YouTube Shorts creators will now be able to use video clips from billions of YouTube clips in new shorts. Earlier, creators of YouTube Shorts could only splice short audio clips from other videos on the platform. Users will be able to clip 1- to 5-second portions from eligible long-form videos, as well as “Shorts” to use in new short-form content with the most recent update.
When a new “Shorts” is made using a clip from an existing video, the original version is affirmed with a link. The library of videos available for remixing is extensive, but creators can choose to disallow their video content from becoming remixed. This includes clips with copyright lawsuits or set to private, which cannot be sampled. The video remixing feature will be available to iOS users in the weeks ahead, with Android users getting it later this year.
The idea of expanding remixing on YouTube Shorts is the company’s way of responding to renowned TikTok features such as Stitch, as well as viral audio-based trends. However, opening up YouTube’s library of billions of videos for reuse is an important advance that could allow creators to profit if their original content starts a viral trend or is heavily recreated by others.
Furthermore, YouTube today revealed that shorts are now available not only on the web but also on tablets, with a new shorts tab making an appearance across devices in the coming weeks. YouTube also said that all views from these new surfaces will count as one enrollment in the Shorts Fund.
Speaking of the feature release, Meaghan, from TeamYouTube, said:
Last year, we rolled out the ability for Shorts creators to sample audio from videos – we call this ‘remixing’ – so that you can put your own spin on the content you love. Today, as we look to expand our remixing capabilities, we’re in the early stages of rolling out a new way to remix any eligible video on YouTube. And, as an additional update, we’re also making the Shorts experience more readily accessible to viewers on more devices!