YouTube Now Allows Creators to Convert their Videos into Shorts

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Bite-sized video content is viral now because of TikTok. People love them so much that the social platform from China quickly rose to a position where it could rival established platforms. In fact, TikTok threatened their positions so much that those platforms had to launch their TikTok competitors. For YouTube, that would be YouTube Shorts.

Ask yourself a question. What comes to mind when you think of vertical, short-form videos on a social platform? For most people, the answer would be TikTok.

YouTube Now Allows Creators to Convert their Videos into Shorts

YouTube wants to change that. It’s the world’s biggest video-streaming platform, and YouTube does not want to give up that title. When people think of video content, no matter the format, YouTube wants to be the name that pops into their minds.

So, YouTube is doing all it can to dethrone TikTok as the king of short-form videos. It’s not going to the extreme like Instagram, though. The said platform abandoned the identity it has had for years to compete with TikTok. On the other hand, YouTube integrates Shorts into its other services more seamlessly.

YouTube Shorts is still playing catch-up. TikTok has solidified its position, so most short-form content creators still choose it. But YouTube Shorts is getting there fast. According to a blog post that YouTube published during “Made on YouTube,” Shorts has 1.5 billion monthly logged-in users. Furthermore, YouTube claims that Shorts sees 30 billion daily views.

That’s nothing short of what you’d expect from YouTube, a giant company owned by another giant, Google. But the goal is not just to catch up. YouTube wants to surpass TikTok. To do that, it has to keep releasing features not found on the other platform.

Luckily, YouTube is a giant library of videos. YouTube Shorts can utilize that to beat TikTok.

Converting YouTube Videos to Shorts

YouTube Shorts can’t beat TikTok if there are no videos to watch. There’s a lot already, but YouTube wants there to be more. However, YouTube knows content creation takes time and effort – even if you make a short-form video. 

So, to quickly ramp up the number of available videos on YouTube Shorts, the company is releasing a new tool. This tool allows content creators to repurpose their videos on YouTube and make Shorts out of them. The best thing is they can do that in a matter of moments.

You may be familiar with the Clips feature on YouTube. It allows you to cut a segment in a video and repost it as a separate clip. This new tool works similarly, except your creation would appear in the Shorts tab instead.

Why Turn Long-form Videos Into Shorts?

Jimmy Donaldson, better known as Mr. Beast, YouTube’s highest-paid content creator, is bullish on YouTube Shorts. He went to the stage during VidCon with YouTube’s global head of discovery. Mr. Beast encouraged creators to make Shorts videos. He says you can use them to direct viewers to your main channel, where they can find your long-form videos.

With the addition of this tool to YouTube, following Mr. Beast’s advice makes more sense. You give them a taste of what they can expect from your channel through YouTube Shorts. Then, you give them the whole experience through your standard YouTube uploads. 

YouTube Now Allows Creators to Convert their Videos into Shorts

Additionally, you can give your audience a new way to enjoy your content. Sometimes, people revisit videos they have already watched. But they don’t watch the whole thing. Instead, they only come for a particular part.

You can turn those highlights into clips. Or even better, you can make Shorts out of them. The best thing is the payout model for Shorts is improving. So, you can earn extra money from YouTube Shorts views. Yes, you can buy real YouTube Shorts Views for those wondering.

YouTube notes that Shorts made using existing videos on the platform will link to the original video. 

Giving Content Creators Some Control

YouTube badly wants to upsize its short-form video library. It made one cheeky and controversial move: the platform converted some YouTube into Shorts. If a video is vertical and under 60 seconds, YouTube converts it into a Shorts video. That’s even if you uploaded the video as a standard YouTube video. 

Not everyone is a fan of that move. YouTube Shorts used to be only available on mobile. While you can now watch Shorts on PC, the viewing experience is not that good. Honestly, the interface looks like a college project. There are vertical videos at the center of a white page. The buttons are on the side of the videos, and they seem out of place, even though they are not. 

Other than that, YouTube announced last April that people could make remixes using any public videos and upload them to Shorts. That’s unless the content creator opted out.

Expectedly, content creators want to opt-out. You spent time and resources on those videos. And for them to gain lots of views, you need to make them public. You are allowing other people to benefit from your hard work without opting out.

With all that said, one thing is clear. YouTube, or its parent company Google, is worried about TikTok’s dominance in the short-form video field. It does not think growing the Shorts library organically through fresh uploads would be enough to win or compete, at least. So, Google came up with re-using the videos already on YouTube to grow its short-form library.

The new tool is better than the two abovementioned features. It puts some power back in the hands of content creators. Why let someone else use your videos to create Shorts when you can do it yourself?

YouTube Now Allows Creators to Convert their Videos into Shorts

How to Make Shorts Using Long-Form Videos

First, find a YouTube video. It must be yours, the privacy setting must be public, and it is not “Made for Kids.”

Find the “Create” icon at the bottom of the video, and click it. You can select a part of the video up to 60 seconds long. Then, YouTube explains you can edit that using the same Shorts editing tools you are familiar with.  

Suppose the video segment you chose is less than 60 secs. You can select a video from your gallery or shoot a new one to add to it. 

Should You Try YouTube’s Auto Conversion To Shorts Tool To Quickly Pump Them Out? Yes.

There are a few reasons why you might want to consider converting your YouTube videos into YouTube Shorts:

  1. To reach a wider audience: YouTube Shorts is a new feature on the platform that allows users to create and share short-form videos (up to 60 seconds in length). By converting your longer YouTube videos into YouTube Shorts, you can potentially reach a wider audience, as these shorter videos are more easily consumable and shareable.
  2. To improve your discoverability: YouTube Shorts has its own dedicated feed, which means that if you create and share YouTube Shorts, you’ll have another opportunity to be discovered by users on the platform. This can help you grow your audience and potentially increase the reach of your content.
  3. To take advantage of the YouTube Shorts algorithm: YouTube Shorts also has its own algorithm, which determines which videos are shown to users in the Shorts feed. By creating YouTube Shorts, you can potentially benefit from this algorithm and reach a wider audience through the Shorts feed.
  4. To stay up to date with the latest trends: Finally, creating YouTube Shorts can also help you stay updated with the latest trends on the platform. As YouTube Shorts continues to grow in popularity, it’s important to keep an eye on this new feature and consider how it might fit into your content strategy.

Overall, there are several reasons why you might want to consider converting your YouTube videos into YouTube Shorts. By reaching a wider audience, improving your discoverability, taking advantage of the YouTube Shorts algorithm, and staying up to date with the latest trends, you can potentially benefit from creating and sharing YouTube Shorts.

Date: December 23, 2022 / Categories: YouTube, / Author: Rich Drees

December
23
2022

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