What Are YouTube Shorts? A Short-form Video Experience

Technically, YouTube is continually announcing the launch of its YouTube Shorts video creators’ experience tool. A very brand-new feature that feels decidedly similar to TikTok. Google’s foray into short-form video content begins with YouTube Shorts, a new feature being tested in limited markets.

YouTube Shorts is launching first in India and is described as: “Shorts is a new short-form video experience for creators and artists who want to shoot short, catchy videos using nothing but their mobile phones.“ With it, users can start recording a Short with the new create icon. That has been prominently placed in the YouTube app for Android (expanding to iOS soon).

Basically, after publishing a Short, it will appear in a carousel on the YouTube homepage that’s designed specifically for short videos. Whereby, users can jump from one video to another by swiping vertically while viewing content from the carousel. So, what is it really?

What Are YouTube Shorts?

YouTube Shorts is a way for anyone to connect with a new audience using just a smartphone and the Shorts camera in the YouTube app. The creation tools make it easy to create short-form videos that are up to 60 seconds long with our multi-segment camera.

The carousel houses all short videos on YouTube, not just videos created with Shorts. With that being the case, YouTube is encouraging creators to start preparing now by uploading any existing short videos they have.

Here is a statement from YouTube: “We encourage any mobile creator or artist to start uploading their existing short videos on YouTube today to start getting discovered.” Notably, YouTube Shorts are vertical videos that are 60 seconds or less.

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Shorts make it possible for any creator to connect with YouTube’s billions of viewers to grow a new audience. Their short video creation tools let you create Shorts by sampling music from official music videos or original audio from videos across YouTube.

With that in mind, you too can go ahead and get creative. While using the YouTube Shorts video creation feature to show your unique spin on the content you love to watch!

Shorts you make with sampled audio are attributed back to the source creator’s original video. Tap sound to see a link to the source creator’s original video and a page of all other Shorts using the same audio – a great opportunity for new viewers to discover your content.

An early beta of YouTube Shorts will be available soon to users in India. The beta is said to include only a handful of the available features. YouTube emphasizes that it’s still in the process of building Shorts into what it will eventually become.

How to Get Started with YouTube Shorts

In other words, YouTube Shorts is a new feature on YouTube. By using this feature anyone can create a YouTube Short Video from their Smartphone. You can create a video which length is less than 60 seconds will be a shorts video.

Either you can record a Short Video from YouTube Shorts Tab or from your default camera. I personally feel if you create a YouTube Short Video through your Smartphone camera and edit it through editing apps. And then, you’ll get much more watch time than a non-edited raw video.

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Earlier this year, YouTube previewed a new feature that will allow you to remix audio from videos across YouTube — which includes billions of videos — and they’re excited to share this experience. You can see an elaborate Introductory Guide for more details.

And as such, it’s starting to roll out to everyone that has access to the YouTube Shorts creation tools soon. This means you can give your own creative spin on the content you love to watch on YouTube and help find a new audience. For the time being, I can’t wait to see what you do with it!

Creators and artists are in control and can always opt-out if they don’t want their long-form video remixed. Not only that, but the team has been working to bring even more features to YouTube Shorts, with new things to try.

Such elements include:

Automatically add captions to your Short Videos,
Record up to 60 seconds with the Shorts Camera,
Add clips from your phone’s gallery to add to your recordings made with the Shorts Camera,
Add basic filters to color correct your Shorts, with more effects to come in the future, etc.

YouTube is excited to continue building Shorts as they work on longer-term monetization solutions. And they’ll provide more updates as we go on. All in all, they look forward to hearing your feedback!

The Key Features of YouTube Shorts include:

Create and upload videos of 15-seconds or less.
Edit videos with a number of creative tools.
Stitch shorter clips together with a multi-segment camera.
Add music to videos from YouTube’s library.
Speed up or slow down videos.
Timers and countdowns.

Eventually, more features will be added over time, and it’s confirmed that YouTube Shorts will expand to more countries in the coming months.

The company intends to use feedback from beta users to guide further product development: “This is an early version of the product, but we’re releasing it now to bring you — our global community of users, creators, and artists — on our journey with us as we build and improve Shorts.”

To create a short video on YouTube:

In order to create a short video on YouTube you’ll need to:

Sign in to YouTube on mobile.
Tap create tap Create a Short ^beta.
To make your Short longer than 15 seconds, tap 15 above the record button to record up to 60 seconds (60).
Note: Recording with music from our library or the original audio from other videos is limited to 15 seconds.
(Optional) Tap Speed to speed up or slow down recording.
(Optional) Tap Timer to set the countdown to record hands-free and choose when to automatically stop recording.
To record a clip, hold the capture button or tap it to start recording and then again to stop.
Tap undo to remove the previous video clip you recorded or tap redo to add it back.
Tap done to preview and enhance your video tap NEXT to add details to your video.
Add a title (max 100 characters) to your short video.
Tap UPLOAD to finish.

Apart from that, you can also Create Shorts with sampled audio content too.

From the Shorts player:

To create a Short from the short video player using that Short’s audio:
Sign in to the YouTube app on mobile.
Go to the Short you’d like to sample.
In the lower-right corner, tap sound to see other Shorts that used the same audio.
Tap USE THIS SOUND to Create a Short.

From a video watch page:

To create a Short from a watch page using that video’s audio
Sign in to the YouTube app on mobile.
Go to the video you’d like to sample.
Under the video player, tap Create to Create a Short.

In terms of how viewers will find your short videos, YouTube is always testing new ways to deliver content to viewers. This is especially true for Shorts. Right now, viewers may find your Shorts by tapping Shorts at the bottom of the YouTube app.

They may also find Shorts:

On the YouTube homepage.
In their notifications.
Checking their Subscriptions.
Featured on your channel page – Learn more.
Once they tap into a Short, viewers can scroll to watch more short videos.

Include #Shorts in your short video’s title or description to help our system recommend your Shorts across YouTube. For more info on hashtags on YouTube, you can go and learn more about how to add hashtags to your video in detail.

What Audio can I Use in my Short Videos?

Unfortunately, if you’re thinking that after making 2-3 YouTube Shorts videos you will be popular or your video will be viral, then you are absolutely wrong. Keeping in mind, every social media platform including YouTube has its own algorithm. And you have to work and upload content according to their algorithm.

Previously when YouTube Shorts was launched for the first time it was available for only a few users YouTube App. But, now almost every user can make a short video within a minute or two. It’s better to create a Shorts video in vertical length (9:16) than horizontal length (16:9).

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The latest Shorts creation tools make it fast, fun, and easy to be a creator on YouTube. You can accompany your Shorts with a song or audio clip from across YouTube. In addition, the audio found in our library is free to use. But, only for personal, non-commercial use. Unless you have the appropriate licenses.

Here’s how to get started:

To find our Audio Library when you’re ready to record, tap Add Sound. Make a selection and then record up to 15 seconds.
To add a song or other audio after you record, tap Sound at the bottom of the edit screen. The sound picked from our library is limited to 15-second clips.

Likewise, you can also use other sounds to create a Short. For example, you can sample the audio from eligible Shorts or other videos to create your own short-form masterpiece (learn more). If you upload a short video you’ve created elsewhere, make sure that any copyright-protected material you’ve used is approved for your use on YouTube.

Bearing in mind, using copyright-protected material without getting appropriate rights could lead to you getting a Content ID Claim. Also if a copyright owner sends us a valid and complete copyright takedown notice against your short video, it may be removed, and you could get a Copyright Strike.

How to Create Thumbnails for YouTube Shorts

Basically, there are various Android and iOS Applications available which you can use to make your YT Videos or YT Shorts Thumbnail. As an example, Canva is a great tool to make Thumbnail on a PC or Laptop. And if you are using an Android Smartphone then PicsArt or PixelLab will be the best option for you. I personally use PixelLab to make Thumbnails.

To Make Thumbnail on PixelLab App

Download and Install PixelLab App from Google Play Store.
Tap on three-dot menu >> image size.
YouTube Thumbnail (1280:720) >> Ok.
Add Images, Text, Color to make a beautiful thumbnail for YT Shorts Video.

By the same token, you can also read and learn more about VI Balance Check Number in detail. Furthermore, if you want to Viral YouTube Shorts quickly then you have to follow the process consistently. There is no rocket science in digital marketing.

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For someone, it takes one day to viral and for another one, it takes 1 year to video viral. Always remember the process is more important than the result. Every digital marketer says social media platform always push their new features. So that users can use it more in their daily life. As of now, YouTube is pushing YouTube Shorts.

If your channel is in the tech category then don’t upload Shorts other than technology. For example, if you upload a Shorts video on dancing, cooking, and your channel is related to tech. Then your channel will be in danger. Because subscribers who came to your channel from Shorts will not watch your videos or go back instantly after opening.

Can I Earn Money from YouTube Shorts Video?

At the moment, the short-form video creators can’t share revenue from advertisements played in the Shorts player. Instead, the team behind it has started the YouTube Shorts Fund to reward creators for their contributions to Shorts.

Not to mention, they’ll be using this fund to help creators monetize their videos while they (the YouTube team) begin testing ads and work on longer-term monetization solutions. Generally, the YouTube Shorts Fund is a $100M fund for creators who help us build the future of short-form video on YouTube.

Learn More: Introducing the YouTube Shorts Fund (YouTubers Guideline)

After all, anyone, including creators in the YouTube Partner Program, is eligible to participate in the fund simply. Especially, by creating unique Shorts that resonate with the YouTube community. Later this year, they’ll reach out to thousands of creators each month.

For instance, those whose Shorts get the most engagement to reward them for their contributions. Additionally, they’ll also ask these creators to share their feedback with YouTube so that they can continue to improve the product experience.

The Shorts Fund is not limited to just creators in the YouTube Partner Program. Creators will be eligible to participate if they create original content for Shorts and adhere to the Standard Community Guidelines. I’ll share additional details as YouTube gets closer to launching the fund in the coming months.

The Future of Monetization on YouTube Shorts

In nutshell, the YouTube Shorts Fund is just the first step in their journey to build a monetization model for Shorts on YouTube. Keeping in mind, this is a top priority for them and will take some time to get it right. But, they’re actively working on this and will take the feedback gathered from the community too.

In order to help develop a long-term program specifically designed for YouTube Shorts. However, they’re so excited to start rewarding creators for their contributions through the Shorts Fund. And at the same time, they’ll expand their Shorts player across more surfaces on YouTube.

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As a result, this will solely help people find new creators, artists, and Shorts to enjoy. They’ll also begin to test and iterate on ads to better understand their performance. YouTube has helped an entire generation of creators and artists turn their creativity into businesses.

And as of today, they’ve paid more than $30 billion to creators, artists, and media companies over the last three years. Not forgetting, YouTube remains deeply committed to supporting the next generation of mobile creators with Shorts.

Final Thoughts,

Not only is YouTube the most popular video platform on the planet, but videos themselves are also highly shareable. For example, its platform videos can be spread far and wide very easily. Furthermore, you don’t need a huge budget to get started too!

On one side, while there is some merit in having certain types of videos produced by professionals, not every video needs a 6 figure budget. On the other side, YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine next to Google. People upload more than 100 hours of video per minute to YouTube.

Why Use YouTube?

It’s a Ready-made SEO Platform
A Powerful Branding Platform
You’re Able to Show More & Not Tell
Get Your Message to a Wider Audience
You Don’t Need a Huge Budget to Start
Its Video Platform is already Mobile Friendly

Specifically, YouTube is one of the best ways to communicate to a wide audience, whether you’re promoting programs or providing information to students. That said, here are a few reasons why YouTube is great in detail for both Beginners and Pros alike.

Useful Video Download Links:

Finally, I hope the above guide on YouTube Shorts is useful to you or your marketing team. But, if you’ll need more support, you can Contact Us and let us know how we can help you. And then, above all, feel free to share your additional opinion thoughts, suggestions, recommendations, or questions in our comments section below.