Content creation platforms around the world can’t seem to resist TikTok’s short video style, and now YouTube is doubling down on its efforts to compete with the social media giant by implementing a new TikTok-style authoring tool.
as part of your last app update (opens in new tab) on iOS and Android devices, YouTube has rolled out a feature that allows creators to instantly convert up to 60 seconds of previously uploaded long videos into Shorts.
The tool uses the platform’s existing editing suite – text, timeline editor, filters, etc. – and YouTube says that if the selected footage is less than 60 seconds, creators can record additional videos using the Shorts camera or upload more footage from their gallery.
Any Shorts created using old videos will of course link back to the original YouTube upload, and only the creators themselves can import and/or tamper with their existing content library.
On the surface, the feature is a creator-led innovation that gives creators another avenue to attract potential subscribers to their long-form content (if, for example, a user is interested in a short version of longer content). video, they may be inclined to click and continue watching).
But this update also exposes YouTube’s desperation to grow its short-form library in a bid to better compete with TikTok and Instagram.
Clearly, insufficient content creators are submitting content straight to Shorts and, the reaction on YouTube auto-conversion (opens in new tab) of a few vertical videos in Shorts in recent months, the company is now betting on the effectiveness of giving users the autonomy to make that choice for themselves.
It’s more organic – albeit incentivized – of Shorts’ growth, and YouTube users should expect to be greeted with a lot more vertical video content in the coming months.
For more YouTube news, check out our report on the YouTube scam that is abusing Google’s advertising system, as well as our take on the platform’s useful new content correction tool.
