Long Youtube Video? This Free Ai Tool Finds The Good Parts For You - Here's How

Lance Whitney / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The free TLDW uses AI to find cardinal moments successful a YouTube video.
• You don't person to watch an full video conscionable to drawback 1 moment.
• You tin besides chat pinch nan AI to inquire questions astir nan video.

Ever had to watch a lengthy YouTube video conscionable to find a circumstantial moment? If only location were immoderate measurement to trim to nan pursuit truthful you wouldn't person to spell done nan full video. That's nan thought down a caller and free AI-based instrumentality created by a trio of designers and developers.

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TLDW (Too Long; Didn't Watch) analyzes YouTube videos and highlights cardinal moments from them. The instrumentality displays links to each cardinal infinitesimal truthful you tin quickly jump to immoderate of them and watch conscionable nan circumstantial clip. A transcript shows you nan matter of nan spoken audio; selecting a circumstantial infinitesimal highlights its matter successful nan transcript. Best of all, you tin chat pinch nan built-in AI to inquire circumstantial questions astir nan video.

Getting started pinch TLDW

Browse to YouTube and unfastened a video you want analyzed. Copy nan URL for nan video. Head to nan TLDW website and paste nan URL into nan matter field. Choose whether you want nan study to beryllium Smart aliases Fast. The Smart mode uses a much intelligent exemplary pinch higher value but takes clip to generate. The Fast mode isn't rather arsenic smart but takes little clip to finish.

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The results break down nan video into different categories aliases topics. Selecting a circumstantial class displays each its cardinal moments and shows really agelong each clip runs. Click immoderate cardinal infinitesimal to watch that conception successful nan video.

You tin past move to nan transcript to position nan spoken audio and nan chat area to onslaught up a speech astir nan video. You're besides capable to item immoderate matter successful nan transcript aliases chat to prevention it arsenic a note. Click your relationship icon astatine nan precocious correct to entree past videos and cardinal moments, arsenic good arsenic your notes.

TLDW is free to use; however, you get only a mates of tries earlier it prompts you to group up an account. After creating an account, you're capable to usage nan instrumentality up to 5 times per day.

My acquisition pinch TLDW

I tried TLDW pinch a fewer different YouTube videos. One was of famed subject fabrication writer Arthur C. Clarke offering predictions of nan future. Another was a look astatine nan movie "The Cat and nan Canary," a silent scary movie produced astatine Universal successful 1927. A 3rd served up 20 things you didn't cognize astir Monty Python.

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With nan Arthur C. Clarke video, I was capable to zero successful connected a circumstantial clip successful which he said astir suspended animation arsenic nan cardinal to clip travel. In nan lawsuit of nan Monty Python video, 1 cardinal infinitesimal explained really a programmer adopted nan connection spam based connected a celebrated sketch of nan British drama troupe.

I particularly liked nan chat function, arsenic I was capable to inquire applicable questions, to which nan AI provided broad answers. I could moreover item circumstantial matter from nan transcript and show nan AI to explicate it. Doing truthful generated further absorbing questions that I could pose.

What is TLDW's story? 

I chatted by email pinch developer Zara Zhang, who built nan instrumentality pinch Samuel Zhang, a machine subject student, and Yiqi Yan arsenic nan designer.

To analyse videos connected YouTube, TLDW uses Google Gemini arsenic its LLM (large connection model). The instrumentality grabs nan video transcript and past uses AI to extract nan astir insightful aliases salient moments. To find those cardinal moments, nan AI uses its ain judgement based connected nan exemplary and nan prompt. But typically, it looks astatine different opinions expressed successful nan video, refreshing insights, and memorable anecdotes.

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Zhang told maine that nan instrumentality was inspired by nan team's ain symptom points erstwhile trying to study from lengthy YouTube videos.

"I person recovered agelong YouTube videos to beryllium nan champion resources to learn astir AI, but galore group don't person nan attraction span to beryllium done agelong videos from commencement to finish," Zhang said. "Currently, galore group get AI to make a matter summary of nan video, but we judge that's not a bully approach. Video is meant to beryllium consumed arsenic video; location is simply a batch of ocular accusation (e.g., merchandise demos, slides, speaker's vibes and dynamics), which are mislaid erstwhile you person video to text."

Instead, TLDW quickly jumps to nan champion parts of a video. And moreover though nan instrumentality provides a transcript of nan video, Zhang said that nan squad believes personalized item reels are a amended solution than a generic matter summary.

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"Also, erstwhile I'm watching method videos, I often want nan method motto explained successful context, and copying and pasting into Google aliases Perplexity was cumbersome," Zhang added. "So we built a characteristic wherever users tin prime immoderate word successful nan transcript, and AI will explicate it successful context."

Capturing notes astir nan video is besides a immense benefit. Instead of having to pause, rewind, and type retired a quote manually, you tin conscionable prime matter successful nan transcript and prevention it arsenic a note.

What does nan early hold?

"We scheme to make it a batch much personalized and besides make it easier to entree (e.g., adding a browser hold to let group to prevention YouTube videos to TLDW easily)," Zhang explained. "We are readying connected adding a 'share quote' characteristic truthful group tin easy stock video quotes to societal media arsenic images."