> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.aspect.inc/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How AI indexing works

> The moment a file is uploaded, Aspect's AI starts making it searchable, playable, and ready to review - automatically.

## It starts the moment you upload

As soon as a file finishes uploading, Aspect's AI begins processing it. You don't need to tag, label, or configure anything - it happens on its own, in the background, while you keep working.

Results appear as they're ready. A file's transcript might show up while the rest of its processing is still finishing.

## What you get

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Searchable speech">
    Every spoken word in your videos and audio files becomes a transcript you can read, search, and click to jump playback to that exact moment.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Visual search">
    Aspect understands what's happening on screen, so you can find a moment by describing it in your own words - "drone shot over the coastline" or "close-up of hands typing."
  </Card>

  <Card title="People">
    Aspect recognizes the people who appear in your footage, so you can find every shot of a specific person.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Metadata, filled in for you">
    Resolution, duration, camera details, and other technical properties are read from every file automatically and made filterable.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

Together, these power [Search](/guides/search) - one search box that finds moments by what was said, what's on screen, who's in the shot, or what a file is called.

## Instant playback

Aspect also prepares every file for smooth viewing, so playback starts immediately even for very large originals - and you can hover-scrub a video thumbnail to skim it without opening it. Documents open and render right away, page by page.

Your original files are never modified, and you can always download them exactly as uploaded.

## What each file type gets

* **Videos**: searchable speech, visual search, people, metadata, and instant playback.
* **Images**: visual search, people, and metadata.
* **Audio**: searchable speech, metadata, and instant playback.
* **Documents**: viewable page by page, with all their text searchable.

## Tracking progress

You can see how processing is going at any time:

* Files that are still processing show an indicator in the project view.
* Open a file to see what's ready and what's still in progress.

<Note>
  Search results get better as processing completes. If a file was uploaded moments ago, give it a little time before expecting it to show up in search.
</Note>

## When files change

If you replace a file with a new version of its content, Aspect automatically re-processes it so everything - transcript, search, playback - reflects the new file. There's nothing you need to trigger.