Ijharul Islam
To turn a long video into YouTube Shorts, pick moments that make sense on their own, cut each one to under three minutes, make it vertical (9:16) or square, add captions, and upload it as a Short linked to the full video. YouTube has a built-in Edit into a Short option for your own public videos, and editors or AI clipping tools give you more control.
Below are the rules a video must meet to count as a Short, the three ways to make one from a long video, and how to choose moments that work.
The short answer
A Short must be up to three minutes long with a square or vertical aspect ratio. To make one from a long video, use YouTube's Remix > Edit into a Short (up to 60 seconds of your own public video), or cut the moment in an editor or AI clipping tool, crop it to 9:16, add captions and upload it, linking the full video.
Key takeaways
- YouTube treats a video as a Short when it is up to 3 minutes and square or vertical.
- Edit into a Short is free and links back to the original, but takes at most 60 seconds of it.
- Editors and AI tools let you crop to follow the speaker, add captions and cut several Shorts at once.
- Pick moments that stand alone; a Short that needs context gets skipped.
Disclosure: we make QuickVeed and show how to do this in it, along with other ways. Details about other products come from their public pages, checked in October 2026 and linked at the end.
What counts as a YouTube Short
According to YouTube Help, videos uploaded since 15 October 2024 count as Shorts when they are up to three minutes long and have a square or vertical aspect ratio. A 16:9 video is treated as long-form, whatever its length.
| Rule | Shorts | What it means for your clip |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Up to 3 minutes | Most clips work best well under that; 30-60 s is a common target |
| Shape | Square or vertical | Crop 16:9 footage to 9:16 (1080 × 1920) or 1:1 |
| Edit into a Short | Up to 60 s of your own public video | Private, unlisted and claimed videos can’t be used |
Platforms change these rules, so check the linked help pages before a big batch. You can work out crop sizes with our video aspect ratio calculator.
Method 1: YouTube's Edit into a Short
This is the quickest free option for a video already on your channel. YouTube Help describes it like this:
- Open the watch page of your public long-form video in the YouTube app.
- Tap Remix, then Edit into a Short.
- Select up to 60 seconds of the video. If you select less, you can record extra footage to fill it out.
- Tap Next, add text or filters, and upload.
The Short links back to the original video. If the option doesn’t appear, YouTube says to check that the video allows sampling in YouTube Studio. YouTube Studio also has a Clips and Shorts tool that lets you pick a segment from the transcript, with AI suggestions in some countries and languages.
The limits: you get one clip at a time, at most 60 seconds, and only basic framing and text. There is no crop that follows a speaker.
It is still worth using for quick wins. A Short made this way is tied to the original, which gives viewers a direct path to the full video. Use it for single moments where one person is on screen and the framing works without tracking, such as a solo talking-head video.
Method 2: Cut it in a video editor
Any editor works: CapCut, DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro or iMovie. Create a 1080 × 1920 project, drop in the segment, scale the footage up so the speaker fills the frame, and move the crop when someone else talks. Premiere Pro’s Auto Reframe does that tracking automatically. Add captions, export an MP4, and upload it from the YouTube app or YouTube Studio.
This gives you full control at the cost of time: expect 15 to 30 minutes for each Short, more if you style captions by hand.
Two settings matter more than people expect. First, keep the frame rate of the original (usually 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps) so motion doesn’t stutter. Second, export at 1080 × 1920; uploading a smaller file and letting the platform scale it up makes text look soft. If you are unsure what bitrate to use, our video bitrate calculator suggests one for the size and length.
Method 3: An AI clipping tool
AI clipping tools read the transcript, propose several moments, crop them to vertical and add captions in one pass. QuickVeed’s Podcast to Clips is one, and OpusClip, Klap, Vizard and Riverside’s Magic Clips are others. Here is how it works in QuickVeed:
- Open Podcast to Clips and upload the long video (up to 3 hours). The upload keeps going if you switch to another page.
- Optionally type what the clips should be about, for example “pricing tips” or “hiring mistakes”.
- The AI transcribes the video and returns 3 to 10 moments of 15 to 90 seconds, each with a hook title, a reason it was picked and a score from 0 to 100.
- For each clip, pick the shape (9:16, 1:1 or original), a crop that follows whoever is speaking or a fixed position, and one of 11 caption styles in any language.
- Click Make all clips. Each clip gets the hook title on screen for the first 4 seconds, shorter pauses, ums and uhs removed, and your brand kit’s colour and logo.
- Download them all as a ZIP, or use Post / Schedule to send them to TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and more (social posting is on the Boost and Scale plans).
Cost: the transcript is 1.5 credits a minute rounded up (45 credits for a 30-minute video, 90 for an hour), and each finished clip is 3 credits with the crop, captions, hook title and clean-up included. A 30-minute episode cut into 10 clips is 45 + 30 = 75 credits, which is exactly the 75 credits of the free 14-day trial.
A tip for YouTube: QuickVeed shows the hook title on screen for the first 4 seconds. Reuse the same words, or a sharper version, as the Short’s title. Our YouTube title length checker shows whether it will be cut off.
How to choose moments when you turn a long video into Shorts
- Start on the point. Drop greetings and set-up lines. The first sentence should be the claim, the question or the result.
- One idea per Short. If a segment covers two tips, make two Shorts.
- End on the payoff. Stop right after the answer lands, not after the next tangent.
- Prefer moments with a visible face or something happening on screen over long screen-share passages.
- Check it with the sound off. If the captions alone carry the idea, it works in the feed.
Different long videos give different kinds of Shorts. A tutorial gives single tips and before-and-after results. An interview gives answers and opinions. A vlog gives moments of reaction or surprise. A product review gives the verdict and the one flaw nobody mentions. Match the Short to what the long video does best, and you’ll attract viewers who want more of the same.
For tips on the first seconds of each Short, read how to write a hook for short videos.
After you upload
Link the full video from each Short (Edit into a Short does this for you; for other uploads, YouTube lets you add a related video). Post Shorts from the same long video over several days. Watch which ones viewers finish, and cut more of that kind next time. If you also add chapters to the long video, our chapter timestamp generator makes it quick, and the chapters double as a list of Short ideas.
Checklist before you upload each Short
- Square or vertical, and no longer than three minutes, or it won’t count as a Short.
- The first second shows a face or movement, not a title card.
- Captions are large, accurate and placed in the middle of the frame, clear of the buttons on the right and the title at the bottom.
- Names and product terms in the captions are spelled correctly.
- The audio level matches your other uploads; a quiet Short gets swiped.
- The Short’s title states the payoff in plain words and is short enough to read at a glance.
- The clip ends on the payoff, not on a trailing “so yeah”.
A practical cadence for a weekly long video is two or three Shorts in the days after it goes live. Shorts that do well can be posted again on TikTok, Reels and LinkedIn, with captions adjusted to each platform.
Frequently asked questions
How long can a YouTube Short be?
Up to three minutes, for videos uploaded since 15 October 2024, as long as the video is square or vertical.
Can I turn my own long YouTube video into a Short?
Yes. In the YouTube app, open your public video, tap Remix and then Edit into a Short to use up to 60 seconds of it.
Will a horizontal clip count as a Short?
No. YouTube counts only square or vertical videos as Shorts. Crop to 9:16 or 1:1 first.
How many Shorts should I make from one video?
As many as there are moments that stand alone. A 20-minute video often gives 3 to 5; an hour-long podcast 5 to 10.
Do Shorts help the long video get views?
They can, when the Short links to the full video and leaves the viewer wanting the rest. Results vary by channel, so track it.
Try it with your own video
Upload a long video and get several Shorts-ready clips in one pass. Upload one long episode, pick the clips you like, and judge them for yourself. QuickVeed plans start at $18/month, and new accounts get a 14-day trial with 75 credits, no card needed. Sign up or see pricing.
Sources
Competitor details in this post were checked against these public pages in October 2026. Products and prices change, so confirm with each vendor before you decide.
