1. A method for determining key video frames for a digital video having a time sequence of video frames, comprising using a processor to perform the steps of: a) analyzing the digital video to determine an importance value as a function of time; b) forming a warped time representation by temporal relocation of the video frames responsive to the importance value as a function of time; c) subdividing the warped time digital video sequence representation into a set of equal intervals; d) selecting a key video frame for each interval by analyzing the video frames within each interval; and e) storing an indication of the key video frames in a processor-accessible memory.