# Find different shots in your video

Detect the shots in a video and get a preview image for each shot. Use shots to give visual context to LLMs and AI video workflows.

Shots are Mux's approach to breaking a video down into its visual building blocks. Rather than sampling frames at fixed time intervals, Mux analyzes pixel-level changes between frames to detect each shot or continuous, uncut recording from a single camera angle. For each detected shot, Mux generates a compressed WebP preview image that represents its visual content.

Shot preview images are composed of up to one frame per second of shot duration, capped at 100 frames. For shots longer than 100 seconds, frames are sampled evenly across the full duration. For shots shorter than one second, a single frame is used.

## Enable shots on an asset

Set `"generate_shots": true` when you <ApiRefLink href="/docs/api-reference/video/assets/create-asset">create a Mux Asset</ApiRefLink>.

```bash
curl https://api.mux.com/video/v1/assets \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -X POST \
  -d '{
    "inputs": [{ "url": "YOUR_VIDEO_URL" }],
    "playback_policies": ["public"],
    "generate_shots": true
  }' \
  -u ${MUX_TOKEN_ID}:${MUX_TOKEN_SECRET}
```

When using [direct uploads](/docs/guides/upload-files-directly), set `"generate_shots": true` inside `new_asset_settings`:

```bash
curl https://api.mux.com/video/v1/uploads \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -X POST \
  -d '{
    "cors_origin": "*",
    "new_asset_settings": {
      "playback_policies": ["public"],
      "generate_shots": true
    }
  }' \
  -u ${MUX_TOKEN_ID}:${MUX_TOKEN_SECRET}
```

## Generate shots on an existing asset

To add shots to an asset that was created without them, `POST` to the shots endpoint including the `asset_id`:

```bash
curl https://api.mux.com/video/v1/assets/${ASSET_ID}/shots \
  -X POST \
  -u ${MUX_TOKEN_ID}:${MUX_TOKEN_SECRET}
```

This request is **asynchronous**. The `POST` returns immediately with the job in `pending` status. **Listen for the [`video.asset.shots.ready` webhook](https://www.mux.com/docs/core/listen-for-webhooks)** — the payload confirms when the manifest is ready. If webhooks aren't an option, poll `GET /video/v1/assets/{ASSET_ID}/shots` until `status` is `completed`.

## Retrieve the shot manifest

Once shots are ready, fetch the manifest using your `asset_id`:

```bash
curl https://api.mux.com/video/v1/assets/${ASSET_ID}/shots \
  -u ${MUX_TOKEN_ID}:${MUX_TOKEN_SECRET}
```

The response includes a `shots_manifest_url` pointing to a JSON file hosted on `artifacts.mux.com`. Fetch that URL to get the full list of shots boundaries and shot preview images.

```json
{
  "data": {
    "status": "completed",
    "shots_manifest_url": "https://artifacts.mux.com/a/{ASSET_ID}/shots.json?skid=default&signature=...",
    "created_at": "1774477977"
  }
}
```

### Shot manifest structure

Fetching `shots_manifest_url` returns a JSON array of shot objects:

```json
{
  "shots": [
    {
      "start_time": 0.0416667,
      "shot_preview_image_url": "https://artifacts.mux.com/a/DS00Spx1CV902MCtPj5WknGlR102V5HFkDe/shot_0.webp?skid=default&signature=NjlkNWY4ZDRfYWFlYzI2Y2Y2Yjc1ZjJiYmQwNTUwNWQ0MDZlOWYxYzY0MDQ2NTY5YWE2ODRmNzM3NTIyNTAyNWQ1YzU0MTVkYQ=="
    },
    {
      "start_time": 8.875,
      "shot_preview_image_url": "https://artifacts.mux.com/a/DS00Spx1CV902MCtPj5WknGlR102V5HFkDe/shot_1.webp?skid=default&signature=NjlkNWY4ZDRfODU0ZTAxZDMxNmNkYzdmMTk1OTFjOWRiZDdjNTRjMTA1ZTg4YzJlNjdhYzgwYTNhZTNjYTM4MmY0ZDYwMTBkZg=="
    },
    {
      "start_time": 21.333,
      "shot_preview_image_url": "https://artifacts.mux.com/a/DS00Spx1CV902MCtPj5WknGlR102V5HFkDe/shot_2.webp?skid=default&signature=NjlkNWY5ZTZfMzI1ZDgwMjhhODZmZTA3NTYwNjRkZDk3NmUzZDY5Y2RjZjJkM2ZiZmMxN2ZkYzMzMjllY2RmMzhhMjg5OQ=="
    },
    {
      "start_time": 34.708,
      "shot_preview_image_url": "https://artifacts.mux.com/a/DS00Spx1CV902MCtPj5WknGlR102V5HFkDe/shot_3.webp?skid=default&signature=NjlkNWY5ZTZfYTFiMmMzZDRlNWY2YjdjOGQ5ZTBmMWEyYjNjNGQ1ZTZmN2E4YjljMGQxZTJmM2E0YjVjNmQ3ZQ=="
    },
    {
      "start_time": 49.125,
      "shot_previewimage_url": "https://artifacts.mux.com/a/DS00Spx1CV902MCtPj5WknGlR102V5HFkDe/shot_4.webp?skid=default&signature=NjlkNWY5ZTZfYjJjM2Q0ZTVmNmI3YzhkOWUwZjFhMmIzYzRkNWU2ZjdhOGI5YzBkMWUyZjNhNGI1YzZkN2U4YQ=="
    }
  ]
}
```

## FAQ

**How much does generating Shots cost?**

Shots are priced at $0.001 per minute of source video, billed each time you generate them. See [shots pricing](/docs/pricing/overview#shots) for details.

**Is there a storage charge?**

No. There is no ongoing storage charge for shot images.

**Can I remove shots from an asset?**

Yes. Send a `DELETE` to the shots endpoint to remove the shot metadata and images from an asset:

```bash
curl https://api.mux.com/video/v1/assets/${ASSET_ID}/shots \
  -X DELETE \
  -u ${MUX_TOKEN_ID}:${MUX_TOKEN_SECRET}
```

If you regenerate shots on the same asset later, you will be billed again for the new generation.