INTERACTING WITH HIERARCHICAL CLUSTERS OF VIDEO SEGMENTS USING A VIDEO TIMELINE

Embodiments are directed to techniques for interacting with a hierarchical video segmentation using a video timeline. In some embodiments, the finest level of a hierarchical segmentation identifies the smallest interaction unit of a video—semantically defined video segments of unequal duration called clip atoms, and higher levels cluster the clip atoms into coarser sets of video segments. A presented video timeline is segmented based on one of the levels, and one or more segments are selected through interactions with the video timeline. For example, a click or tap on a video segment or a drag operation dragging along the timeline snaps selection boundaries to corresponding segment boundaries defined by the level. Navigating to a different level of the hierarchy transforms the selection into coarser or finer video segments defined by the level. Any operation can be performed on selected video segments, including playing back, trimming, or editing.