Getting started

From download to first search in under 15 minutes.

No command line. No Docker. No server configuration.

What your library could look like
Mountain range over a valley
Range · ValleyA broad valley running to a mountain range under blue sky.
River through a mountain valley
Range · RiverA river winding through green mountain valleys.
Granite outcrop in forest
Forest · GraniteA granite rock formation rising from dense green forest.
River through misty forest
Forest · FogA river cutting through dense forest under low fog.
01

Download and install

Download DAAAM for macOS (Apple Silicon recommended). Install like any desktop application. No command line. No Docker. No server configuration. First launch creates a database file on your machine — this is where your index lives.

02

Add your footage

Press ⌘I or drag footage directly onto the window. Select individual files or a whole folder — DAAAM queues them for analysis. Source files are never moved or modified.

  • All video files (MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, and most professional codecs)
  • EXIF metadata (camera, lens, GPS, timestamp)
  • Audio tracks (for transcription)
  • Source files are never modified or moved
03

Let it analyse

DAAAM begins analysing your footage automatically. Progress indicators show scene detection, frame extraction, AI analysis, and transcription. Processing speed depends on your hardware. You can search while indexing runs — clips appear in results as they finish.

04

Search your footage

Once analysis begins, open Search and type your first query. Results come from a pre-built local index — no upload, no round-trip. Click any frame to open the Inspector: full AI description, setting tags, transcript, and clip synopsis.

  • "close-up of hands, warm light"
  • "interview setup, shallow depth of field"
  • "drone shot, wide, golden hour"
  • "person speaking, emotional, close-up"
05

Explore the views

DAAAM has five views beyond search:

  • Discover: editorial home — hero frame, recent imports, anniversary shots
  • Library: all clips, filterable by location, device, date
  • Places: interactive GPS map of all footage
  • Boards: curated collections for projects
  • Activity: log of everything imported and analysed

Tips for best results

  • Start small. Index one folder first — 20–50 clips. Get familiar with search, then add your entire library.
  • Use descriptive queries. "Close-up of hands, warm light, no faces" works better than "hands."
  • Let it run overnight. A large library indexes faster when you're not competing for RAM — start it before you sleep.
  • Combine filters with search. Natural-language search + location filter: "sunset beach" + Australia + drone.

Troubleshooting

"No results for my query"

Try broader descriptions first, then narrow down. Some abstract concepts are harder than concrete visuals. Check that the footage has been indexed.

"Indexing is slow"

Close other applications to free up RAM. Apple Silicon and more RAM speed up the initial index. Let it run overnight — you don't need to babysit it.

"GPS is missing from clips"

Common with GoPro Quik re-exports and social media uploads. DAAAM warns which clips are missing GPS. You can add location manually.

"Log footage descriptions are weak"

Ungraded log can look flat and grey on screen, which makes descriptions less accurate. Apply a LUT before ingest as a workaround — colour pre-processing is on the roadmap.

System requirements

  • ✓macOS 13+ (Apple Silicon recommended)
  • ✓8GB+ RAM (16GB for large libraries)
  • ✓Apple Silicon speeds up indexing
  • ✓SSD recommended for large libraries

Supported formats

MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI · ProRes, H.264, H.265, DNxHD · BRAW (via FFmpeg plugin) · Most professional codecs

Get DAAAM — $69Read the FAQ