YouTube has introduced a new creator tool for converting existing videos into shorts. According to previous reports, YouTube Shorts, which debuted in 2020, are watched by more than 1.5 billion people each month.
YouTube’s new Edit into a Short tool allows you to take 60 seconds of an existing YouTube video and convert it into a short using the same editing tools to add text, filters, and other effects. This follows YouTube’s recent ability to convert vertical-format videos into Shorts if they are at least 60 seconds long.
This functionality, according to a YouTube community post, will help you “bring new life to your classic content” and engage more people. If the clip taken is less than 60 seconds long, the Shorts camera can record an additional clip. A previously uploaded video from the gallery can also be used.
When a short is created from a long-form video on YouTube, the original video is linked back to, allowing creators to promote their YouTube video. In some ways, this new tool can help a YouTube video’s reach while also persuading people to create more shorts.
Another important distinction is that this feature is only available to creators who want to convert their own videos into Shorts, as opposed to anyone who wants to remix a public YouTube video into Shorts. Edit into a Short is now available for Android and iOS users. It remains to be seen how well this feature works for creators and whether they will actually use it.
