Long Video to YouTube Shorts with AI (Free)

YouTube Shorts · AI Video · Oct 2026

One long video can become five, ten or even twenty Shorts. This is often called repurposing: you reuse content you already made instead of filming something new every day. Each Short works like a small trailer that can bring new viewers to your channel and to the full video.

In the past you had to watch the whole video, find the best moments, cut them, turn them into a vertical frame and type captions by hand. Today, AI "clipping" tools do most of this for you. They find highlights, follow the speaker's face in a 9:16 frame and add captions automatically.

"Free" does not always mean unlimited, though. Most clipping tools give you a small number of free minutes each month and stamp a watermark on free exports. Below you will find which free options are worth using, based on each provider's own pages and recent tests (October 2026). Plans change often, so check the pricing page before a big project.

Quick Comparison: Free Tools to Turn Long Videos into Shorts

Tool	Free access	AI finds highlights?	Watermark on free exports?
YouTube "Edit into a Short"	Free, built into YouTube	No, you pick the part yourself	No
CapCut (long video to Shorts)	Free plan	Yes	CapCut says no, but some AI and Pro features can add one. Check the preview.
OpusClip	About 60 free minutes a month	Yes, with a "virality" score	Yes on the free plan
Vizard	About 60 free minutes a month	Yes	Yes, and 720p export on free
Klap	One free video to try	Yes	Klap says the free trial has no watermark

Best free pick for beginners: if the long video is already on your own YouTube channel, start with YouTube's built-in Edit into a Short. It is free, has no watermark and the Short stays linked to your full video. If you want AI to find the best moments for you, try CapCut next, and test OpusClip or Vizard when you only need a quick preview of which clips could work.

Method 1: YouTube "Edit into a Short" (Free, No Watermark)

YouTube has its own free tool for this. It lets you take up to 60 seconds from one of your own long videos and turn it into a Short. The Short shows a link back to the original video, which can send viewers to the full version.

Before you start:

It only works on public long videos you uploaded yourself.
Remixing must be turned on for that video. In YouTube Studio, open Content, click the video, choose Show more and check that Shorts remixing allows video and audio.
Music from the YouTube Audio Library cannot be used in these Shorts, so choose a part where only your voice is playing.

Steps (YouTube app on your phone):

Open your long video in the YouTube app.
Tap Remix below the video (you may need to scroll the buttons sideways), then tap Edit into a Short.
Drag the selector to choose the part you want, up to 60 seconds.
Tap Done. You can now add text, a filter or extra camera footage (the total stays at 60 seconds or less).
Add a clear title, then tap Upload Short.

Good to know: this method does not choose clips for you and does not add automatic captions to the video itself. That is why many creators combine it with an AI tool for finding highlights, as shown below.

Method 2: CapCut Long Video to Shorts (AI Finds Highlights)

CapCut's web tool can scan a long video, pick highlight moments, reframe them to vertical 9:16 and add captions. It is the easiest free way to let AI do the clipping for you.

Go to the CapCut website and open the long video to shorts tool.
Upload your video from your computer, or from cloud storage such as Google Drive or Dropbox.
Choose the clip length you want and let the AI process the video. Longer videos take a few minutes.
Look through the suggested clips. Keep the ones that make sense on their own and delete the rest.
Open a clip to fix the captions, the frame and the start and end points.
Before exporting, look carefully at the preview. If a Pro badge or a watermark appears, remove that feature or effect and export again.

Method 3: OpusClip or Vizard (Free Credits, With Watermark)

OpusClip and Vizard are made only for clipping long videos. They are very good at finding moments that work as Shorts, adding animated captions and keeping the speaker's face in the frame. Their free plans are best for testing.

OpusClip free: around 60 credits a month (one credit is about one minute of your source video), 1080p export, auto-reframe and captions. Free clips carry a watermark and are deleted after about 3 days, so download them quickly. On the free plan you upload a file from your device.
Vizard free: around 60 minutes a month, a watermark on exports, 720p quality, and projects kept for about 3 days.

Steps (both tools work in a similar way):

Create a free account on the tool's website.
Upload your long video file.
Choose the language and the clip length (for example 30 to 60 seconds).
Wait for the AI to create clips, then review each one.
Edit captions if needed and download the clips you like.

Smart free trick: use these tools to find your best moments. Note the start and end times of the strongest clips, then cut those same parts with YouTube's Edit into a Short or with CapCut, which can export without a watermark.

Important: do not crop, blur or cover a watermark to hide it. That can break the tool's terms of use. Use a no-watermark method or a paid plan instead.

Method 4: Klap (One Free Video)

Klap also turns long videos into vertical clips with captions. It gives you one free video conversion to test the tool, and Klap says this trial has no watermark. After that, paid plans start at about $29 a month, or about $14 a month when paid yearly. Treat it as a test, not as a long-term free tool.

Which Parts of a Long Video Make the Best Shorts?

AI can suggest clips, but you know your audience best. Choose moments that:

Make sense alone. A new viewer should understand the clip without watching the full video.
Start strong. The first 2 to 3 seconds should have a question, a surprising fact or a clear promise.
Give one idea. One tip, one answer or one story per Short.
End cleanly. Do not cut in the middle of a sentence.
Have clear sound. Short clips with noisy audio lose viewers fast.

Tips to Get More Views from Your Clips

Add captions. Many people watch Shorts without sound.
Write a clear title. Say what the viewer will learn, for example "3 Free AI Tools for Students".
Keep the speaker in the frame. Check that auto-reframe did not cut off faces or text on screen.
Post regularly. One long video can give you Shorts for a whole week.
Link to the full video. With Edit into a Short this happens automatically. For other uploads you can add a related video link in YouTube Studio.

Copyright: Only Clip Videos You Own

Only turn your own videos into Shorts, or videos you have clear permission to use. Cutting clips from other creators' podcasts, movies or TV shows without permission can lead to copyright claims or strikes, and such reuploads usually do not earn money. Also check that any background music in your long video is allowed in Shorts.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I turn a long YouTube video into Shorts for free?

Yes. YouTube's built-in Edit into a Short is free and has no watermark. It works on public long videos you uploaded, and you can use up to 60 seconds from the video.

Which free tool finds the best clips automatically?

CapCut, OpusClip and Vizard all use AI to find highlight moments. CapCut is the easiest free option to try first. OpusClip and Vizard give about 60 free minutes a month but add a watermark on free exports.

Does OpusClip have a watermark on the free plan?

Yes. Free OpusClip exports include a watermark, and free clips are kept for only a few days. A paid plan removes the watermark.

How long should a Short cut from a long video be?

YouTube allows Shorts up to three minutes, but clips of about 20 to 60 seconds usually work best for one clear idea. Edit into a Short lets you select up to 60 seconds.

Can I make Shorts from someone else's video?

Only with permission. Clipping other creators' content without permission can lead to copyright claims or strikes. Use your own videos or content you have the rights to use.

Final Thoughts

Turning long videos into Shorts is one of the easiest ways to grow a channel without filming more. Start with YouTube's free Edit into a Short for clean, watermark-free clips. Use CapCut when you want AI to find highlights, and test OpusClip or Vizard for ideas.

Upload a few Shorts, see which topics get the most views, and use those results to plan your next long video.

How to Turn a Long Video into YouTube Shorts with AI (Free) in 2026