Generate video summary

The video summary feature lets users to extract concise, meaningful summaries from video content, enabling a quick understanding of key points without watching the entire video. This guide walks you through the process of using FastPix’s API to generate video summaries for new and existing media files.

Getting started

FastPix’s create media from URL and upload media from device API endpoints allow you to analyze video content and generate summaries when uploading new media.

If you want to enable video summary generation in your existing content that was previously uploaded, use the generate video summary API endpoint. See how.

Generating summary for new media

Step 1: Collect the URLs of the media files to upload to FastPix (pull through URL method) for which you want to generate a summary.

Step 2: Create a JSON request and send a POST request to the /on-demand endpoint.

When configuring the JSON request, ensure the following parameters are included:

• type: Specify whether the media is a video or audio file.
• url: Provide the HTTPS URL of the media file for which summary must be generated.
• generate: Set this to "true" to enable the summary generation process.
• summaryLength: Specify the desired summary length in words (for example, 120). This value determines how concise or detailed the summary is.

Request body for creating new media from URL

{ 
  "inputs": [ 
    { 
      "type": "video", 
      "url": "https://static.fastpix.io/fp-sample-video.mp4" 
    } 
  ], 
  "summary": { 
    "generate": "true", 
    "summaryLength": 120 
  }, 
  "accessPolicy": "public"
} 

Request body for creating new media by direct upload

If you are uploading media directly from device or local storage, the inputs section contains the relevant upload details, and the structure would look like this:

{ 
  "corsOrigin": "*", 
  "pushMediaSettings": 
  { 
    "summary": {   
    "generate": "true",   
    "summaryLength": 120   
  },   
    "accessPolicy": "public"
  } 
} 

Key considerations

• Maximum summary length: 250 words.
• Minimum summary length: 30 words.
• If no specific summaryLength is provided, the default length is 100 words.

Generating summary for existing media

If you wish to generate summary for media that has already been uploaded, use the  generate video summary API endpoint and follow these steps:

Step 1: Collect the mediaId for the existing media you want to generate a summary for.

Step 2: Create a JSON request and send a PATCH request to the /on-demand/<mediaId>/summary endpoint. Replace  <mediaId>  with the ID of the existing media.

Example request body:

{  
  "summary": {  
    "generate": "true",  
    "summaryLength": 120  
  }  
} 

How to Generate a Video Summary from the Dashboard

1. Open the FastPix Dashboard > Products > Media
2. Click Add new media.
3. To upload a video directly from your device: Click Push video > Choose your media directly from your device
4. To upload using URL: Upload your video URL > Click Pull Video
5. From the Media list, select the video you want to summarize.
6. On the Media details page, go to the InVideo AI tab.
7. Click Generate Summary.
8. FastPix analyzes your video and creates a summary based on its content.
9. When the summary is ready, you can view it in the Summary section of the dashboard.
10. FastPix also emits the video.mediaAI.summary.ready event in Activity: API & Video tab.

Accessing summary results

To retrieve the generated summary of your media (video/audio), use the Get Media by ID endpoint.

Alternatively, you can access video.mediaAI.summary.ready event, which triggers when the summary data is generated.

For the full event schema and sample payload, see the AI Events reference: video.mediaAI.summary.ready — AI Events.

Example event response

{
  "type": "video.mediaAI.summary.ready",
  "object": {
    "type": "media",
    "id": "8ee7c37d-5bb8-4964-967e-228331c5b34f"
  },
  "id": "7994845a-a87e-40f5-b27f-b61c28eda190",
  "workspace": {
    "name": "BrightCovePlayer-iOS",
    "id": "f7a13f50-7f5c-48f4-b7b2-c901dcff61c6"
  },
  "status": "ready",
  "data": {
    "isSummaryGenerated": true,
    "summary": "The transcript consists primarily of repetitive sounds and expressions, such as \"hmm\" and \"help,\" indicating a sense of urgency or distress. The use of \"huh?\" suggests confusion or a need for clarification. The overall tone conveys a feeling of being overwhelmed or in need of assistance, but the lack of specific context or detailed dialogue limits the understanding of the situation. The repetition of sounds may imply a struggle to articulate thoughts or emotions, highlighting a moment of vulnerability. Overall, the transcript captures a brief, chaotic moment filled with uncertainty and a call for help, leaving the audience curious about the underlying circumstances."
  },
  "createdAt": "2025-11-05T12:29:34.408978484Z",
  "attempts": []
}

General considerations

• Ensure that the mediaId is correctly obtained for existing media when using the /on-demand/<mediaId>/summary endpoint.
  
• For more complex media content, you may need to adjust the summaryLength parameter to match the level of detail required for your use case.
  
• The accessPolicy and maxResolution are optional parameters but can help manage access and media quality depending on your needs.

Use cases for video summaries

• E-learning platforms: Generate quick overviews of course modules.
• Corporate training: Summarize key takeaways from training sessions.
• Marketing teams: Extract highlights from webinars or product demos.
• Content review: Quickly assess the value of user-generated content.