How to Create YouTube Shorts from Long Videos: A Step-by-Step Guide
YouTube Shorts in 2026 is a separate distribution channel with its own algorithm and audience of over 2 billion users. Most authors who publish only long content lose a huge part of their potential coverage. You can automatically convert one long video into 5-10 Shorts - without editing skills.
What makes Shorts different from regular YouTube videos
- Maximum length of 60 seconds (since 2024 - up to 3 minutes, but better up to 60 seconds)
- Vertical format 9:16 is mandatory for getting into the Shorts section
- Separate recommendation algorithm - does not compete with long content
- Users watch with a swipe - the first 3 seconds determine everything
- Monetization through Shorts Fund: from $100 to $10,000 per month for organic
How AI selects the best moments from long videos
The system does not simply cut the video at pauses or by volume. First, the neural network transcribes the entire audio track into text with accurate timecodes for each word. Then, the language model analyzes the text and determines the structure - where a new thought begins, where there is a climax, where there is a 'hook' for the viewer.
Result: each clip starts at the beginning of a sentence and ends at the end. No fragments in the middle of a word. AI also filters out filler words at the beginning of the clip - 'well', 'uh', 'so' - which kill the first impression.
Step-by-step process: from link to finished Shorts
- 1Copy the link to a YouTube video (from 5 minutes to several hours)
- 2Insert it into the 'Import by link' field in Kviqo - the video will load automatically
- 3Select 'AI Cutting' - specify 5-10 clips, length 45-90 seconds
- 4After analysis, select clips with a virality rating of 7+ out of 10
- 5Add subtitles (important: 40% of the audience watches without sound)
- 6Download in 9:16 format - ready to upload to YouTube
Optimal parameters for the YouTube Shorts algorithm in 2026
- Length: 30-60 seconds shows the best completion
- First frame: bright, with text or a face close-up
- Subtitles: yellow on a black background - the highest CTR
- Hashtags: #Shorts is mandatory + 2-3 niche tags
- Publication: 9:00, 12:00, 17:00 Moscow time - activity peaks
Create Shorts from your old long videos - the YouTube algorithm promotes them as new content. Authors who make Shorts from archival videos get 3-5 times more new channel subscribers.
Create your first Shorts right now - for free
Try Kviqo