How to Make YouTube Shorts With AI in Under 20 Minutes

By Alex Mercer · Last reviewed 2026-10-07

You already have the raw material for a week of Shorts if you have one 20-minute talking video. To make YouTube Shorts with AI, you upload that long video to a clipping tool, let it propose vertical clips with captions, then spend most of your time fixing hooks and errors. This walkthrough is for beginner creators who want a repeatable routine that turns one long video into five Shorts and stays within YouTube's rules.

What you'll build and how long it takes

You'll end with five vertical clips, each under a minute, with captions and a hook in the first seconds, ready to schedule.

Here is the time budget we suggest. These are planning targets, not measured results. Processing time depends on the tool, your plan and the length of the video.

The 20-minute goal is realistic only once you know the tool. Expect the first run to take closer to an hour.

Setup: accounts and tools to make YouTube Shorts with AI

You need a YouTube channel, your long video file or its link, and one AI shorts generator. Pick one tool. Switching between several is the most common way the routine stops being quick.

• Opus Clip. Its free plan clips by spoken words only, accepts local uploads up to 10GB, keeps media for 3 days, adds watermarked animated captions and exports only in 9:16. The Starter plan ($15 a month as of October 2026, per the OpusClip pricing page) adds YouTube and Google Drive imports and watermark-free exports. Pro ($29 a month) adds scheduling and B-roll.
• CapCut's long video to shorts tool. This is the main Opus Clip alternative for people on a budget. CapCut's tool page describes three steps (upload, generate, export), says it detects key moments from changes in visuals, audio and context, and lets you choose the clip duration. It also says captions can be generated and should be checked before publishing. The page describes the online editor as free.
• Vizard. Its free plan gives 60 credits a month, exports at 720p and keeps files for 3 days, per Vizard's pricing page. Watermark removal and 4K export are on paid plans.

Before you start, know YouTube's Shorts rules. Per YouTube Help, a video uploaded on or after 15 October 2024 is treated as a Short if it's square or vertical and up to three minutes long.

Step-by-step walkthrough

1. Pick one long video with clear moments

Choose a video where you (or a voiceover) make several separate points. Interviews, tutorials and Q&As work well. A video that builds one argument over 20 minutes gives the AI little to cut.

2. Upload it to an AI shorts generator

Opus Clip

Upload the file. On the free plan, local upload is the import option. Let it process, then sort the suggested clips.

CapCut

Open the long video to shorts tool, upload from your device, Google Drive or Dropbox, set the clip length, and generate.

Vizard

Upload and generate clips. Keep an eye on the credit count on the free plan.

3. Shortlist five clips

Ignore any score the tool puts on a clip and read each one yourself. Keep a clip only if a stranger would understand it without the rest of the video. Five is enough. More clips usually means weaker ones.

4. Fix the first three seconds

Most suggested clips open a beat too early, with "so", "um" or a setup sentence. Apply three hook rules to each clip:

1. Open on the payoff. Start on the claim, the number or the surprising result, and cut the run-up.
2. Add one line of on-screen text that states the point in under eight words.
3. End early. Cut as soon as the point lands. A Short that loops cleanly is better than one that trails off.

5. Check captions and framing

Auto captions get names, brands and numbers wrong. Read every line. Then scrub through to make sure auto-reframe kept the speaker's face in frame, especially when two people are on screen.

6. Export vertical and upload as Shorts

Export in 9:16 and keep each clip under three minutes. In YouTube Studio, answer the AI disclosure question honestly. Then schedule the five Shorts across the week, not all on one day.

Testing and fixing common errors

YouTube Shorts problems

• Uploaded as a regular video. Check the aspect ratio. YouTube Help says Shorts must be square or vertical; a 16:9 export is treated as long-form.
• Over the length limit. Clips longer than three minutes aren't Shorts.
• Watermark on export. This is expected on Opus Clip's free plan and on Vizard's free tier. Upgrade or switch tools if the watermark bothers you.
• Files gone. Opus Clip's free plan and Vizard's free plan both keep media for 3 days, so download your clips the same day.

Do you need to disclose AI?

YouTube's disclosure policy covers realistic altered or synthetic content, such as making a real person appear to say something they didn't. It lists captions, special-effects filters and production help like scripts and thumbnails as not needing disclosure. Clipping your own real footage generally falls outside the label. Adding a cloned voice of someone else or a generated realistic scene does not. Our YouTube AI content policy guide covers the edge cases. YouTube warns that creators who consistently fail to disclose may face labels, removal or suspension from the Partner Program.

Making it reliable day to day

Make the routine fixed: same day, same tool, same caption style. Keep a short text file of your hook lines and reuse the patterns that work. Record future long videos with Shorts in mind by stating each point in one clean sentence, so the AI has clean cut points. If you're comparing editors beyond clipping, see our roundup of AI video editing tools.

FAQ

Can AI clip my videos into Shorts?

Yes. Tools such as Opus Clip, CapCut's long video to shorts tool and Vizard analyse a long video, pick moments and reframe them vertically with captions. You still need to review each clip, because the tool picks moments by patterns in speech and visuals, not by what your audience cares about.

Is Opus Clip free?

Opus Clip has a free plan, but as of October 2026 its pricing page says free exports carry watermarked captions, are limited to 9:16 and are stored for only 3 days. Paid plans start at $15 a month.

Do AI Shorts get views?

Nobody can promise views, and no tool can. A Short tends to do well when the first seconds hold attention and the clip makes sense on its own, so spend your time on the hook and the trim.

Conclusion

Start with CapCut or Opus Clip's free plan and your best existing long video, and run the six steps once this week, even if it takes an hour. On the second run, time yourself against the table above. If Shorts are part of a larger plan, our guide to building a faceless YouTube channel with AI shows where they fit.

Sources and methodology

Last reviewed: 7 October 2026. Based on official vendor pages and YouTube Help; we did not run timed tests, and the time budget is a planning estimate.

• OpusClip pricing: https://www.opus.pro/pricing
• CapCut long video to shorts tool: https://www.capcut.com/tools/ai-long-video-to-short-video
• Vizard pricing: https://vizard.ai/pricing
• YouTube Help, Shorts length and classification: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/15424877
• YouTube Help, disclosing altered or synthetic content: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/14328491