Use case
Turn your YouTube video into Shorts.
Turn a tutorial, interview or other video from your channel into short, complete excerpts. Import the YouTube link, review suggested highlights, then adjust the cut, vertical framing and captions in the browser. Start with the free plan to try the workflow on your own footage.
How it works
Import your YouTube video
Paste the video link into MakeRoll’s import bar and start processing. If the link needs a login or cannot be imported, upload your original video file instead. Wait for the transcript and suggested highlights before choosing your first clip.
Choose a complete idea and refine the cut
Read the transcript and preview a suggested moment with the surrounding context. Keep the question, demonstration or qualification that makes the answer understandable. Open the clip in the editor and adjust where it starts and ends.
Review the vertical version and export
Choose 9:16 framing, check that the speaker and any important objects stay visible, and correct names or numbers in the captions. Preview the finished clip, export it, then upload it through YouTube Studio. Paid plans also support publishing and scheduling from MakeRoll.
Example: three ideas in one 20-minute tutorial
Imagine a tutorial about recording clearer voice audio. These illustrative timestamps show how to plan three independent cuts. They are not results from an actual MakeRoll processing run.
| One idea per clip | Source passage | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Move the microphone, then compare the sound | 02:10–02:55 | 45 s |
| Hear what a quieter room changes | 08:20–09:10 | 50 s |
| Compare an untreated recording with the final edit | 15:00–15:55 | 55 s |
Each cut needs its own setup and result. If the second passage begins with “that fixes it”, include the sentence that explains the problem. Keep the audio comparison even if it makes the clip longer.
Check the Short before you publish
- Play the opening without the source video. A new viewer should understand who or what the speaker is discussing.
- Watch every change of speaker and every demonstration. Adjust the crop if a face, microphone or on-screen example disappears.
- Read the captions with the sound off. Correct names, numbers and missing words; leave room for the platform’s controls.
- Watch the exported file with sound. Check the ending, caption timing, aspect ratio and any intro before uploading.
YouTube-to-Shorts questions
How long can a YouTube Short be?
YouTube currently classifies new square or vertical uploads of up to three minutes as Shorts. Choose the duration needed for a complete explanation and include any intro in the final runtime.
Check YouTube’s current Shorts requirementsWhat if my YouTube link cannot be imported?
Use the original file from your own recording. A URL that requires an account or has access restrictions may not be available to the importer. The file-upload workflow uses the same editor and export tools.
Does each extra clip use more credits?
Credits pay for processing the source video. Editing and exporting additional clips from that processed source do not use more processing credits. Free exports are 720p with a short MakeRoll intro; paid plans offer higher resolutions without that intro.
What you end up with
A vertical cut, not a squeezed one
The 16:9 original stays intact; the 9:16 version is framed, not letterboxed or centre-cropped through the speaker's ear.
No watermark on any paid plan
The free plan opens with a short MakeRoll intro and exports at 720p. Every paid plan removes both, at 1080p on Creator and 4K on Pro.
One long video, many posts
Credits are charged on the source, once. Cutting ten clips out of the same upload costs exactly what cutting one does.
What this does not do
You need the rights to what you paste. This is built for your own channel's footage and for material you are licensed to reuse, not for reposting someone else's video.
Credits are source minutes: a 60-minute video costs 60 credits, however many clips come out of it. Editing and exporting are free and unlimited. Pricing
Try it on your own footage.
An hour of source video free every month: full pipeline, full editor, no watermark, no card.