Comparison · 2026
Footage search tools for editors, 2026.
Both big editors now search footage by what’s in it. Here’s what each option covers, so you can pick by how your footage is actually stored.
In short: If your footage is already in one project, start with your editor’s built-in search: Adobe Premiere’s Search panel or DaVinci Resolve 21’s IntelliSearch. Add a separate tool when you need to search across many drives and past projects: Sift Clips (Mac and Windows, Premiere and Resolve panels, named people, Link sharing) or Jumper (works with more editors, including Avid, on Mac and Windows).
No editor needed. Sift works on its own as a desktop app on Mac and Windows: search, preview, build Selects and share footage by link without opening an editor. The editor panels are optional.
Written by the maker of Sift Clips, so read it with that in mind. Competitor details checked against official pages and published reviews on October 21 and 22, 2026; check current versions and prices before buying. Not a speed or accuracy test.
Side by side.
| Premiere’s search | Resolve 21 IntelliSearch | Sift Clips | Jumper | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Searches | Imported project media | Imported project media | All synced folders and drives | Media you analyze in it, across projects |
| Shots by description | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Spoken words | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| People | Describes, doesn’t name | Faces | Named people | Faces |
| Editors | Premiere | Resolve | Premiere, Resolve | Several editors |
| Computers | Mac, Windows | Mac, Windows, Linux | Apple Silicon Mac, Windows | Mac, Windows |
| Share footage by link | Via Frame.io | Via Blackmagic Cloud | Link sharing (one free link) | See Jumper’s site |
| Cost | Included | Included | $99/year, free trial | See jumper website |
How it works.
- Start with where your footage lives
One current project? Your editor’s search may be enough. Years of drives? You need a library tool.
- Test your real searches
A shot, a line someone said, a person. Use your own footage, not a demo.
- Follow one result into the edit
Find it, open it, put it on the timeline, send it to someone. Compare the whole trip.
Why editors use it.
Built in since version 25.2 (when it was still Premiere Pro). Searches imported media by description and dialogue, locally. Doesn’t name people.
Built into Resolve 21. Searches dialogue, faces and visual content in media imported into the open project, after a model download and analysis.
One library of every drive you sync, named people, Premiere Pro and Resolve panels, and Link sharing: links people can search on any phone. Apple Silicon Macs and Windows PCs.
A long-standing footage search tool that works with more editors and on Windows, worth a look if you cut in Avid.
A free, early app for Apple Silicon Macs. Also searches sounds, audio files and PDFs, takes an image as a query, and sends clips to Premiere and Resolve. Windows is announced.
A Mac app sold once ($59 at launch) with tags, text-in-frame search, and FCPXML or EDL export for Final Cut Pro, Resolve, Premiere and Avid.
Questions
Can DaVinci Resolve search footage by what’s in it?
Yes. Resolve 21’s IntelliSearch searches dialogue, faces and visual content in media you’ve imported into the open project, after you download its models and analyze the clips.
Which is best on Windows?
Premiere’s and Resolve’s built-in search both run on Windows. Sift Clips runs on Windows 10 and 11 too, and so does Jumper, so test them on your own footage.
Which finds footage across many drives?
Built-in search covers media imported into the current project. Sift Clips searches every folder and drive you sync, whether or not it’s in a project.
Are any of these proven fastest or most accurate?
Not here. We haven’t run a controlled test. Try your own footage, note what each misses, and include analysis time in your decision.
Is there a free option?
Premiere’s and Resolve’s built-in search come with those editors. Splayed is a free Mac app. FrameSeek is free for up to 25 videos, then a one-time price.
Which works with Final Cut Pro?
All three do. Sift Clips (1.0.12 and later) and Jumper have panels inside Final Cut Pro; FrameSeek exports FCPXML timelines that Final Cut Pro opens.
Can I try Sift Clips free?
Yes. Free for 3 days or 25 searches. No card. Then $99 a year for one computer, Mac or Windows.
Updated 2026-10-22
Keep reading.
Try it on your own footage.
Free for 3 days or 25 searches. No card. Then $99 a year for one computer, Mac or Windows. Everything in Sift, including the optional editor panels and one free link to share footage.