How to Make YouTube Shorts from Long Videos (2026 Guide)

The fastest-growing YouTube Shorts channels aren't making short videos from scratch — they're repurposing long videos they've already recorded. Here's exactly how to do it.

Step 1: Identify repurposable source videos

Start with your 5–10 highest-performing long-form videos. These already have proven engagement signals — the moments that made viewers watch, comment and share are the same moments that make great Shorts.

If you don't have existing videos, start with a YouTube URL from any creator in your niche (for research/testing) or your own new long-form recordings.

Step 2: Process with AI (using shortube.pro)

1. Go to shortube.pro and create a new project
2. Paste the YouTube URL or upload your video file
3. Choose a processing preset (podcast, talking head, webinar, etc.)
4. Submit and wait 5–10 minutes for the AI pipeline to complete

• The system will:
• Transcribe every word with Whisper
• Score each moment on hook strength and viral potential
• Select the top 10 clip candidates
• Render each as a 9:16 Short with animated captions
• Generate titles, descriptions and hashtags for each

Step 3: Review and select

You don't have to publish all 10. Review each clip's virality score and preview, pick the strongest 3–5, edit the metadata if needed, and either publish immediately or schedule for optimal posting times.

Step 4: Analyze and iterate

After 2–3 weeks, check which Shorts drove the most watch time and subscribers. Create more content in the same style, on the same topics — the algorithm will amplify it.

The math

One 60-minute video → up to 10 Shorts. If you record once per week, you have a 10-Short queue with no additional recording. That's 10 chances per week to hit the algorithm.