How to Make a Short Video? A Complete Beginner Guide

Our beginner's guide for “How to make a short video?” will help you create a short video. Learn essential tips and tools, like CapCut, to captivate your audience.

how to make a short video
CapCut
CapCut2024-07-19
0 min(s)

Are you struggling to find the solution on how to make a short video. If yes, you are on the right track. This article guides you through a simple but effective process to make short videos in several clicks. Ready to uncover the magic behind creating a short video clip? Let's get started!

Table of content

Benefits of making shorter videos

In a world full of content and news, making short videos is a powerful gate to grab viewers' attention. Moreover, you can embrace the diverse benefits of a short video. Let's name some of them:

  1. Higher retention rate: Shorter videos allow viewers to consume content quickly. This fast consumption fits easily into busy schedules and is particularly appealing to users who prefer brief videos they can watch on the go.
  2. Better site traffic: With shorter content, you can easily share and create widespread reach for your videos. Short marketing videos are more likely to drive organic traffic to your site, increasing engagement and visibility for your brand.
  3. More viewer engagement: Short video clips can also engage a broader audience. The creative industry has observed that viewers interact with short-based content rather than long, boring videos.
  4. Adaptability across platforms: Many short content-oriented emerging platforms, such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube shorts. With short videos, your clip can easily be adapted to these platforms to increase reach.
  5. Faster turnaround time: Save your time when producing short content. You can use the extra time to tailor your content quality. Or export more short clips to your sites to retain your consistency.

Feel the powers of shorter video clips? Let's figure out the answerto how to make a short video below!

How to create a short video: 3 different ways

1. How to make short video from long video

Looking for a powerful and magical tool to help you get an effective answer to the question about how to make short clip videos. CapCut Online video editor is here to solve your problem. This is an all-inclusive content creation hub for you to make short video clips with AI and advanced features. All are free, from one-click long videos to shorts to AI-powered tools for auto-captions or transcript-based video editing. Turn your clips into viral-worthy shorts with magic from CapCut Online. Find your best answer for the question about how to make shorts video.


Long video to shorts

Key features

  • Turn long videos into shorts with AI in one click: There is no need to cut and synthesize your videos into shorts manually. The AI-advanced power from CapCut Online allows you to make short videos in one click with customized options for specific parts or durations.
  • Enjoy viral-worthy shorts with up to 20 languages: Embrace a widespread reach for your videos with up to 20 languages for video content. Ready to increase your video engagement to a broader size of customers?
  • Make auto subtitles for powerful and engaged shorts: Say goodbye to long hours by adding manual captions to your videos. With one click, you can enjoy perfect and accurate auto-captions for your videos.
  • Optimize rich editing features to tailor your shorts: Power your short clips to an appealing level with massive media resources. Add a touching background music source or apply a new effect to your clips. All are available.
  • Excellent for analyzing oral context and cutting the best parts: The super powerful AI from CapCut Online analyzes your oral content and chooses the shining parts in your clip for a perfect short. With CapCut's long video-to-shorts, you can show your killing part to viewers in one click.

How to convert long video to short video with CapCut video shortner

    Step
  1. Convert long videos to shorts
  2. Click "Long video to shorts" on the main workshop interface. Feel free to upload your long videos using different methods, from dragging and dropping your files to uploading your materials from Dropbox or Google Drive.
  3. 
    Upload your video with multiple methods
  4. Tailor your preferred parts to make the best shorts. You can also choose different durations to fit your use. Then hit "Convert" to transform your selection into captivating short videos ready to share.
  5. 
    Customize your video part and duration
  6. Step
  7. Edit shorts with captivating elements
  8. Let AI technology from CapCut Online's long video to shorts. Pick your favorite generated shorts.
  9. 
    Pick your favorite generated shorts
  10. You can edit your video caption style by clicking "Caption style." If you want to level up your video, choose "Edit more" to be directed to the main editing interface of the CapCut Online video editor.
  11. 
    Edit your video more
  12. Feel free to power your short clip with editing features and rich media resources, from free templates, background music, or auto-captions for wider video reach.
  13. 
    Add trending audio to your video
  14. Step
  15. Export and share

Choose "Export" to get your video exported for sharing. You can customize your video with different choices for file format, frame rate, or quality. Get direct video share on social channels such as TikTok or Instagram.


Export your video

2. How to make short video clips using a video trimmer

You can also find your answer to the question about how to make a short picture video by using an in-app video trimmer on your device. Here are some suggestions for you:

How to cut a video on a Windows PC with the Photos program

Follow the five-step simple guide below to make a short video on a Windows PC with the Photos program:

    Step
  1. Choose the Photos program on your desktop
  2. Step
  3. Pick your preferred video for editing
  4. Step
  5. Click on the "Edit & Create" button to edit and trim your image
  6. 
    Edit your video on the Photos app
  7. Step
  8. Drag your video to your perfect duration
  9. Step
  10. Save your video by choosing "Save a copy."

How to cut a video on a Mac with iMovie

There are six steps for you to trim a video on a Mac with iMovie:

    Step
  1. Click on the iMovie app on your macOS device
  2. Step
  3. Import your media file for editing
  4. Step
  5. Edit your video by dragging the white vertical line
  6. 
    Cut a video on a Mac with iMovie
  7. Step
  8. Operate different tasks on your video by preference
  9. Step
  10. Pick the part you want to delete from your video
  11. Step
  12. Review your trimmed part

3. How to make a short video with pictures

There is also a solution for you to make short clips with pictures. Here are the general steps to follow:

    Step
  1. Pick your favorite software for editing
  2. Step
  3. Import your media files
  4. Step
  5. Customize your pictures into videos
  6. 
    Customize your picture into video
  7. Step
  8. Export your videos for sharing

Applicable practices for making hot-selling and effective shorts

Have you ever wondered how to make a video into a short with high impact? Find your answers with these below practices:

  1. Set a clear goal: First, create a clear goal for your shorts. Ask some questions: How many views, shares, or comments do you want to get from your video? Then, do everything to achieve this goal.
  2. Understand your audience: Another important thing you must follow is understanding your audience. Research what type of content your customers want to learn or their insights to tailor your clip to the best.
  3. Follow up-to-date trends: If you're going to bring your video to a viral level, take a quick look at up-to-date trends about short video topics. Focus on trending topics in your niche.
  4. Edit your clips with a feature-packed tool: Streamline your editing process with an all-inclusive video editor. One tip for you is to pick a video editor with powerful and magical AI editing features, like CapCut Online, to lend you a hand.

Choose the perfect platform for efficient short video distribution

After getting the perfect answer to the question: "How do you make a short video?" It's time for you to optimize your content for the ideal platform. Each platform has a different way of effective distribution. Learn some tips below to shed light on your video:

Mention main platforms for short-form video; elaborate on how to make a short video distribution strategy

  • TikTok: TikTok is a fast-paced short content platform. At TikTok, the content distribution is scattered based on your interests. That's why paying attention to the customer insight research stage.
  • 
    Short videos on TikTok
  • Instagram Reels: Another powerful platform for you to distribute your reels is Instagram Reels. The videos on Instagram are likely to center around your following list. Tailoring how to get more followers to your account is also a great way to increase your short video engagement.
  • 
    Share videos on Instagram Reels
  • YouTube Shorts: With YouTube Shorts, you can try different types of content to appeal to your subscribers, from dance challenges, tips for doing something to funny moments. All are available.
  • 
    Share videos on YouTube shorts
  • Facebook Stories: Although your content is only available 24 hours a day on Facebook Stories, it is also a strategic platform to help you spread your video. You can make short promotional videos on Facebook Story to increase your campaign's impact.
  • 
    Facebook Stories

Conclusion

To learn how to make a short video, you can focus on three aspects: making short videos with an internal platform, using your in-app tools on Windows devices, or picking the tailor-made short video editor for MACs. You can also choose to make your short clips from pictures. If you want a powerful tool to find the perfect solution for creating a short video, come to CapCut Online. All AI-powered tools and features are available for your free use. Appeal to your short clips for higher impact with one click with CapCut Online video editor.

FAQs

  1. How do you make a video shorter?
  2. With CapCut Online, your question about how to create short video clips will be answered in three steps. Everything is available in several steps, from turning your long videos into shorts to editing your video with different types of rich media resources and exporting your shorts for sharing. Feel free to customize your short video exporting settings with other file formats, quality, or resolution choices.
  3. How to make a short video with pictures?
  4. There are four general steps to turning pictures into videos: choosing a video editing tool, uploading your photos, customizing your pictures into videos, and exporting for sharing. Pay attention to selecting an all-inclusive and feature-packed tool, like CapCut Online, to power your journey.
  5. How many seconds is a short video?
  6. Depending on your focus, you can tailor your short videos from 30 seconds to about 5 minutes. Pick your favorite video duration with different options at CapCut Online's long video to shorts. You can also tailor perfect parts for cutting or adding caption styles to your shorts. All are available in several clicks for your best solution for how to convert long video to short video.
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