To overcome AI's tendency for generic descriptions of archival images, Tim McLear's scripts first extract embedded metadata (location, date). This data is then included in the prompt, acting as a "source of truth" that guides the AI to produce specific, verifiable outputs instead of just guessing based on visual content.
People struggle with AI prompts because the model lacks background on their goals and progress. The solution is 'Context Engineering': creating an environment where the AI continuously accumulates user-specific information, materials, and intent, reducing the need for constant prompt tweaking.
To move beyond keyword search in their media archive, Tim McLear's system generates two vector embeddings for each asset: one from the image thumbnail and another from its AI-generated text description. Fusing these enables a powerful semantic search that understands visual similarity and conceptual relationships, not just exact text matches.
Tools like Notebook LM don't just create visuals from a prompt. They analyze a provided corpus of content (videos, text) and synthesize that specific information into custom infographics or slide decks, ensuring deep contextual relevance to your source material.
While generative video gets the hype, producer Tim McLear finds AI's most practical use is automating tedious post-production tasks like data management and metadata logging. This frees up researchers and editors to focus on higher-value creative work, like finding more archival material, rather than being bogged down by manual data entry.
Beyond data privacy, a key ethical responsibility for marketers using AI is ensuring content integrity. This means using platforms that provide a verifiable trail for every asset, check for originality, and offer AI-assisted verification for factual accuracy. This protects the brand, ensures content is original, and builds customer trust.
To generate more aesthetic and less 'uncanny' images, include specific camera, lens, and film stock metadata in prompts (e.g., 'Leica, 50mm f1.2, Kodak Tri-X'). This acts as a filter, forcing the model to reference its training data associated with professional photography, yielding higher-quality results.
Image models like Google's NanoBanana Pro can now connect to live search to ground their output in real-world facts. This breakthrough allows them to generate dense, text-heavy infographics with coherent, accurate information, a task previously impossible for image models which notoriously struggled with rendering readable text.
When a prompt yields poor results, use a meta-prompting technique. Feed the failing prompt back to the AI, describe the incorrect output, specify the desired outcome, and explicitly grant it permission to rewrite, add, or delete. The AI will then debug and improve its own instructions.
Instead of storing AI-generated descriptions in a separate database, Tim McLear's "Flip Flop" app embeds metadata directly into each image file's EXIF data. This makes each file a self-contained record where rich context travels with the image, accessible by any system or person, regardless of access to the original database.
When analyzing video, new generative models can create entirely new images that illustrate a described scene, rather than just pulling a direct screenshot. This allows AI to generate its own 'B-roll' or conceptual art that captures the essence of the source material.