How to Make YouTube Shorts from Long Videos

Repurposing your existing YouTube videos into captivating Shorts is one of the smartest ways to breathe new life into your channel and reach a massive new audience. It's a strategy that gets more value from the content you've already worked hard to create, driving both new subscribers and views back to your main videos. This guide provides a complete walkthrough, from finding the perfect moments in your long-form content to editing them into high-performing Shorts using both simple and advanced methods.

Why Repurpose Long Videos into Shorts? It’s All About Strategy

Before jumping into the "how," it's worth understanding the "why." Creating Shorts from your existing library isn't just about filling your content calendar, it's a powerful growth tactic. The YouTube Shorts algorithm operates differently from the long-form algorithm, giving you a second, massive opportunity to get your content in front of fresh eyes.

• Tap into a New Audience: Many YouTube users primarily browse the Shorts feed. These are viewers who might never discover your 30-minute deep-dive video but will happily watch a 30-second highlight. You're meeting a different kind of viewer where they are.
• Create a Powerful Content Funnel: Think of Shorts as trailers or commercials for your long-form content. A compelling Short can pique a viewer's interest, prompting them to click through to your channel and watch the full video, effectively turning a casual viewer into an engaged subscriber.
• Maximize Your Content ROI: Video production is time-consuming and expensive. If you spend a week producing one amazing long-form video, why let it have only one chance to perform? A single 20-minute video can easily provide 5-10 fantastic Shorts, multiplying your content output with minimal extra effort.
• Fuel the Algorithm: Consistent uploads signal to YouTube that your channel is active. By adding a steady stream of Shorts between your larger video releases, you keep your channel momentum going, which can positively impact your overall visibility.

How to Find "Golden Nuggets" Worth Turning into Shorts

Not every moment in your long-form video is suitable for a Short. The secret is to re-watch your own content with a "vertical video" mindset. You're looking for self-contained moments that are impactful, concise, and deliver a quick dose of value or entertainment. These are your golden nuggets.

What to Look For When Mining Your Content:

• Emotional Peaks: Is there a moment where you, a guest, or a subject in the video laughs uncontrollably, reacts with genuine shock, or tells a powerful emotional story? Emotion translates incredibly well to short-form video.
• Punchlines & Payoffs: Look for the climax of a story or the final punchline of a joke. A great setup-and-payoff structure within 60 seconds is classic short-form gold.
• Actionable Tips & Quick Tutorials: Did you share a single, powerful tip that someone can use immediately? For example, in a long cooking video, the moment you demonstrate a specific knife-cutting technique is a perfect standalone Short.
• Bold or Controversial Statements: A clip that starts with a strong, opinionated statement can be an amazing hook. It gets people to stop scrolling and either agree, disagree, or just stick around to see your reasoning.
• Visually Striking Scenes: Even simple cinematic b-roll, a satisfying time-lapse, or a visually stunning shot from your video can be edited into a compelling Short, especially when paired with trending music.

Pro Tip: Next time you edit a long-form video, create a separate document or use markers in your editing timeline to timestamp potential Shorts. This simple habit will save you hours of hunting for clips later on.

Method 1: Using YouTube's Built-In "Create" Tool (The Fast & Easy Way)

The simplest way to get started is by using the tool YouTube provides directly within its mobile app. It's perfect for quickly creating Shorts on the go without any additional software. The feature even automatically adds a link back to your original video, making it great for driving traffic.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Open the YouTube App: This method only works on the mobile app, so grab your phone or tablet.
2. Navigate to Your Video: Go to your channel and open the long-form video you want to pull a clip from.
3. Tap the "Create" Button: Look directly below the video player. You’ll see a button labeled "Create" (it may also be under a "Remix" button). Tap it, and from the options that appear, select "Edit into a Short."
4. Select and Trim Your Clip: The editor will open with your video footage. You'll see a timeline at the bottom that you can drag and adjust to select up to 60 seconds of video. Slide the handles to isolate the exact moment you want to feature. You can also tap the duration ("15" or "60") to change the maximum length.
5. Enhance Your Short: Once you have your clip selected, tap "Next." Here, you can use the Shorts creator tools to add text overlays, apply filters, or browse YouTube's massive audio library to add music or trending sounds.
6. Publish!: Finally, write a compelling title (don't forget #shorts in the title or description!), and add a few relevant hashtags. You can then choose your visibility settings and upload your Short.

This method is incredibly convenient, but it offers limited creative control. For more branding, better quality, and advanced edits, you'll want to use a dedicated video editor.

Method 2: Using a Third-Party Editor (The Professional & Flexible Way)

For polished Shorts that truly stand out, using an external video editor is the way to go. This approach gives you full control over reframing, captions, graphics, and overall quality. It takes more time, but the results are often significantly better.

You can use a variety of tools depending on your comfort level:

• Desktop Software: Tools like DaVinci Resolve (free!), Final Cut Pro, or Adobe Premiere Pro offer the most power and control.
• Web-based Editors: Platforms like Kapwing, Clipchamp, or Veed are fantastic because they run in your browser and often include AI-powered features like automatic captioning.
• Mobile Apps: CapCut and InShot are powerhouse video editors right on your phone, perfect for creating highly stylized Shorts with trendy effects.

The Pro Editing Workflow:

1. Download Your Source Video: Go to YouTube Studio, find your long-form video, click the three-dot menu, and select "Download."
2. Set Up Your Vertical Project: In your chosen editor, create a new project with a vertical aspect ratio. This is 9:16 (or 1080 pixels wide by 1920 pixels tall). This is the most important step for formatting your Short correctly.
3. Find Your Clip & Reframe: Import your downloaded video and place it in the 9:16 timeline. Since your original video is horizontal (16:9), you'll need to reframe it. Increase the scale of the video so it fills the vertical screen, then adjust its position so the main subject or action is centered. If the subject moves across the frame, you may need to use keyframes to create a "pan and scan" effect that follows the action.
4. Add Engaging Elements: This is where you make your Short pop.
   • Text Hook: Add a bold, easy-to-read headline at the top of the screen that states the video's main idea (e.g., "My Biggest Business Mistake" or "Try This Camera Hack"). This grabs attention immediately.
   • Animated Captions: A huge percentage of Shorts are watched without sound. Adding dynamic, on-screen captions makes your content accessible and more engaging. Many modern editors can auto-generate these for you.
   • Graphics & B-roll: Consider adding emojis, stickers, or even other clips to add visual context and keep the viewer's eyes moving.
5. Export and Upload: Export your final video in the 1080x1920 resolution. Get it onto your phone (via AirDrop, Google Drive, etc.) or upload it directly from your desktop through YouTube Studio. Don't forget your title, description, and hashtags!

Proven Best Practices for High-Performing Shorts

Just creating the Short is half the battle. To make sure it performs well, follow these foundational principles of short-form video.

• Your Hook is Everything: The first one to three seconds must be captivating. Start with the most interesting part of the video - the shocking statement, the hilarious moment, or the question everyone wants an answer to. There is no time for slow-opening logos or casual introductions.
• Get to the Point Quickly: A Short should be dense with value or entertainment. Cut out any pauses, filler words, or unnecessary context. Every second matters.
• Craft a Satisfying Loop: The very best Shorts feel good to re-watch. If you can, structure them so the end flows seamlessly back into the beginning. This can significantly increase your total watch time as viewers let it play over and over.
• Use Trending Audio Wisely: Don't just pick a popular song because it's at the top of the charts. Find audio that fits the mood and context of your video. A well-placed trending sound can give your Short a major discoverability boost, but poorly-placed audio can just be distracting.
• Pinned Comments for CTAs: Don't rely on viewers reading the description. If you want them to watch the full video, leave a pinned comment. Something like, "Watch the full, in-depth tutorial here! 👇" with a link works perfectly.

Final Thoughts

Turning your long-form videos into YouTube Shorts is a transformative strategy for channel growth. It allows you to maximize the value of your hard work, connect with a new segment of viewers, and build a powerful content ecosystem where your Shorts seamlessly feed your main channel.

Managing both long-form videos and a steady stream of Shorts, alongside content for platforms like TikTok and Instagram, can quickly become overwhelming. At Postbase, we designed our platform with this exact modern challenge in mind. I personally rely on our visual content calendar to see exactly when my core YouTube videos are going live and where I have gaps to schedule Shorts, Reels, and other posts, all from one clean dashboard. It’s that ability to simplify the chaos and stay consistent across formats that inspired us to build Postbase in the first place.