Clipscrybe / Guides

How to turn a long YouTube video into Shorts automatically

Paste the YouTube link into Clipscrybe, let it pick the moments that stand on their own, open each in the studio for captions and a face-tracking 9:16 crop, and download Shorts ready to upload.

The honest version of “automatic”

A long YouTube video doesn't contain fifteen great Shorts. It contains a handful of moments that work on their own and a lot of connecting tissue. A good tool finds the handful and leaves the rest. A bad one gives you fifteen clips that start mid-sentence.

Clipscrybe reads the whole transcript the way a short-form editor would: it looks for a hook in the first few seconds, a payoff before the end, and a moment that doesn't need the previous ten minutes to make sense. It also notes where the audio gets loud, which on a YouTube video usually means a laugh or emphasis.

Step by step

1. Paste the YouTube link

   Any public YouTube video works. If the video already has captions, the transcript is instant; if not, the audio is transcribed, which takes a minute or two. Free covers videos up to 30 minutes; Pro takes any length.

2. Choose what you want

   On Pro, set the number of clips (up to 15), the length (Shorts are best under 60 seconds) and the topic. Leave the topic blank for the best moments overall, or type something like “the practical advice”.

3. Look at the map

   Each clip sits on a map of the video with a score. The picker favours a strong first line, a payoff before the end, and a moment that makes sense on its own. Swap any clip for a different moment if you'd rather use another bit.

4. Make it vertical

   The studio crops to 9:16 and face-tracking keeps the speaker in frame. For a two-person video it follows whoever is talking. Pro also exports 4:5, 1:1 and 16:9 if you want the same clip elsewhere.

5. Add captions and a hook

   Pick a caption style (Clean or Bold suit talking-head videos; Karaoke suits faster ones). Choose a hook line for the first second. Copy the Shorts title and description it suggests.

6. Download and upload

   Download the clip, then upload it to YouTube as a Short. No watermark on a free account.

Tips that make the Shorts better

• Give it a topic. “The money advice” produces a tighter set of clips than “best moments” from a general video. (Pro.)
• Keep them short. Set the length to 20–45 seconds for Shorts. A clip that could be shorter usually should be.
• Fix the first line. If a clip opens with “so, like I said”, tap that word in the transcript to cut it. The hook line covers the first second anyway.
• Rate the clips. Thumbs up the ones you post and thumbs down the ones you'd never use. The picker learns what you like.
• Use your brand kit. On Pro, your logo, handle and colours are added to every clip, so the Short still points at your channel when it's reposted.

What about the Shorts YouTube makes for you?

YouTube can suggest Shorts from a long video inside YouTube Studio. It's worth trying because it's free and already there. It doesn't add word-by-word captions or a hook, and you can't use the same clip for TikTok or Reels. If you post to more than one platform, a tool that gives you a downloadable file saves the second and third round of work.