YouTube wants creators to make more Shorts, adds a new tool

Evidently, TikTok is the main competitor for a lot of social media platforms including Instagram, Snapchat, and even YouTube. While Instagam has Reels, YouTube has its Shorts to compete with TikTok’s short-form video content. And now, the Google-owned video streaming platform is trying to make it easier for content creators to make Shorts.

A new “Edit into a Short” tool has started appearing on both iOS and Android and this is what, as YouTube hopes, will convince creators to make more Shorts.

The good thing is, creators don’t need to make separate videos for Shorts, though. This “Edit into a Short” tool will let creators select up to 60 seconds from one of their videos. Then this clip will be brought into the Shorts editor right from the YouTube app on both iOS and Android. Here, additional features like filters, text, other videos shot from the Shorts camera or the device’s photo gallery, can be added.

YouTube explained in its announcement that the finished Short will link back to the original full video it has been made from. So, this essentially makes the Short the ideal promotional material for any creator’s longer content and this is exactly what YouTube is hoping creators will buy into. The platform, in the meanwhile, is also testing monetisation options for the feature. As The Verge explains, if a viewer enjoys a Short that’s been created with this “Edit into a Short” tool, they will not have to go to the creator’s channel and hunt for the full video, they can just follow the link.

YouTube also has a Cut tool that has similar functions and allows users to cut five seconds from a longer video in a Short, and also the Clips feature that can be converted to Shorts. But the “Edit into a Short” tool, unlike Cut and Clip, cannot be used on other people’s videos. This tool shows up in the Create menu of a video you have uploaded.

YouTube has been focusing a lot on Shorts ever since it was launched in 2020. Besides setting up a fund to pay creators if they upload Shorts, the platform has been padding up the Shorts library by converting existing videos to Shorts as long as they are vertically shot and under 60 seconds. YouTube said last month that more than 1.5 billion people have watched Shorts each month.

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