YouTube Shorts is a way for anyone to turn an idea into a chance to connect with new audiences anywhere in the world. All you need is a smartphone and the Shorts camera built right into the YouTube app to create Shorts up to three minutes long. The latest Shorts creation tools make it fast, fun, and easy to be a creator on YouTube.
Create a Short
Creating a Short with YouTube’s short-form video creation tools allows you to record one or more clips that add up to three minutes. While recording with the Shorts camera, use the progress bar at the top of your screen to see how many segments you’ve recorded, and the length of each.
To create a short video on YouTube:
- Sign in to the YouTube app
.
- Tap Create
and select Short.
- Hold Capture
or tap it to start recording and then again to stop.
- Note: You can change the duration on the upper-right corner.
- Once you’re done recording, you can:
- Add music, apply filters, or use other effects to enhance your recording.
- Tap Undo
to remove the previous video clip you recorded or tap Redo
to add it back.
- Tap Close
Delete or Save and exit. Saving a draft at this point saves any edits you've made.
- Tap Done
. From here, you can:
- Preview your video.
- Add sounds, text-to-speech, and other effects.
- Tap Back
to return to the record screen.
- Tap NEXT to add details to your video.
- From this screen, add a title (max 100 characters), and choose settings, like video privacy.
- Tap Select audience
- Tap UPLOAD SHORT to publish your Short.
.
and select Short.
or tap it to start recording and then again to stop.
to remove the previous video clip you recorded or tap Redo 
to add it back.
Delete or Save and exit. Saving a draft at this point saves any edits you've made.
to return to the record screen.Save your Short as a draft
You can save your Short as a draft before you upload to come back and edit later.
There’s no limit to the number of drafts that you can keep at one time. Note that drafts are saved to your device and not to your YouTube channel. If you delete the YouTube app or replace your device, you lose your drafts.
To find your drafts in the YouTube app:
- Tap Create
- Create your Short
- In the lower-right corner, tap Drafts.
- From here, you can select a draft to edit or delete it from your device.
Select a thumbnail
You can choose a frame from your Short to be used as the thumbnail before and after you upload your Shorts.
Here’s how to select a thumbnail for your Short:
- Tap Create
- Record your Short and enter video detail.
- Navigate to the final upload screen
on the thumbnail of your video.
- Select a frame to use as your thumbnail.
- Tip: You can add text and apply filters to your thumbnail. Once done with an edit, you cannot go back to previous edits to make any changes.
- Tap Done.
on the thumbnail of your video.
to use a photo or video from your device’s gallery as a background in your Short.
to participate in trends and conversations by answering prompts with your own Short. Then your audience can add their response with a Short of their own. You can discover different prompts in the feed to take inspiration and then connect with others by adding your own.
.