Shorts editing tips

YouTube Shorts lets you get creative by letting you film and edit content using Shorts creation tools. Come explore all the Short creation tools available to you after recording your Short.

YouTube Shorts

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Shorts Creation Tools

Tap Sound to choose a sound, and pick the section that you want included in your video. If you want to change the volume, click Volume while in the Shorts editor. Then drag the lever until it’s where you want it. You can use an audio to create a Short as soon as you hear it, or save it to your Favorites tab to use later.

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Use the Shorts Audio tab to inspire your Shorts creation and set the tone for your Short. Choose an upbeat audio to film a dancing video and inspire your audience to dance along with you. Or select a calming sound if you are filming a one minute meditation and you want to leave your viewers feeling zen. Learn more about adding sound here.

Tap Text to add on-screen text to your video. You can use text to talk to your audience. It can also guide your viewers, helping them stay connected through fast edits with clearer context.

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Use text to give your viewers calls to action, explain a joke, or introduce yourself. If you are recapping a story and talking directly to the camera, adding text can help your viewer follow along word for word and engage the audience from beginning to end. It can also make your Shorts more accessible to all. Learn more about adding text here.

Tap Voiceover to record audio and narrate your shorts. Move the marker to the spot where you would like to start your voiceover, then tap record.

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Voiceovers are another way to infuse your personality and humor into your Shorts, helping your viewers feel connected to you as a creator. Have a fun clip you want to share but it’s missing some additional context? Adding a voiceover is the perfect way to add instructions, reactions or funny comments to allow your audience to fully enjoy your Short.

Use the Timeline to edit when text is shown in your Short. You can use this feature to trigger different messages at different times in your video. To control when text shows up in your Short, drag the start and stop points of a text clip. You can also use this process to choose when the text disappears. To reorder text clips, tap and hold them. You can also move clips from top to bottom to control the front-to-back order your text is shown in your Short.

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Make sure to review your timeline carefully to make sure all of the text is exactly where you want it to be before you publish your Short.

Filters are a way to add to the style and personality of your Short, or make up for less than ideal lighting. You can sort through the various filters if you would like to add any to your clip.

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Filters can be used to brighten up or color correct your Short. There is even a filter that adds a vintage black-and-white feel. It’s important to remember that any filter you choose during this editing step of creating a Short will be layered on top of the filter that you may have chosen when recording your Short.

Thoughts to keep in mind

  • Explore all of the Shorts creation tools available to you. Play around with the different filters and practice recording your voiceover until you get it just right. Remember that you can click X in the top left of the Shorts camera to save any work-in-progress. Then tap Save and exit.
  • Editing tools help create amazing Shorts. Think about the tone and style of your editing to help guide and inform your storytelling. Use the tools to express your creativity!
  • Check out other Shorts on the YouTube Creators channel to learn more creation tips.

Next: check out YouTube policies and guidelines tips

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