive help when working on long-form content.

A lot of people don't realize just how practical it is to do rough cuts by editing text.

So when I saw the announcement, my first reaction was: This is perfect!

But then you try it out, and you realize it's just... a gimmick, the way it's implemented. So much dev energy poured into this, and instead of getting a solid, powerful, intelligent AI script editor that does the basics right (which would be insanely useful for almost everyone, amateurs, pros, you name it), we got something undercooked.

You should start with the fundamentals, build a solid base, then go fancy with "AI, suggest an edit for me" kind of stuff.

At the very least, if you're doing a big presentation about it, make sure the energy you put in matches the result.

And yeah, that's why I sound kind of negative these days. I've given the benefit of the doubt for years.


"Just wait, it'll get better. You're new to editing, you just don't get it yet"

But no, it doesn't. It's painfully slow progress. The most basic fixes take years. And meanwhile, you see other programs, with way smaller dev teams, not falling behind for the basic stuff.

Or when they do have bigger dev teams for pretty important programs, they don't disappoint, like Boris FX. Silhouette, Mocha Pro... The "AI" tools they implemented are rock solid. Updates never introduce new flaws... and if there is a bug, they fix it quickly. I never saw them introducing new problems with the minor version updates. When they show demos using Resolve as the OFX host, they literally point out Resolve's flaws, explaining why their plugin doesn't work as well inside Resolve as it does standalone.

That's proof right there: it's not just regular users dealing with these issues (every kind of issues). Even third-party developers hit the same type of walls. And it's the users who are paying the price.

The Blender Fondation,... pretty sure Blender, a 3D software is complicated to dev, but bugs are constantly ironed out (and they fix even the most "minor" stuff.. because there nothing really "minor". When something is "touched" every single time by a user, every day, it's not "minor" anymore... you fix the friction as soon as you can).

But that's the thing, most other companies don't have Grant Petty's philosophy. That's honestly one of the main reasons I stick with Resolve. That, and open-source tools. Or indie devs with paid programs. I support them by buying (not renting) their software.

At the same time, the Resolve user base is growing like crazy. And it's not the Hollywood crowd (fortunately), it's regular people. Small teams. Independents. People making everything from simple vlogs to incredible indie films and docs that leave big-budget productions in the dust. (Honestly, I hope the big studios keep fading, they've done enough damage to culture, but that's another story).

When people say "it works" (talking about the AI tools), sure... always in very specific use cases.

But give it a little time and you realize: every single tool gets abandoned for months, sometimes years. Then a "new" beta drops and guess what, brand new flaws show up. And the tool is never polished.

I'm saying all this because I hope I'm wrong in the end. I really do... But we had betas for the previous version, and it's pretty much the same story lol.

I will always root for BMD's success. But at the end of the day, even with all of the positive stuff that BMD does, it's still company, and companies are not our friends. They are mad of good (and bad) people. And what matters is the results.

I prefer people whore a very critical of something they love, than people who are "participation trophy givers". Because the first group (in which I am), genuinely wants their tool to be better, and is not looking for virtue points.

Last thing, people from BMD, don't take it personally .

Here's where I see it in the Edit page:

Screenshot 2025-04-14 at 9.40.24 AM.png

&es, I have found it too. Before I tried to select clips in the timeline, clicked on a timeline icon, and it resulted in nothing. I did it like in a video found on YouTube where it was in a pop-up menu when clicked on a timeline.
Anyway, it worked semi-beautifully. There were a few ruthless cuts, but, for the most part, it performed as expected. I made a transcription, asked ChatGPT to make a 5-minute summary of a 17-minute speech, went back to DaVinci, launched the Intelliscript, and Bob’s the uncle.

It clearly works, or they wouldn't have implemented it.

I have some cruise tickets for you. The ship is called the Titanic.

Yes, James Cameron is foaming at the mouth to document the tragic human disaster in his newly titled epic: DaVinci Resolve 20 Intelliscript Beta Not Working on Some Users' Machines.

These two things are exactly alike, surely.

The irony with your analogy (amongst its myriad other flaws) is that a cruise ship called "Titanic" today would have zero trouble with icebergs, so I'll take those tickets, thanks.

Please let’s not blow up this thread as well. I’m sure Peter will have no trouble locking it if people start insulting each other.

Yeah, I really don't want this thread to get locked.
This isn't a "hate" thread in any way.

I've just built up some strong opinions over the years, and I think they're valid. And reading the forum, I see the same type feelings echoed in other forms.

I'm not trying to target anyone personally, but at the same time, companies are made up of people.
And people create things, so they also share responsibility for both the good and the bad that comes out of it.

And honestly, I think it's healthy to point things out now and then.
Maybe there's something small that can be tweaked. Maybe not. Who knows.

At the end of the day, it's just words, but maybe there's a bit of truth in them that sparks even the tiniest change. Or not. Either way, it's out there.

But yeah, this thread isn't about venting random anger. Not at all.
The one thing I'll always push back on, though, is when people feel the need to defend the status quo at all costs... and sees at some kind of personal attacks.

That kind of mindset is never a good thing imo.

And I get it, we're on BMD's forum, so they can do whatever they want.

im more then happy with this feature ! works very well for me

And honestly, I think it's healthy to point things out now and then.
...when people feel the need to defend the status quo at all costs... and sees at some kind of personal attacks.

Good feedback is describing a step-by-step process to report a reproducible bug along with any pertinent information, like machine specs, etc. Concise reports like that can be actioned upon effectively.

All these walls of text venting personal frustration is just extra noise that BMD has to sift through, and is not useful information to them (or anyone, really). It's just detracting from the effectiveness of your own cause.

For balance, BMD should really implement an RFE form to report bugs and request new features or enhancements to existing features.

Using a discussion forum that is itself built on ancient tech is an embarrassing state of affairs for such a high-profile app.

Yeah I spent three hours on a complex paper edit, imported it and it's a mess on the timeline. Barely resembles the text. And what are the greyed out clips? I can't even view them.

HI All,

Want to add my thoughts after frustration of trying to figure out this "Magic." I have tested several workflows and found it frustrating that even if I only work on a single source clip (from camera) that Resolve did the transcription for, cut and paste sentences from same transcriptions, the results weren't great. My issue is that I'm often using footage from 2-3 cameras recording 1-2 people interviews or conversations. So it would be great if you could use Intelliscript with the Resolve-generated transcript from a MultiCam Clip (reprinting all camera angels and external audio), then create the edit based on IntelliScript, but then I can still go back in and switch angles. Basically saving the manual search for works or time codes. But as it stands, there is no clear workflow for doing this will more than one angle (at least that is easy to find). If you have the script pull time code to begin with, it should be able to use that to find the exact script it has just generated. Please develop workflow that would encompass Multicam Clips as source. Thank you, David Johnson

And honestly, I think it's healthy to point things out now and then.
...when people feel the need to defend the status quo at all costs... and sees at some kind of personal attacks.

Good feedback is describing a step-by-step process to report a reproducible bug along with any pertinent information, like machine specs, etc. Concise reports like that can be actioned upon effectively.

All these walls of text venting personal frustration is just extra noise that BMD has to sift through, and is not useful information to them (or anyone, really). It's just detracting from the effectiveness of your own cause.

For balance, BMD should really implement an RFE form to report bugs and request new features or enhancements to existing features.

Using a discussion forum that is itself built on ancient tech is an embarrassing state of affairs for such a high-profile app.

It's just a gimmick for now.

Beyond my frustration with the tool, there's some value in what I wrote before. Anyone can try it and get what I mean, no need for a detailed step-by-step breakdown.

You put one sentence per line in a text file, feed it to Resolve, and... that's it.

The problem is, there's absolutely no control over how the tool behaves. What I was hoping for (and this would've been incredibly useful) was simple: take sentences from a transcript, compile them into a text file, and it builds a timeline. Instead, it just does whatever it thinks is best, without any real logic.

It's "fun" for five minutes, until you realize you can't possibly remember hours of footage to tell if the edit it gives you is good or not, if it didn't "miss" something. So you still end up spending hours fixing it. I honestly don't know who this is made for.

Nobdy can work like that. AI is supposed to help us. I don't want BMD to waste time on some Stable-Diffusion-like "AI" from 2022 that do random things, and figure out for years how to make it better. We passed this era of this "AI produces random things". You don't start from scratch anymore.

And yeah, I'm extremely frustrated. I've hacked together basic Python scripts using open-source from single individual on github, tools that have been around for years to manipulate EDLs by finding specific sentences, with zero AI involved. I'm no programmer, but I know enough to spend a few days building something that actually saves me time. That's why this feels like such a waste of resources.

I was genuinely excited about this tool. We've got transcripts for nearly all our videos stored in a database, and our edits usually start by searching those properly tagged files. Then we pull the parts we need, with timestamps. It's still manual, but it works great when things are organized.

But Intelliscript ended up like so many other tools we've seen over the years. I was pumped—even though we've been burned before with stuff like Magic Mask getting no updates, and once again, it was a letdown.

And to top it off, all the YouTubers with early beta access? Not a single critical take. Just "wow, it's like magic!" No real insight, no pushback... Not a single one who's pro in the field was even a little bit critical. Only an handful of smaller channel (just one or two) said it was "meh", that doesn't work...

For the new keyframe thing, the AI, etc

I don't like that, seeing people who maybe thing they can't be truthful and say what's in their mind and thinking they would lose some tighter access to BMD and Resolve.

Eventually, you realize you've been waiting months or years for something basic. We're not getting any younger, and there's just too much tech and knowledge out there to keep releasing stuff this half-baked.

You can't be a billion-dollar company dropping tools like this and expect zero criticism. I love Resolve, and I love BMD for what they stand for! And I want it to be GREAT! You don't see me talk about any other software like Premiere or anything else. I don't what to have Resolve be a unusable toy.

It's like the fonts thing. Some people have been using Resolve for 10+ years and still can't favorite or manage fonts properly. How is that still a thing?

This way of doing things shows up every time a new feature is released in Resolve. From the basic fonts problem, to the big and complicated AI programming.

Intelliscript is just another example. I was excited (even though we've been disappointed before), and again it fell short. For something called "Intelliscript" it's anything but smart. Honestly, this could've been the feature that made v20 worth it for me. Instead, it's just another letdown.

Good luck everyone

[Peter Chamberlain]

Yeah I spent three hours on a complex paper edit, imported it and it's a mess on the timeline. Barely resembles the text. And what are the greyed out clips? I can't even view them.

Can you share your text?

I've written the following after working with the 2nd beta of DaVinci Resolve 20, and after testing again with beta 3, I believe these thoughts still apply.

I played around with IntelliScript last week, and found it helpful - Here are a few suggestions that I hope can add another useful perspective:


1. Timeline Naming
A small quality-of-life feature request, it would be a nice touch if the timeline created by IntelliScript could be automatically named after the .txt file's filename.


2. Two Modes

• Mode for unscripted work as mentioned elsewhere in this thread, where someone has made text edits to a transcript. Having it seek out the exact words in the .txt file, only adding additional layers when there are multiple ‘solutions’ so-to-speak.
• I'd love to see a second mode for scripted work where it exhaustively finds every time the talent speaks something close to section of script and stacks them up as takes.
  It would also be great if it would order the takes by timecode, such that the last take will always be on track 1 etc. (it could still leave the 'best take un-disabled') this would also help an editor spot when they've used the same take in 2 adjacent segments and a thru edit can be removed.

Some context for the above: I specifically do a lot of teleprompter work, normally running over the whole script a few times, pausing and redoing when the talent slips, and then often going back to a couple spots to try some different phrasing/delivery/wording.
So I would love for it to lean towards what I describe in the second mode, but can see how others would find the first more useful. From my limited testing so, it seems to sit somewhere in the middle.


3. Take Selector
I'll add my voice to the others, I would love to see a proper take selector implemented. Here's some ideas:

• Great for IntelliScript, but also be able to create your own.
• Ripple the timeline when changing takes so you can try takes of different lengths.
• Ability to create audio only take folders. I've done VO takes using layers in Fairlight which is very useful for comping the takes, but it is painful to audition different options and keep track of which ones you've listened to.

I'd love to hear what people think!
Jacob Winter

Great that you’ve really put it through its paces and come up with some excellent suggestions. Thanks!

[Shrinivas Ramani]

Thank you for the suggestions. DaVinci Resolve 20.0 beta 4 now sets the timeline name to reflect the script file.

Thanks!