YouTube Effect Maker is a desktop tool at effects.youtube.com where you design your own effects, from colour filters and face paint to AI image transformations, that other creators can then use when they record Shorts. To use it you need a YouTube account, a desktop computer, access to YouTube's advanced features, and to be an adult in an available region.
Think of it as a design studio for Shorts effects. You build the effect once, YouTube reviews it, and if it's published, eligible creators can pick it up for their own Shorts. Every time someone uses it, it shows up in your effect analytics.
Here's who can get in, what's inside, and the limits that decide whether your effect works on people's phones.
Who can use YouTube Effect Maker
| Requirement | What YouTube says |
|---|---|
| Account | A YouTube account, and a channel. If you don't have one, YouTube tells you to create one |
| Device | A desktop computer. It isn't a phone tool |
| Channel access | Access to the advanced features for YouTube Creators |
| Age | You must be an adult, and you may need to verify it through YouTube's age verification |
| Location | One of the available regions. The list includes the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, among many others |
If you can't open it, check advanced features first. That's the step most creators haven't done, and YouTube links to how to gain access from the Effect Maker help page.
What you can build inside it
The tool list is longer than most people expect. These are the main panels YouTube describes:
- Visual effects: colour filters (create one or upload a LUT) and particles such as sparkles, confetti or smoke.
- Image and video: images and image sequences, AI Image, AI Video, Draw and Camera Snapshot.
- Face effects: Face Paint for makeup and face tattoos, Face Accessory for stickers and 3D objects, and Stretch to change a face's proportions.
- Camera and segmentation: body segmentation to separate a person from the background, and camera feed for effects like picture-in-picture or a photo booth.
- Text: currently English letters, spaces and special characters only.
- 3D models and light: add glb models and lights for highlights and shadows.
- Visual scripting: nodes that make an effect interactive, triggered by things like Tap, Drag, Record or a Head Gesture.
How to build your first effect
YouTube's own walkthrough builds a space alien, and it's a good way to learn the basics in one sitting:
- Go to Effect Maker and select Add under "Your projects", or start from a template.
- Give the effect a title at the top centre.
- Add a colour filter and adjust the tint in the Properties panel.
- Go to Face Effects, then Face Paint, and upload an image. Set the blend mode to Multiply so it blends into the face.
- Use Stretch to change the face's shape, then Face accessories to add a sticker such as antennae, using an image with a transparent background.
- Add a background with Body Segmentation, then check it in the Preview screen with different models using View video.
Your project saves automatically as you work, so there's no save button to forget. To see it on your phone, scan the QR code with the same YouTube account signed in on both devices.
AI effects, and the UK catch
Effect Maker includes Gen AI tools that take a reference image and transform it from a text description. With AI Image you choose between two outputs: Fast, for stylised, non-realistic characters, and Precise, for photorealistic changes that keep the original features, which YouTube says is powered by Nano Banana 2. Before submitting, you can preview 5 outputs of your AI effect.
Here's the catch for my UK readers: YouTube says AI Video is currently not available in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom. You can still build AI Image effects and everything else, but not AI Video ones. It also warns that if your prompts repeatedly break the community guidelines, your channel may be blocked from AI features for a while.
The size limits that decide if your effect works
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Package size | 5MB |
| Memory usage | 50MB |
| Analytics refresh | Every 24 hours, in your local time zone |
YouTube sets those limits so effects run on as many devices as possible. Click Effect limit at the top of the editor to check your file size and memory as you go. Every image, sequence and 3D model you add counts, so keep your assets lean.
Submitting, analytics and working for other channels
When you're ready, click Submit. YouTube reviews the effect, its name and its thumbnail against its guidelines before publishing. After that, your analytics show two numbers: Views, the number of times videos using your effect were watched, and Videos, how many videos used it.
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If you've been granted permissions on another channel, you can create, edit and publish effects for it too, and switch your active channel inside Effect Maker. You can't delete that channel's effect projects, though.
If you're still finding your feet with Shorts, start with how to make a YouTube Short and YouTube Shorts templates. And if your effect uses AI, it's worth knowing how YouTube's AI label works for the videos made with it.
My verdict
Effect Maker is worth an afternoon if you're a designer, an agency or a brand with a recognisable look, because one good effect can travel across other people's Shorts with your name on it. Start with the alien walkthrough, keep an eye on the 5MB and 50MB limits, and if you're in the UK, plan around AI Image rather than AI Video for now.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get access to YouTube Effect Maker?
Go to effects.youtube.com on a desktop computer. You need a YouTube account and channel, access to YouTube's advanced features, to be an adult, and to be in an available region.
Can I use YouTube Effect Maker on my phone?
No. YouTube says you need a desktop computer to create effects. You can preview an effect on your phone by scanning the QR code, signed in to the same account.
Is AI Video in Effect Maker available in the UK?
Not at the moment. YouTube says AI Video is currently not available in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom. AI Image is a separate tool.
What is the file size limit for a YouTube effect?
The package size is limited to 5MB and memory usage to 50MB, so effects work on as many devices as possible. Check both with Effect limit in the editor.
Who can use the effects I make?
Once your effect passes review and is published, eligible creators can use it when recording Shorts. Your analytics then show the views and the number of videos that used it.
