How to Create YouTube Shorts? Everything You Need to Know

Social media is full of new content, unique video styles, and quirky presentations. Because that’s what pulls the crowd. One such instance is the short-form vertical video content that has risen to great prominence in recent years. Studies say consumers prefer shorter videos these days over longer ones. Riding the waves of the popularity of this engaging video content, YouTube rolled out its latest feature, YouTube Shorts.

These 15- to 60-second videos resemble TikTok videos and Instagram reels a lot and were developed with similar intentions. That is, to hook the audience through entertainment and promote brands. Nonetheless, there are some distinct traits and qualities of YouTube shorts.

This article will give a detailed account of YouTube Shorts, its benefits, and how to create perfect YouTube Shorts. This will be the best resource for those relatively unfamiliar with the concept of YouTube shorts. Stay ahead of the curve and read this blog until the end. Learn how you can master the art of creating this short-form content, driving more engagement, and reaching new audiences. Scroll down!

YouTube shorts are a short form of vertical video content creators can create on their smartphones and upload directly to their YouTube account. Shorts are YouTube’s alternative to the usual long-form videos in a bid to offer more variety to users and audiences. The feature is already highly popular among new-age content creators, achieving more than 30 billion average daily views.

Upon uploading, the content stays on the creator’s account; viewers can comment, like, and share while viewing the clip. The best part of YouTube shorts is their permanence on the user’s account, unlike Snapchat or Instagram Stories. And if you wonder how long YouTube shorts are, their maximum duration can be 60 seconds. Viewers can view the videos in full-screen mode.

The feature can be easily accessed from the YouTube app by clicking on the “Shorts” icon located on the bottom bar. For mobile browsers, the icon is located in the same position. For computer users, they need to navigate to the main YouTube page and click on the “Shorts” option on the left, just below the “Home” icons.

Shorts can be customized with relevant background music, voice-over narration, filters, and other multimedia elements. This new YouTube feature is perfect for SMEs and start-ups for creating crisp, attention-grabbing video content and gaining an audience.

The potential of this media type is unparalleled. More than 2.7 billion active YouTube users love Shorts videos and help boost them to their acquaintances. The benefits of short-form videos are usually reflected in house brands that leverage them for their branding and marketing activities. Likewise, several eCommerce brands are repurposing their existing longer video content into shorts to reach a wider audience.

One of the best business benefits of YouTube Shorts is its SEO quotient. These bite-sized video clips improve a channel’s SEO to a great extent by being highly shareable. Besides, the keywords in the title and description feature the video clip for users who are searching for the exact service or product a brand offers.

YouTubers can add filters and contemporary music, making the videos more appealing to the masses. Brand evangelists can do the same for their products and services to stand out in the crowd. Moreover, since YouTube Shorts is mobile-first, brands have a greater chance, given the fact that 70% of YouTube’s global watch time comes from smartphones.

Simply put, considering the whopping number of active YouTube users, there will never be a dearth of potential video viewers for YouTube Shorts creators and brand owners. With more such minuscule video clips, they can raise awareness for their brand, appease YouTube’s algorithm, and spike up subscribers. It is a known fact that new-age audiences have gotten past conventional horizontal full-length videos.

So, if a brand already has a stable online presence and a full-fledged YouTube channel, this is the best time to experiment with these micro-videos.

Want to harness the expanded viewership of YouTube Shorts for your business? Thinking of revising your existing YouTube video marketing strategy? To make things easier for first-timers, we have broken down the steps of creating YouTube shorts and uploading them.

Read the following segment and learn how to create captivating vertical shorts that will bring more traffic to your channel. This also opens a new inlet for turning them into long-term subscribers.

Make sure you have the latest version of YouTube downloaded to your smartphone from the Play Store or App Store. Log in to the app once you download it and follow the step-by-step process below to create a captivating short.

Step #1: Open the YouTube app on your smartphone by clicking on the app icon.

Step #2: At the bottom bar, click on the “+” icon.

Step #3: Tap the “Create a Short” option from the option list. (grant necessary camera access if this is your first time).

Step #4: The Short feature, by default, sets a 15-second duration. To extend the length of your video, click the “15” option in the top right-hand corner. Make it to 60 seconds if you wish to.

Step #5: Gently press the circular red button to start the recording. If you want to pause the recording, simply tap the button once.

In this stage, you can utilize the several features laid on the right-hand side to enhance the creativity and quality of your short. Check out the tools below and select the one you deem fit.

Flip: Toggle between the front and rear camera views to feature a two-way perspective.

Speed: Adjust the speed of the YouTube video clips by adding slow-motion or fast-paced effects for a better dynamic video. Speed options are 0.3x, 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 3x.

Timer: If you are a self-vlogger and shoot with a tripod, set the timer to position yourself properly.

Effects: Want to give your YouTube Shorts video a creative touch? Choose from the several effects options, like the fish-eye effect, motion trails, mirror image, and more.

Green screen: Superimpose a photo as your background to create an otherwise impossible scene. Such as flying mid-air or floating underwater.

Retouch: As the name suggests, the “Retouch” option digitally enhances your video clip, giving it a digital make-up.

Lighting: Adjust the lighting in the video to an optimal level to accentuate the mood of the short.

Flash: Turn the flash of your phone off or on as required.

Once you are satisfied with the upgrades to your video, click the white checkmark icon at the bottom right-hand side.

Step #6: In this step, you will be taken to a preview screen wherein you can add music, adjust color, and add text overlays to the video clip.

With the “Timeline” option, you can have control over when texts will come and go in the video.

After these elements are correctly incorporated, click on “Next”

Step #7: Add an engaging caption to the video that explains the short story in a crisp and informative way. Make sure to put in a few SEO-rich keywords.

Step #8: Select a nice cover photo from any frame of the created video with the “pencil” icon at the top left corner. 

Step #9: Now comes the most crucial part. Select the visibility options for your short. Select whether you want to keep it for Public, Private, or Unlisted view.

Step #10: Select the “Location” and “Audience” for better visibility and an ideal target audience.

Step #11: Now, choose whether you permit any remix of your content, as well as set a filter for spam/obscene comments. You can also select whether you want to include any paid promotion within the video.

Step #12: Once all the adjustments, filters, sound, and other elements are incorporated, click the “Upload Short” option. Within a few seconds, your first YouTube short will be published.

From PC/desktop or laptop

Content creators often need to create and upload short videos from their laptop or PC, given the large screen and ease of navigating with a mouse. For them, it is easier and faster than doing the same through smartphones. For them, here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the complete process. Let’s learn the steps.

Step #1: Open your preferred browser, go to studio.youtube.com, and log in to your channel with your Gmail credentials.

Step #2: On the right-hand top, tap on the “Create” option (an icon with a video camera), and click on the “Upload videos” option from the option dropdown.

Step #3: Browse through your local files and select the video file you want to upload. But first, ensure the video is in vertical format with an aspect ratio of 9:16, and is within 60 seconds. Select the file and drag and drop it to the file upload screen on YouTube.

Step #4. In this step, you need to edit the details of the video and add the title and description. Remember to put #shorts in the video title and description both, to further increase its chance of visibility.

Step #5. In the next step, scroll at the bottom to the “Thumbnail” section. Select an appealing thumbnail from the frames within the video itself.

Step #6. In the next step, “Video Elements,” you need to choose a target audience for your video. Click on the option “No, it’s not made for kids” and click the “Next” button.

Step #7. The next screen is “Checks”, where you need to specify whether your video contains any copyrighted digital assets (like songs, tunes, movie clips, voice-overs, etc.). Also, whether the short conforms to the set YouTube advertisement guidelines or not. Once you select the appropriate options, click the “Next” option.

Step #8. You will reach the “Visibility” screen, where you need to select the visibility of the content. Whether you need it to be uploaded as Private, Unlisted, or Public, you need to select the preferred option. You can also schedule the video upload for a later time and date.

And that’s it. This is how you can upload your YouTube Shorts video from any laptop, desktop, or PC.

The recommended YouTube Shorts length is 15-30 seconds, and the maximum duration can be 60 seconds. The length is ideal for grabbing the audience’s attention and making them view the clip until the end. However, the length is limited to 15 seconds only if you use a music track directly from the YouTube audio library. The resolution of each short must be 1920 pixels by 1080 pixels, and the aspect ratio must be 9:16.

Before deciding on the duration, ensure the message you want to convey is communicated clearly. It’s not a hard and fast rule to stretch the length to 60 seconds; your first priority is to deliver the message to your audience. Figure out how fast you can come to the point in the video. Also, if there is any redundant part that can be eliminated to make the video further concise. These two golden rules will help a beginner create the most compact short video and gain millions of views.

So, if you have gained some decent knowledge about YouTube or YT Shorts, start with the steps above, decide on the ideal length, and create tailored and effective short-form video content.

Conclusion

That’s all for today; it’s time for a wrap now. Given the never-ending craze and rise of short videos, YouTube Shorts has created a permanent place in the online realm. In social media video marketing, this short-form vertical video content must always be in your Internet marketing strategy. Whether you experiment with Instagram Reels, TikTok, Snapchat, or YouTube Shorts, ensure to capitalize on the latest trends.

So, if you are a beginner, a professional YouTuber, or a brand owner who needs help creating enthralling, viral YouTube shorts, reach out to a professional expert today. There are several YouTube video editing service providers who deliver the best quality at a reasonable cost and a rapid TAT. Let an expert team edit your YouTube Shorts videos, maximizing their impact.

Keep this resourceful blog bookmarked to refer to in the future when you start creating creative content for your YouTube channel. Good luck!