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YouTube Shorts video size and length

What makes a video a Short, quoted from YouTube’s own help with the day it was read, and a button that opens yours reframed to 9:16.

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The spec, in Google’s words

WhatFigureTheir words
Shapes it takesSquare or verticalWith a square or vertical aspect ratio Google
Longest3 minUp to 3 minutes. Google
Largest file256 GBThe maximum file size you can upload is 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is less. Google

What turns a video into a Short

YouTube decides by shape and length: a square or vertical video up to 3 minutes is categorised as a Short. Anything wider goes out as an ordinary video, however short it is.

Shycut makes the vertical 9:16 frame and checks the length as you trim. YouTube also says a Short over one minute with an active copyright claim is blocked, so check the music in longer ones.

What the button sets up

A 9:16 frame
Cut out of your video, following the main face once faces are found, and made full HD. You can drag the crop or change the shape in the editor’s Size tab.
Its length, checked as you trim
The Size tab says whether your edit is a length it takes: up to 3 min. The save window says it again before anything is made.
No size limit set
256 GB is more than a video from Shycut comes to, so the size field is left empty.
On your device
The video opens in this browser tab and is made there. Nothing is uploaded, so there is no size limit on the original.

Where these facts come from

Questions

What size is a YouTube Short?

YouTube asks for a square or vertical shape. Shycut saves 9:16 at 1080 × 1920, without scaling your video up.

Can a Short be longer than 60 seconds?

Yes, up to 3 minutes, YouTube says. Over one minute, a Short with a copyright claim is blocked.

Will a 16:9 video become a Short?

No. YouTube files a wider video as an ordinary one. The button makes it vertical first.

Your video stays with you.

Open Shycut, drop the video in and export. Free, with no account, and your video never leaves your device.

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