How to Make a YouTube Short: Record, Edit, and Upload

To make a YouTube Short, plan one focused idea, record or edit a square or vertical video, upload it through the YouTube app or Studio, and then review how viewers respond in Analytics. YouTube currently supports Shorts up to three minutes; the old 60-second-only rule is no longer current.

Current YouTube Shorts Requirements

YouTube's three-minute Shorts guidance says that, for standard channels, square or vertical videos up to three minutes uploaded on or after October 15, 2024 are categorized as Shorts. Videos over one minute with an active Content ID claim are blocked globally until the claim is resolved.

Music availability can vary by track and duration. Use music you have permission to use, choose an eligible track from the Shorts Audio Library, or use royalty-free music from YouTube's Audio Library. For the recording, editing, and post-publication controls, follow the guide to adding music to YouTube Shorts.

1. Plan One Clear Idea

Choose a result the viewer can understand quickly: answer one question, demonstrate one technique, show a before-and-after, or tell one compact story. Outline the opening, essential middle, and ending before recording.

Do not add a trend simply because it is popular. It should fit the topic, audience, and rights you have to the audio or footage.

2. Record Vertically or Square

You can record with YouTube's Shorts camera or prepare a video in another editor. Frame important action for a phone screen, use stable footage, and make speech easy to hear. Keep text away from interface elements that can cover the edges of the video.

The maximum is not a target. Use only the time needed to deliver the idea.

3. Edit for Clarity and Accessibility

Trim pauses that do not help the story, use readable text, and add accurate captions. Review automatic captions before publishing because names and technical terms are common sources of errors.

Watch the finished edit once with sound and once muted. This reveals audio problems and shows whether the visual sequence and captions still make sense.

4. Upload the Short

Upload from the YouTube app or YouTube Studio, then add an accurate title and description. Hashtags are optional context, not a requirement for success; use only tags that genuinely describe the video.

For the full publishing sequence and visibility settings, follow how to upload YouTube Shorts.

5. Select a Thumbnail Frame

YouTube's thumbnail guidance says you cannot upload a separate custom image for a Short in the same way you can for long-form videos. On mobile, select a frame from the Short for certain surfaces before uploading; YouTube says that selection cannot be changed afterward.

Plan at least one clean frame during filming or editing, using the YouTube Shorts thumbnail size guide to keep that frame clear in a vertical layout. Do not build a separate thumbnail file and assume YouTube will accept it for a Short.

Measure and Improve

In YouTube Analytics, compare:

• engaged views and how many viewers chose to continue watching;
• audience retention and common drop-off points;
• subscribers gained from the Short;
• likes, comments, and shares when those signals match the goal;
• traffic to a linked destination when the Short has a measurable call to action.

YouTube changed the public Shorts view count in 2025 to count starts and replays without a minimum watch time. Use the Engaged views metric when you want the closer comparison of viewers who continued watching, as explained in YouTube's Shorts overview.

For practical ways to improve those metrics, use the guide to getting more views on YouTube Shorts to review hooks, metadata, consistency, and audience feedback.

Test one meaningful change at a time: the opening, length, topic, pacing, or call to action. A Short can reach new viewers, but no editing pattern or hashtag guarantees recommendations or virality.