YouTube Shorts

What it means

YouTube Shorts is the platform's answer to TikTok: short, usually vertical videos shown in a swipeable feed on phones. Shorts can now be up to three minutes long, though most successful ones are much shorter. They sit alongside regular long-form videos on the same channel.

For action creators, Shorts are a discovery tool. A short clip of the best jump or wave can reach viewers who never search for long edits, and some of them click through to the full video. Shorts work best when they feel complete on their own, with a strong hook in the first second and a clear payoff.

How it works in practice

Shorts are vertical, 9:16 at 1080 by 1920 pixels. Wide footage from action cameras needs reframing: a crop around the subject or auto reframing in an editor. Shooting in a tall format such as 8:7 or using a 360 camera gives more room for vertical crops.

Keep text and key action away from the edges, since the interface covers parts of the frame, see safe zones.

Use one moment per Short: a single trick, crash or wave with its approach and reaction. Loop-friendly endings help, since Shorts replay automatically.

What to watch out for

Horizontal videos uploaded as Shorts get letterboxed with black bars, which looks lazy in a vertical feed. Crop properly instead, keeping the rider large and centered in the frame.

Music licensing differs from long-form. Sounds from the Shorts library may be limited in length or unavailable in some uses; music added outside YouTube can trigger Content ID claims.

Short does not mean easy to make. Cutting a long edit into random 30-second pieces rarely works; each Short needs its own beginning and payoff. Watch how many viewers swipe away in the first seconds, a direct signal of audience retention.