The format matches the platform
The default export is MP4, H.264, 1080 x 1920 at 30 fps, the full-screen 9:16 frame Shorts expects. The other option, 4:5, is meant for the Instagram feed.
YOUTUBE SHORTS MAKER
Make YouTube Shorts from a YouTube link or a long video.
A YouTube Short is a vertical clip, and shortshort cuts that kind of clip from a long video: 15 to 90 seconds as a target, with a 25% margin to close on a complete sentence, from a file on your disk or the link of your own public or unlisted YouTube video, downloaded on our servers at up to 720p with its audio. This page is the same shortshort studio as the rest of the site, and each short can be scheduled on your channel from the Publish page or downloaded as an MP4.
30 free credits, no cardUp to 2 GB per videoMP4 · 9:16 or 4:5
YouTube Shorts maker: the short answer
Paste the link of your YouTube video or upload the file: shortshort cuts 1080 x 1920 Shorts aimed at 15 to 90 seconds on full sentences, captioned word by word.
Example with shortshort: a 38-minute YouTube video becomes 6 shorts of about 55 seconds, for 38 credits on the Creator plan.
- Shorts per video
- 3 on the Free plan, 5 on Starter, 10 on Creator, 20 on the Studio plan
- Cost
- 1 credit per minute; 30 free, then plans from €12 a month
- Source video
- A file or a YouTube link, up to 2 GB
- Clip length
- Aimed at 15 to 90 s, within 25% to end on a sentence
Facts checked against the product on . Prices before VAT.
Why the studio fits this job
The rules of the studio that matter most here.
A 60-second target leaves room for the last sentence
The AI is allowed a 25% margin, so a short set at 60 seconds can run between 45 and 75 to finish the speaker's thought.
Ten shorts from a single upload on Creator
One upload yields up to 10 shorts on Creator and up to 20 on the Studio plan, while Free stops at 3 and Starter at 5; the shorts proposed together never share a passage of the source.
YouTube to Shorts converter: paste your video link
If the long video is already on your channel, there is nothing to download first: paste the link of your own public or unlisted YouTube video, downloaded on our servers at up to 720p with its audio. The AI listens to the whole video and picks passages that open and close on complete sentences, and each short comes out as a 1080 x 1920 MP4 with captions timed word by word, ready to schedule on your channel from the Publish page.
The import goes up to 720p, and a 9:16 crop of a 720p video is about 405 x 720 pixels before it is scaled to 1080 x 1920, so upload the master file from your editor when picture quality matters. It needs a free account. Private, age-restricted and live videos cannot be imported, and YouTube sometimes refuses downloads from servers: if an import fails, upload the file instead.
The import is meant for your own videos: you confirm in the terms that you hold the rights to what you import. YouTube Studio also has a built-in Clips and Shorts tool; a question below compares the two.
Read next: YouTube Studio clips or a clip maker? · YouTube's October 2026 originality update · Free shorts audit of a public YouTube link
How to do it
Four steps. About two minutes of your time; the processing itself runs on our servers and depends on the length of the video.
- 01Upload the master file for the best picture, or paste the link of your YouTube upload, downloaded at up to 720p
- 02Pick a length under 60 seconds and how many shorts to look for
- 03Check the crop and set the caption style on each proposal in the studio
- 04Schedule each short on your channel from the Publish page, or download the MP4 and upload it yourself
What this page does not promise
What the search term usually implies, and the studio does not do.
No import from TikTok, Instagram or Vimeo links: shortshort takes a file from your disk, or the link of your own YouTube video.
No YouTube analytics and no thumbnail editing: the short is scheduled on your channel from the Publish page, or downloaded as an MP4 and posted by you.
On a real video, in the same studio
A published transformation from the community: the original on top, the shorts it became below, with the transcript of each short.
3 of 6 shorts shown · The Override That Saved Humanity · watch it in the community, with the transcript of each short
Demo footage: Tears of Steel © Blender Foundation, licensed CC BY 3.0. Cut, cropped and captioned by shortshort.
Questions people ask
YouTube to Shorts converter: can I just paste my video link?
Yes. Under the drop zone, paste the link of your own public or unlisted YouTube video, downloaded on our servers at up to 720p with its audio, within the same 2 GB limit as a file, and the studio cuts Shorts from it as from an upload. For the best picture, upload the original file from your editor instead. It needs a free account. Private, age-restricted and live videos cannot be imported, and YouTube sometimes refuses downloads from servers: if an import fails, upload the file instead.
Are the shorts the right size for YouTube Shorts?
Yes. In 9:16, the default, every export is 1080 x 1920 pixels, H.264 in an MP4 container at 30 frames per second, so there is nothing to convert before uploading. The studio also exports 4:5 at 1080 x 1350 for the Instagram feed; keep 9:16 for Shorts.
How long should a YouTube Short be here?
Any target between 15 and 90 seconds is allowed, and the clip may end up to 25% shorter or longer than that target so it closes on a sentence. Set 45 seconds if you want to stay comfortably under a minute after the margin.
Does it publish to my channel?
Yes. Connect your YouTube channel on the Publish page, then pick a day and time for each short or let shortshort fill the calendar; titles and descriptions are written in the language you choose. You can also download each short as a separate MP4 and upload it yourself.
Does the free plan work for YouTube Shorts?
Yes, with two conditions: up to 3 shorts per video and a watermark on the export. The 30 credits included at sign-up cover a video of up to 30 minutes. Starter at 12 EUR a month before VAT removes the watermark and raises the ceiling to 5 shorts per video.
Why not YouTube Studio's own Video Clips tool?
It is built in, and its help page names no price or plan, so it is worth a look. In YouTube Studio, a video's Clips and Shorts tab turns a segment you pick in the transcript or the timeline into a separate video clip or a Short, with AI suggestions where available (currently 10 countries and 7 languages), autocaptions you can restyle, and the source video added as the related video of a public Short; for scenes the preview shows with black bars, YouTube says the final Short shows a blurred crop of the video. shortshort adds an AI pass over the whole video that proposes up to 20 shorts per video on the Studio plan, never sharing a passage, a crop that follows the face on screen, tracked separately in 9:16 and 4:5, captions timed per word in four styles, and scheduling on your channel. It does not set a related video: add it in YouTube Studio.
Source: Video Clips & Shorts in YouTube Studio, YouTube Help, read 24 October 2026. YouTube Studio clips or a clip maker: the full comparison
Will YouTube's October 2026 originality update affect clips from my own videos?
YouTube's help page for its Clips and Shorts tool says: "You won't be penalized for using your content in a video clip or Short." That is a rule about penalties, not a promise of reach. On 1 October 2026, TeamYouTube said that channels mainly aggregating or re-uploading other creators' videos without significant changes will likely see less distribution in the Shorts feed; the post does not mention clips cut from your own long videos. No tool, shortshort included, can promise how a short will be distributed.
Sources: Video Clips & Shorts in YouTube Studio, YouTube Help, read 24 October 2026; Prioritizing original content on Shorts, TeamYouTube, 1 October 2026, read 24 October 2026. What the originality update says, and what it does not
Is this a standalone Shorts tool?
No, it is the shortshort studio, reached from a page written for people searching for a Shorts maker. The same AI selection, editor and export serve every other page on this site.
A 38-minute YouTube video on Creator, 6 shorts, one upload.
Free to try with 30 credits. Your upload stays private until you export; exported shorts join the community with their source video by default, and any paid plan can keep them out.