How to Turn One Long Video into Multiple Short Videos (4 Steps)

To turn one long video into multiple short videos with Revid, open the YouTube Long to Shorts tool, paste the YouTube link, choose 1 to 3 extracts, leave Auto-reframe video on for horizontal footage and click Generate video. The AI picks the strongest moments and returns each one as its own vertical clip, ready to edit and publish.

The tool does the cutting. Whether the clips get views depends on three things: a source you have the rights to, one idea per clip, and a length that fits each platform. One rule catches many people out: on YouTube, any Short longer than one minute with an active Content ID claim is blocked worldwide and cannot be monetized.

#What you need before you start

• A long video on YouTube: a talk, podcast, webinar, tutorial or stream. If your file is not on YouTube, see the section on other sources below.
• The right to reuse it: your own video, or one whose owner allows reuse.
• A Revid account: sign-up is free and new accounts get free credits to try video creation (no credit card needed). Regular creation then uses the monthly credits of a paid plan, from $39/month. The cost of each video shows before you generate it.

#Step 1: Open YouTube Long to Shorts and paste the link

Click Create at the top of the sidebar (or press C). The Create page asks "What do you want to make?" with a row of starting points. The clip maker is not one of the main chips: open More tools (or All tools in the sidebar) and pick YouTube Long to Shorts. You can also start from the public YouTube Clip Maker page.

Paste the URL of the long video. For the example in this guide, the source was the TEDx talk "Wii Remote Hacks" on YouTube, which produced three clips from one run.

#Step 2: Choose the number of extracts and auto-reframe

Two settings decide what comes out:

1. How many extracts do you want?: 1, 2 or 3. Each extract becomes a separate short video. Pick 3 for a talk or podcast with several standout moments, 1 for a source with one clear highlight.
2. Auto-reframe video: on by default. It reframes horizontal YouTube footage into a vertical mobile frame and costs 10 credits. Turn it off only if your source is already vertical.

Before you generate, check Estimated cost next to the Generate video button. It shows the credits the run will use, so there is no surprise on your balance (shown as "N credits" at the bottom of the sidebar).

#Step 3: Generate, then fix the clips in the editor

Click Generate video. When the run finishes, the clips appear in Videos (sidebar, under Create). Click a clip's card to open it in the timeline editor.

The fixes most clips need:

• A late start: drag the clip's start edge on the timeline, or place the playhead and press S (Split) to cut, then delete the extra part.
• Caption errors: the Script panel lists every caption segment with its text box and start time. Edit the words there, or restyle them in the Captions panel.
• A weak scene: select the clip and use Replace to swap in media from the Library or Stock.

#Step 4: Connect your accounts and publish

Connect TikTok, YouTube, Instagram or X once in Settings > Integrations ("Add a network"). A Webhook option sends each post to Zapier, Make or your own URL.

Then choose Publish on a clip's card in Videos, or Export in the editor, to open the Publish Video dialog. Pick the accounts under "Publish to" and click Publish to post now or Add to queue to schedule clips from one queue. Scheduled posts sit on the Publish page.

Space the clips out (one a day rather than all three at once). Each gets its own chance in the feed, and you learn which moment from the long video performs best.

#How many clips should you make from one long video?

Make one clip per standalone idea, not per minute of footage. A moment works as a clip if a viewer who never saw the long video can follow it and if you can describe it in one sentence ("the trick that turns a Wii remote into a head tracker"). If you can't, it isn't a clip.

Each run returns up to three extracts, so this tool fits best on long videos with a few clear highlights:

• Talk or keynote: 3 extracts, aimed at the strongest claims or demos.
• Podcast or interview: 2 or 3, depending on how many stories or opinions stand on their own.
• Tutorial: 1 extract per complete tip, so each clip delivers a result.

#How long should each short clip be?

Cut each clip where its idea ends, within the platform's limit. These are the current limits:

Length matters less than people think. In Revid's analysis of 176,367 TikToks with 1,000+ likes posted between October 2025 and October 2026, every length bucket from under 15 seconds to 10 minutes had a median between 58K and 76K views. Videos of 61 to 90 seconds reached a 70K median, while videos under 15 seconds had the lowest median (58K) but the most shares: 1.41 per 100 views. The sample only includes TikToks that already passed 1,000 likes, so it shows what successful videos have in common, not what causes success (full study on what makes a TikTok go viral).

Median viewsShare that passed 1M viewsShares per 100 views

50K100K150K

76.4K

Under 15 s16 to 30 s31 to 60 s61 to 90 s91 s to 3 min3 to 10 min10 min+

Length alone barely moves views: every bucket lands between 58K and 76K median views (the 790 videos over 10 minutes are a small, unusual group). Clips under 15 seconds get shared the most per view.

Source: Revid analysis of 176,367 TikToks with 1,000+ likes posted between Oct 1, 2025 and Oct 16, 2026 (61,203 creators)

Show the data

	Median views	Share that passed 1M views	Shares per 100 views
Under 15 s	57.6K	11.6%	1
16 to 30 s	64.9K	12.3%	1
31 to 60 s	61.8K	11.8%	1
61 to 90 s	70.5K	12.2%	1
91 s to 3 min	63.4K	11.1%	1
3 to 10 min	76.4K	12.4%	1
10 min+	129.6K	13.8%	0

Revid's full TikTok index (all posting dates) gave very short videos more of an edge: 16 to 30 seconds had the highest median, about 141K views. For recent posts that edge has faded. The practical rule: keep a clip short when it is a single punchline or tip built to be shared, and let it run past a minute when the story needs it, as long as it carries no copyright claim on YouTube.

#Before you post: three checks

1. The first line is the hook. If a clip opens on "so, as I was saying", trim it so it starts on the point.
2. Captions are on. They let the clip work for anyone scrolling with the sound off; add or restyle them with the AI caption generator.
3. You have the rights. Read the warning below before clipping anyone else's video.

#Clip a whole channel automatically

If you publish long videos every week, an Auto Mode worker can watch your YouTube channel and make a short from new uploads every day. Go to Auto Mode in the sidebar, click New worker, pick the job "Repurpose Fresh Content" with your channel as the source, and choose YouTube Long to Shorts as the format if you want real clips. The built-in "YouTube to Shorts" template uses the Voiceover Video tool, which voices a new script instead of clipping your footage. Workers need a paid plan (3 on Growth) and run once a day between 1 AM and 5 AM. The full setup is in the guide to automatic YouTube Shorts from a channel.

#Not on YouTube? Other ways to split a long video

• A file on your computer: the long video to short video converter takes an upload instead of a YouTube link.
• A game stream: the game stream to short tool adds a voiceover and subtitles to clips from your streams.
• Manual methods: for YouTube's own tools and other options, see ways to get clips from YouTube videos.

For a wider plan that reuses each long video across platforms and formats, read the workflow for repurposing video content with AI.

#FAQ

#Can I turn someone else's YouTube video into Shorts?

Only with permission or a license that allows reuse. Without it, a clip can get a Content ID claim (which blocks a Short over one minute worldwide), and YouTube's reused content policy can stop the whole channel from monetizing.

#Is Revid's YouTube Clip Maker free?

You can try it free: sign-up costs nothing and new accounts get free credits, no credit card needed. Regular use then draws on a paid plan's monthly credits (from $39/month for 2,000), and auto-reframe adds 10 credits per video.

#How many clips can I get from one run?

Up to three. Set the number in "How many extracts do you want?" (1, 2 or 3) before you click Generate video.

#Do the clips come out vertical?

Yes, as long as Auto-reframe video stays on, which it is by default. It reframes horizontal footage into a vertical mobile frame; turn it off only when the source is already vertical.