Quick answer
Cut the long video into short vertical clips with a strong first line, 9:16 framing and burned-in captions. By hand in an editor, that is slow. On iPhone, Clipped does it for you on the device: open the video from Photos or Files, the AI ranks the best moments, reframes them with face tracking and adds captions. It's free, and the video never leaves your phone.
What every short needs
- A hook in the first seconds. A claim, a question, a surprise.
- 9:16 framing that keeps the speaker in shot.
- Burned-in captions, because many people watch muted.
- One complete thought. Start and end on whole sentences.
The manual way
- Scrub the video for a moment.
- Cut the start and end.
- Reposition the crop as the speaker moves.
- Add and style captions, export, post.
Fine for one clip. For 5 a day, it is a job.
Free tool: doing it by hand on a computer? The vertical video converter turns wide video into 9:16 and follows the face, and the video cropper sets a fixed crop. Both run in your browser.
The AI way: Clipped, on your iPhone
- Import from Photos or Files: MP4 or MOV, up to 2 hours.
- Choose How many clips? (1-3 up to 10+) and How long? (Auto, 15, 30, 60 or 90 seconds).
- Let the AI pick. It rates moments across the whole video and hears laughter, applause and big reactions.
- Check the viral score. Tap it to see why a clip made the cut.
- Polish with Captions, Look, Text, Beats, Trim, Post. Remove pauses cuts silences and filler words in one tap.
- Export clips at 1080p and post.
Not happy with the picks? Find different clips runs the video again and skips the moments it already chose.
Turn a YouTube video into Shorts
Clipped works on video files, not links. The steps:
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1. Get the file | Use the original file of your video, or the file a clipping campaign gives you. Save it to Photos or Files. |
| 2. Open in Clipped | The AI transcribes it and finds the moments on the phone. |
| 3. Pick 9:16 | Face tracking follows the speaker; split screen for two people; blur fill for wide shots. |
| 4. Caption it | 11 caption styles; speech is transcribed in 14 languages. Translate captions if your audience speaks another language. |
| 5. Check the buttons | App buttons preview shows the clip under the Shorts buttons. |
| 6. Upload | Post from the YouTube app. Copy the AI Post caption for the description. |
Only clip videos you own or have permission to use. Paid campaigns give you the rights: see clipping jobs. More on the Shorts side: YouTube Shorts maker for iPhone.
Posting tips per platform
TikTok
- Hook visible in the first frame: subject plus caption.
- Post natively from the TikTok app.
- 3 to 5 clips a day; vary the hooks.
Instagram Reels
- Keep it moving: Beats adds zoom cuts and punch-ins.
- Check the frame with App buttons preview before posting.
YouTube Shorts
- Vertical only, no letterboxing.
- Endings that loop back to the start get rewatched.
