How to Turn a YouTube Video Into Shorts: 3 Easy Methods

You do not need to record a new vertical video every time you want to publish a YouTube Short. An existing long-form video can become one Short—or several—if you choose a moment that makes sense on its own, reframe it for a vertical screen, and clean up the opening and captions.

Before You Start: Prepare the Video for Shorts

A strong Short is not simply a random minute cut from a longer video. It should feel complete even when the viewer has never seen the original. Before opening an editor, identify a section that introduces one clear idea, delivers useful information, and reaches a conclusion.

For the final export, a 9:16 vertical layout at 1080 × 1920 pixels is the safest standard. Keep the speaker or main subject near the centre of the frame, leave space for captions, and avoid placing essential text too close to the top or bottom where YouTube’s interface may cover it.

• Recommended aspect ratio: 9:16 vertical
• Recommended resolution: 1080 × 1920 pixels
• Best content structure: one hook, one idea, one conclusion
• Captions: strongly recommended, but always proofread them
• Copyright: use your own video or content you have permission to repurpose

Method 1: Turn Your Existing Video Into a Short on YouTube

YouTube’s built-in tool is the easiest option when the source video is already on your channel and you know which section you want to use. You do not need to download the original or upload the same footage again.

How to use Edit into a Short

1. Open the YouTube mobile app and go to one of your public long-form videos.
2. Tap Remix, then select Edit into a Short.
3. Choose up to 60 seconds from the original video.
4. Tap Next and select the layout that best fits the subject.
5. Add text, filters, or extra footage if needed.
6. Write a clear title, check the preview, and upload the Short.

The Short created through this workflow links back to the original video. That makes it useful for turning a strong answer, tip, or story into a discovery clip that can send interested viewers toward the full-length content.

If the option does not appear, check that the video is public and that Shorts remixing is enabled. Private videos, unlisted videos, and videos with third-party copyright claims cannot be processed through this feature.

Method 2: Create Shorts Manually With a Video Editor

Manual editing takes longer, but it is the best approach when the framing, timing, or visual storytelling matters. You can use CapCut, DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, Canva, or another editor that supports a vertical canvas.

Step 1: Find a standalone moment

Watch the source video and mark sections that can be understood without the previous five minutes. Good candidates often contain a direct answer, a common mistake, a surprising fact, a short story, or a concise step-by-step explanation.

Avoid clips that begin with phrases such as “as I said earlier” or “that is why it matters.” Those openings depend on missing context and usually cause viewers to scroll away.

Step 2: Create a 9:16 project

Set the project or canvas to 1080 × 1920 pixels. Keep the frame rate the same as the source file unless you have a specific reason to change it. Import the video, place the selected section on the timeline, and remove any unnecessary silence before the main point begins.

Step 3: Reframe the horizontal footage

Simply cropping the centre of a 16:9 video does not always work. For a talking-head video, keep the speaker’s face near the upper-middle area and leave room below for captions. For a two-person interview, you may need to switch between speakers or use a stacked layout.

Screen recordings and product demonstrations need more care. If the important button, chart, or object sits near the edge of the original frame, animate the crop or rebuild the layout so the viewer can still understand the demonstration on a phone.

Step 4: Add and proofread captions

Automatic captions save time, but they are not the final quality check. Correct names, brands, numbers, and technical terms. Break long sentences into readable lines, and keep captions away from the bottom-right area where YouTube’s buttons appear.

• Use a large, high-contrast font.
• Keep each caption group short enough to read quickly.
• Highlight only the most important words.
• Do not add an emoji to every sentence.
• Watch once with sound off to test readability.

Step 5: Strengthen the opening

The most useful moment in a long video may still have a slow opening. Remove greetings, filler words, and setup that does not help a new viewer understand the topic.

You do not need to rewrite every sentence. Often, trimming two or three seconds from the start is enough to make the topic clear immediately.

Step 6: Export and upload

Export the finished video as an MP4 using H.264 at 1080 × 1920. Watch the entire exported file before uploading, because caption timing and framing can shift during rendering. In YouTube Studio, add a concise title and, where available, attach the relevant long-form upload as the Short’s related video.

Method 3: Turn a Long YouTube Video Into Shorts With AI

AI clipping tools are useful when you have a 15–60 minute podcast, interview, webinar, or talking-head video and want several possible Shorts without searching through the entire timeline yourself.

Instead of giving the tool one timestamp, you provide the video or its URL. The AI analyses the speech, identifies moments it considers interesting, reframes the footage vertically, and adds captions. You then review the suggestions and export only the strongest clips.

How to turn a YouTube video into Shorts with OpusClip

1. Copy the URL of the YouTube video you want to repurpose.
2. Paste the URL into OpusClip, or upload the original video file.
3. Select the output language and preferred clip length.
4. Choose a vertical 9:16 layout.
5. Allow the AI to analyse the video and generate suggested clips.
6. Watch every clip and check whether the opening makes sense on its own.
7. Correct caption errors, framing, and start or end points.
8. Export the strongest clips and upload them through YouTube Studio.

The important word here is suggested. Ten generated clips do not necessarily equal ten publishable Shorts. AI may recognise an interesting sentence but miss the earlier context needed to understand it, or end the clip before the speaker reaches the conclusion.

In our hands-on OpusClip test, one 45-minute video produced 10 clips. Five were immediately usable, four were usable after editing, and one was not worth publishing. Reviewing and correcting all results took about 60 minutes. The tool was valuable for finding candidate moments, but it did not remove the need to check context, captions, and framing.

Which Method Should You Use?

For one occasional Short, start with YouTube’s built-in tool. For a carefully branded or visually complex Short, edit manually. If you regularly need several clips from long-form content, use AI to create the first drafts and human judgment to choose and finish the final videos.

How to Choose the Best Moments for YouTube Shorts

Software can change the aspect ratio and generate captions, but the source moment still determines whether the Short is worth watching. Before editing, score a possible clip against this checklist:

• The first sentence creates curiosity or identifies the topic.
• The clip makes sense without the original video.
• It contains one clear takeaway rather than several incomplete ideas.
• The speaker reaches a conclusion.
• The visual content still works in a vertical frame.
• Unnecessary pauses and introductions can be removed.
• The topic is relevant to the audience you want to reach.

A clip does not need to satisfy every point, but it should meet most of them. If the viewer needs an explanation before the first sentence, choose an earlier starting point or find a different moment.

Common Mistakes When Repurposing Videos Into Shorts

1. Starting before the real hook

Remove greetings, scene-setting, and repeated questions when they delay the useful part. The viewer should understand why the clip matters within the first few seconds.

2. Cropping important content out of the frame

Check the entire clip after converting it to 9:16. A crop that works while one person is speaking may fail when another person moves or a graphic appears.

3. Keeping too much context

Context is useful only when it helps a new viewer understand the main point. If it delays the payoff, remove it or replace it with a short text hook.

4. Trusting automatic captions

Automatic transcription commonly struggles with names, brands, accents, fast speech, and specialist terminology. One incorrect key word can change the meaning of an otherwise strong clip.

5. Publishing every AI-generated result

AI output should be treated as a set of drafts. Reject repetitive, incomplete, or context-dependent suggestions instead of spending time repairing all of them.

6. Forgetting the original long video

A Short can do more than collect isolated views. Link it to the relevant long video when the option is available, and make the short-form clip a useful entry point into the rest of your content.

Final Recommendation

The easiest way to turn a YouTube video into Shorts depends on how many clips you need and how much control the content requires.

Use YouTube’s Edit into a Short feature when you already know the moment and want a fast, free result. Use a manual editor when the visuals, timing, and brand presentation need close control. Use an AI clipping tool when the difficult part is searching a long video for several possible moments.

The most reliable workflow combines automation with editorial review: let the software create a first draft, then check whether the hook, context, framing, captions, and conclusion work for a viewer who has never seen the original video.

Frequently Asked Questions