September 27, 2024

How To Create Youtube Shorts From Existing Videos and From Scratch

YouTube Shorts boasts more than 2.3 billion monthly active users, and this is well justified. As of 2024, the platform has exceeded 6.5 billion daily views worldwide, indicating a significant surge in its popularity. Shorts are entertaining, easily consumable, and highly engaging, making it imprudent for content creators to overlook this format. Furthermore, it is not essential to produce new videos exclusively for Shorts; existing videos can be repurposed, even if they exceed the 60-second limit that defines YouTube Shorts at present.

In this article, we will provide several strategies for efficiently and easily producing YouTube Shorts from pre-existing long videos, as well as creating them from scratch.

What Are Youtube Shorts?

YouTube Shorts enables users to view and produce brief, engaging vertical videos directly from their mobile devices, utilizing various creation tools such as a multi-segment camera, options to incorporate music or audio clips, text overlays, and speed adjustments, among others.

Shorts are accessible through a specific tab, as well as on the homepage, channel pages, and search results. Users will also receive notifications regarding Shorts from channels they are subscribed to. This format offers a unique viewing experience characterized by an infinite scrollable feed, which is separate from traditional YouTube videos. Additionally, creators have the opportunity to monetize these videos similarly to their regular content by qualifying for the YouTube Partner Program based on the views and subscribers garnered from Shorts.

Youtube Shorts Specifications

Prior to creating a YouTube Short, it is important to consider the following specifications.

Video Dimensions

• Aspect Ratio: 9:16 (vertical format)
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels

Video Length

• YouTube Shorts must be between 15 seconds and 60 seconds long.
• Longer videos can be created by stitching together multiple 15-second clips.

Video File Size

• YouTube Shorts videos should not exceed 10MB in file size.

Thumbnail Dimensions

• Thumbnails for Shorts should follow the same 9:16 aspect ratio and 1920×1080 resolution as the videos.

Other Specifications

• Square 1:1 videos with 1080 x 1080 resolution are also accepted as Shorts, but are not optimized for the vertical viewing experience.
• Shorts can be created directly in the YouTube mobile app using built-in camera tools and editing features.
• Shorts must come from channels with at least 1,000 subscribers to be eligible.

Now let’s proceed to making YouTube Shorts—both from an existing video and from scratch.

How To Make Youtube Shorts From Existing Videos

To accomplish this task, you will require two essential components: the original video and a solution capable of creating shorter versions of it. This can be achieved through video editing software, whether it be online, mobile, or desktop-based, or by utilizing an AI-powered tool that efficiently and intelligently segments your video into multiple short clips or a single concise clip. We will begin with the latter option.

1.Create Youtube Shorts With AI Video Cut

AI Video Cut is a web-based tool that utilizes OpenAI technology to seamlessly generate YouTube Shorts from pre-existing video clips, eliminating the necessity for manual editing. Presently, there are two categories of short videos offered: Trailers and Topics-clips.

Video Trailer

Select this format if you want to showcase the most engaging and vital parts of your video in YouTube Shorts. Here are the steps you should take to make one:

1. Visit theAI Video Cut website.
2. Insert the YouTube video link into the special field.
3. Choose “Trailer” in the Video type section.
4. Select the duration (Short – max 7 quotes/ Medium – max 15 quotes/ Long – max 25 quotes).
5. Click “Submit”.
6. Wait until the video is made and then download it directly from the website.

At this point, you can watch the video to decide if you need to restart the process.

Tip: AI Video Cut also creates a transcript of a YouTube video which you can use as captions for your Shorts to cater to hard-of-hearing, deaf people, or those who can’t easily understand oral speech.

Topics-Clips

Choose this option if you wish to produce multiple YouTube Shorts simultaneously, emphasizing particular concepts from your primary video through various short thematic segments. The AI Video Cut feature automatically identifies these concepts and generates several videos featuring the most captivating and engaging material.

You may choose this format as an alternative to a Trailer if you aim to maximize the utility of your primary video and distribute various segments across multiple platforms. This approach is particularly beneficial if your original video is lengthy and covers a range of subjects.

1. Visit the AI Video Cut website.
2. Put the video link into the special field.
3. Select the video type “Topics-clips”.
4. Pick the duration (Short – max 7 quotes/ Medium – max 15 quotes/ Long – max 25 quotes).
5. Choose the number of topics (from 1 up to 10).
6. Click “Submit”.
7. Wait until the video is processed, then download one or several suggested videos directly from the website or using the links you receive in your email.

You will then receive one or several videos (depending on how many topics you’ve chosen), each focused on a different topic featured in the original video.

2.Make Youtube Shorts With From Existing Videos With Video Editing Software

If you’re looking for a more conventional approach, you can use one of multiple video editors to crop a long video into several short ones. Here’s how:

1. Open your preferred video editing software (e.g. CapCut, InShot, Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, etc.) and import or open the existing video file. If you need to download a video from YouTube or another site first, use 4K Video Downloader Plus for that.
2. Crop or resize the video to a 9:16 aspect ratio.
3. Use the trimming or cutting tools in your video editor to select a 15-60 second clip from your existing video. You can also stitch together multiple shorter clips if needed, as long as the total length doesn’t exceed 60 seconds.
4. Add text overlays, graphics, stickersApply color grading or filtersInclude transitions between clipsAdd background music or voice-overs.
5. Once you’ve edited your Short, export or render the video file. Most video editors support exporting to MP4, which is the recommended format for YouTube Shorts.
6. Make sure to export at 1920×1080 resolution for best quality.
7. Sign in to your YouTube account and go to the “Create” section.
8. Select “Upload Videos” and choose the exported Short video file.
9. Add a title, description (with #Shorts hashtag), and publish settings.
10. Click “Upload” to post your new YouTube Short created from an existing video.

How To Create Youtube Shorts From Existing Videos With Youtube Remix

YouTube Remix is a functionality that facilitates creators in producing YouTube Shorts by remixing pre-existing videos directly on the platform. This feature allows them to extract brief segments (up to 5 seconds) from any public YouTube video and merge it with their own recorded footage (up to 55 seconds) to generate a new YouTube Short. The remixed content is published as a standard YouTube Short on the creator’s channel, with appropriate credit given to the original video source. Below are the steps to create a YouTube Short using the Remix feature.

1. Open the YouTube app and log in to your account. Find and choose a video you’ve already uploaded that you want to transform into a Short.
2. After selecting your video, tap on the Remix button below the video title. Then, choose the option ‘Edit into a Short’.
3. You’ll be taken to the Shorts creation screen. Use the sliders to select the portion of the video you want to use for your Short. You can create Shorts up to 60 seconds long, with a red bar at the top indicating how much time you’ve used.
4. If the segment you selected is less than 60 seconds, you can add more footage. Tap the back arrow in the top left corner to open the Shorts camera and record additional content.
5. You can also include footage from your device. Tap the media library icon in the bottom left corner of the Shorts camera and select the desired video. When finished, tap the checkmark icon in the bottom right corner.
6. You’ll arrive at the preview screen for your Short. Here, you can add text, adjust the timeline, or apply filters. Use these features to enhance your video and make it more engaging. The timeline tool helps you set when text appears.
7. Once you’re done enhancing your Short, press Next. A field will appear for you to enter the title. Write your title and adjust settings for visibility and age-appropriateness.
8. Tap the blue Upload Short button at the bottom of the screen. Your Short will be published and will include a link to the original video, making it easy for viewers to access it.

How Do You Make Youtube Shorts From Other Peoples Videos

You can make YouTube Shorts from other people’s videos by using the Remix feature in the YouTube mobile app. Here are the steps:

1. Open the YouTube mobile app and find a video you want to remix into a Short.
2. Tap the Remix button. This will only appear if the video owner has enabled the remixing feature.
3. Select the “Cut this video” option to choose a 5-second clip from the original video.
4. After selecting the 5-second clip, you’ll be taken to the YouTube Shorts camera.
5. You can now record your own video footage of up to 55 seconds to combine with the remixed clip.
6. Use the editing tools to add text, filters, adjust speed, etc. to your recorded footage.
7. When finished, tap “Next” and you can set the title, audience, and other settings for your remixed Short.
8. Finally, tap “Upload” to publish your new YouTube Short containing the remixed clip from the original video.

Note that you can only use up to 5 seconds from someone else’s video due to copyright limitations. The rest of the Short (up to 55 seconds) must be your own original content.

How To Create Youtube Shorts From Scratch

If you’d rather create a YouTube Short anew, follow these steps:

1. Open the YouTube mobile app. You can only create Shorts natively through the YouTube mobile app, so make sure you have the latest version installed on your iOS or Android device.
2. Tap on the “Create” (+) icon at the bottom of the app’s home screen.
3. Select “Short” from the menu options.
4. The Shorts camera will open in a 9:16 vertical aspect ratio optimized for Shorts. Tap and hold the red record button to start recording your 15-second video clip. You can record multiple clips that will stitch together.
5. To record a full 60 seconds, tap the “15” button and change it to “60” before recording.
6. Use the toolbar on the right to add filters, text, adjust speed, set a timer, or add music/sounds from YouTube’s library.
7. Tap the “Flip” icon to switch between rear and front cameras.
8. For more advanced editing, tap the “Edit” button after recording to trim, reorder clips, add transitions, etc.
9. Once you’re done editing, tap “Next” in the top right corner.
10. Add a title, description (with #Shorts hashtag), set audience, and other publishing details.
11. Finally, tap “Upload Short” to publish your brand new YouTube Short created entirely from scratch.

Conclusion

It is evident that creating a new video is not necessary if your intention is to repurpose your current content into YouTube Shorts. In 2024, various tools are available that can assist you in this process, whether through video editing software or AI-driven solutions such as AI Video Cut. Utilize this article as a resource to enhance your presence on YouTube with captivating Shorts content.