Turn any YouTube video into Shorts
Paste a YouTube link. OptimaClip's AI watches the whole video, pulls out the moments that stand on their own, captions them and reframes them to vertical, so one upload becomes a week of Shorts, TikToks and Reels.
How do I turn a long YouTube video into Shorts?
Find 20–60 second moments that make sense without context, crop them to 9:16 vertical, add captions and keep each under 3 minutes (the current YouTube Shorts limit). With OptimaClip you paste the YouTube link and the AI does those steps, returning scored, captioned vertical clips to review.
How it works
Paste the YouTube link
Works on every plan, including Starter. No download needed. You can also upload the file directly.
AI finds the Shorts
It looks for hooks, answers, stories and reactions that work on their own, and scores each with the reason it was chosen.
Post or schedule
Download vertical clips with captions burned in, or schedule them to YouTube Shorts and 7 other platforms on the Creator plan.
What makes a long video work as Shorts
Hook in the first seconds
The AI favors moments that open strong, because Shorts viewers decide in a second or two whether to keep watching.
Captions for sound-off
Animated word-level captions in 21 languages, saved as a brand template so every Short looks consistent.
Vertical without losing the speaker
Wide 16:9 footage is reframed to 9:16. Smart Reframe with face tracking keeps the speaker in frame (Creator+).
Publish everywhere, from the same dashboard
YouTube to Shorts FAQ
How long can a YouTube Short be?
Up to 3 minutes for vertical or square video. Most clips cut from long videos perform best between 20 and 60 seconds.
Can I turn someone else's YouTube video into Shorts?
Only if you own the content or have permission. Clip your own videos, or videos from creators who've authorized you, for example as a clipper.
Does posting Shorts from my long videos help the main channel?
Shorts can bring new viewers to a channel, but they're recommended separately from long-form. Use Shorts that tease the full episode and point to it.
How much does it cost to convert a video?
1 credit per minute of source video. A 30-minute video costs 30 credits no matter how many Shorts the AI finds.
Related
Guides: youtube shorts
- How to Clip a YouTube Video Into Shorts (Your Own or With Permission)
- How to Get More Views on YouTube Shorts: 10 Fixes That Actually Move the Numbers
- How to Schedule YouTube Shorts (Desktop, Mobile and in Bulk)
- How to Make a Kick Highlight From a Stream (Clips, Montages and Shorts)
- How to Clip on Twitch (and Turn Those Clips Into TikToks and Shorts)
- AI Video Editor vs AI Clipping Tool: Which One Do You Need for Shorts?
- AI Voice-Over for YouTube Shorts: When It Helps and How to Use It
- Maximum Video Length on TikTok, Reels, Shorts and More (2026)
The whole price list
1 credit = 1 minute of video.
Every clip and export is free.
A 10-minute video costs 10 credits — whether the AI finds 3 clips or 15, and however many formats you export. No per-clip fees, no caption fees, no surprise charges. Start with a 3-day free trial: 30 credits, $0 today.
✓ Unlimited AI clips
Every moment the AI finds — free
✓ Every export, free
9:16, 1:1, 16:9, 4:5 — first render of each
✓ Captions included
Animated, 21 languages + auto-detect, brand-styled
✓ Virality score + reasoning
Know why each clip should work
Everything the big tools have — for a fraction of the cost
Clipping, captions, reframing, scheduling and an editor, plus a few things you can't get at OpusClip's price.
AI clip finder with a virality score
Every clip gets a 0–100 score and a one-sentence reason it should work — no black-box guessing.
Animated captions in 21 languages
Brand-styled, single-word pop or classic, custom colors, fonts and positions. Included free on every export.
Curse-word censor
One toggle masks profanity in captions and silences it in the audio — brand-safe clips without an editor.
Find any moment by describing it
Type “the funniest fail” or “every mention of pricing” — search reads the transcript and watches the frames, even in silent video.
Twitch & Kick VOD import
Paste a VOD link and get the highlights. Streamers and clip channels are first-class here.
Highlight Reels
Auto-stitch every matching moment into one compilation clip. No manual stitching.
Studio: edit by chatting
A full timeline editor driven by AI chat — transitions, music, sound effects, text, your own footage, voice-over. Replaces the CapCut round-trip.
Smart Reframe with face tracking
The crop follows the main speaker's face across the clip, so wide video becomes vertical with the person always in frame.
Premiere Pro & DaVinci Resolve export
Download an edit list (EDL) and SRT captions for any clip and open the cut in your editor. Free on every plan.
AI voice-over
Type text, pick a voice, and drop natural narration onto your Studio timeline. 1 credit per voice-over, paid plans.
AI dubbing in 17 languages
Re-voice any finished clip in another language. 10 credits per minute of video, charged only when the dub finishes; paid plans.
Post everywhere, on a schedule
Built-in scheduling to YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, Threads, LinkedIn and Bluesky.
Developer API on Creator
Automate clipping from Zapier, n8n or your own code — API access starts at $39/mo, not a custom enterprise quote.
Teams & client workspaces
Seats, roles, brand templates per client. Agency-ready without the enterprise price tag.