- YouTube Shorts makers at a glance
- Ten YouTube Shorts makers to try
- Pick a Shorts maker by your starting point
- Shorts can now run to three minutes
- What makes a clip worth posting
- AI clipping works best on talking videos
- Signs your Shorts need a rethink
- My plain advice on Shorts makers
- Frequently asked questions
A YouTube Shorts maker turns long videos into vertical clips or helps you build a Short from scratch, with captions, reframing and trimming. AI clippers pick the moments for you, while editors give you control. Choose by whether you start from a long video or a blank screen. Ten options follow, in no particular order.
Shorts are the quickest way for a channel to reach new viewers, and most creators already have the raw material. A one-hour podcast or webinar holds a dozen short moments worth posting, if you can find them and cut them fast.
The ten tools below cover AI clippers, caption editors and browser video editors. They're listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and every description comes from the vendor's own website, read this week. If you also post to TikTok and Reels, my roundup of free AI clip makers covers more options.
YouTube Shorts makers at a glance
I checked the free plan column on each tool's own website, as of Oct 2026. Yes means the site says the tool, or a plan or version of it, is free. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to start, so check the vendor's page before you sign up.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2short.ai | YouTube Shorts generator with AI | Clipping long YouTube videos into Shorts | Yes |
| Clipchamp | Online video editor with a Shorts maker | Editing Shorts by hand in a browser | Yes |
| Crayo | AI video editor for short clips | Streamer and podcast channel clips | Not stated |
| FlexClip | Online video maker with Shorts templates | Shorts built from ready-made templates | Yes |
| Klap | AI video repurposing tool | Turning one video into many Shorts | Not stated |
| OpusClip | AI video clipping tool | Clipping and posting to every platform | Not stated |
| quso.ai | Clip maker with AI | Clips from Zoom, Loom and Drive files | Yes |
| Riverside | Recording studio with an AI clip maker | Clips from recorded podcast episodes | Not stated |
| Submagic | AI short-form video editor | Captions, zooms and b-roll on Shorts | Not stated |
| Wisecut | AI video clipping and editing tool | Auto-edited clips from talking videos | Not stated |
Ten YouTube Shorts makers to try
2short.ai
Best for: YouTubers who want an AI Shorts generator that finds the best moments in long videos, with a free starter plan to test it.
Clipchamp
Best for: Creators who want to edit a Short themselves in the browser, and the FAQ says the free plan adds no watermark.
Crayo
Best for: Clippers, streamers and podcast channels who want an AI editor built around fast short-form clips for every platform.
FlexClip
Best for: Small businesses who want to start a Short from a template, then trim, caption and resize it with AI editing tools.
Klap
Best for: Creators who want to paste a YouTube link or drop a file and get vertical clips for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
OpusClip
Best for: Video podcasters who want one long video turned into several short clips and published to their social accounts in one click.
quso.ai
Best for: Coaches and businesses who want short clips made from YouTube, Loom, Zoom or Google Drive videos, on desktop or mobile.
Riverside
Best for: Video podcasters who record in the same studio and want its AI clip maker to cut short clips for social media.
Submagic
Best for: Editors who want AI captions, auto zoom, b-roll and trimming added to short videos to speed up every edit.
Wisecut
Best for: Talking-head creators who want long videos turned into AI-edited clips, with no credit card needed to try it.
Pick a Shorts maker by your starting point
- A long YouTube video: 2short.ai, Klap or OpusClip.
- Zoom, Loom or Drive recordings: quso.ai.
- A podcast you record in a studio app: Riverside.
- Talking-head videos: Wisecut.
- Clips for streamers and podcast channels: Crayo.
- Polishing a Short with captions and zooms: Submagic.
- Building a Short by hand: Clipchamp or FlexClip.
Shorts can now run to three minutes
YouTube Help says a video uploaded as a Short can be up to 3 minutes long, as long as it has a square or vertical aspect ratio.
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Plenty of people still cut every clip to 60 seconds out of habit. That's fine for a punchy moment, but a story, a tutorial step or a full answer to a question may land better at 90 seconds or two minutes. Check the length settings in your Shorts maker and let the content decide.
What makes a clip worth posting
- It makes sense when you haven't seen the full video.
- Something happens in the first two seconds.
- It has captions, because many people watch with the sound off.
- It ends on a clear point, not halfway through a sentence.
- The speaker's face stays in frame after it's reframed to vertical.
AI clipping works best on talking videos
AI clippers read the transcript and the energy of a video to find moments. That's why it works well on podcasts, interviews, webinars and talking-head videos. It works less well on silent footage, music videos or anything where the point is visual, so plan to cut those by hand.
Whatever the tool picks, you're still the one who chooses what goes out. Review each clip, fix the captions and delete the ones that only make sense to someone who watched the whole thing. See the YouTube Shorts aspect ratio guide if your clips come out cropped.
Signs your Shorts need a rethink
- Views stop in the first seconds. Start on the hook, not the intro.
- Comments ask what's going on. The clip needs more context.
- Faces are cut off. Fix the reframing.
- Captions are wrong. Edit them before you post.
Do you make a YouTube Shorts maker? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on Shorts makers
Run your best long video from recent weeks through two of these tools and post the strongest three clips from each. After a week, the views and comments will tell you which tool picks moments your audience likes.
Then build a habit. One long video, five Shorts, every week, beats a burst of thirty clips followed by silence.
This guide is part of my YouTube Help: 30 Guides to Channels, Subscribers, Monetisation, Thumbnails and Fixes.
Frequently asked questions
What is a YouTube Shorts maker?
It's a tool that turns long videos into short vertical clips, or helps you build a Short from scratch, with captions, reframing and trimming.
How long can a YouTube Short be?
YouTube Help says a Short can be up to 3 minutes long, with a square or vertical aspect ratio.
Can AI find the best moments in my video?
Yes. AI clippers read the transcript and pacing to suggest clips, but you should still review each one before posting.
Do I need captions on Shorts?
They help, because many viewers scroll with the sound off and captions keep them watching.
Can I post the same clip to TikTok and Reels?
Usually, yes. Several tools on this list export vertical clips for all three platforms.
How many Shorts should I post?
Enough to keep a steady rhythm you can sustain. A few clips from every long video is a good starting point.
