Pond5, has unveiled auto-tagging technology that they claim is the first of its kind in the stock media industry. Built with artificial intelligence, this pioneering feature automatically generates keywords for each photo and video uploaded to the Pond5 platform.
The cutting-edge image-recognition software surveys videos and photos to determine the most effective keywords. Footage of a beachside sunset, for instance, might generate keywords like “beach,” “sunset,” “tropical,” and “waves,” among others. The service may list up to 50 keywords.
The artist is then given the opportunity to review the list, remove words that are appropriate and add other words. This should shorten the time required of artists to keyword content. Once submitted the clips, photos and illustrations are reviewed by Pond5 curators who inform the artist if they think any of the keywords are inaccurate and need to be changed. Pond5 says that in initial tests their words have been 95% accurate.
One fear is that contributors may come to trust the “artificial intelligence” so much that they fail to check the words attached to their content. For example the beachside sunset may have been shot off the coast of Maine and that certainly isn’t “tropical.” The specifics of locations will probably have to be entered if the digital files submitted are not geo-tagged.
Pond5 curators are currently reviewing 25,000 clips a week and more time may be required to carefully review all keywords for accuracy.
Nevertheless, auto-tagging could make it easier for buyers to find relevant clips, and help artists make more money.
“We’re always looking for ways to make our contributors’ lives easier,” said Pond5 cofounder and CEO Tom Bennett. “With auto-tagging, we’re helping them make more money while eliminating the most tedious part of the uploading process.”
Pond5 empowers artists by letting them set their own prices. The company also offers a 50% commission on each sale, more than twice the industry standard.
Pond5 is the leading marketplace for HD and 4K video footage. The company offers more than 3.6 million royalty-free stock video clips, along with more than 17 million photos, illustrations, music tracks, sound effects, motion graphics templates, and 3D models. Recently the company released more than 80,000 free public domain stock footage clips and other media files, available for instant download and remixing.