Feature
YouTube Shorts maker: upload one clip, get a finished Short
Cutroom turns a phone video of you talking into a vertical Short with captions, a headline and b-roll. You download the video and post it on YouTube.
In short
- Cutroom is a YouTube Shorts maker for videos of you talking: you upload one clip and get a finished Short back.
- Cutroom shortens the long pauses and adds captions, a headline and b-roll clips. The edit comes back in about a minute.
- YouTube allows Shorts of up to 3 minutes, vertical or square, and a Cutroom video is never longer.
- YouTube's own Shorts editor is free and posts straight to your channel, but you do the editing yourself.
- Your first Cutroom video is free, with no card. After that, the Lite plan costs $19.99 a month.
- Longest Short YouTube allows
- 3 min
- The size of the vertical video Cutroom exports, in pixels
- 1080 x 1920
- Until your edit comes back
- ~1 min
What you get
You get a finished vertical video, ready to upload as a Short.
- Your words appear on screen as captions, timed to your voice, in one of 40 caption styles.
- Cutroom captions videos in 8 languages, such as English, Spanish, French and German.
- A short headline sits at the top for the first seconds. Cutroom writes a draft, and you can rewrite it.
- Stock b-roll clips play over the words that matter, and you can swap any of them.
- Long pauses are shortened, and small zoom-ins are added on key moments.
- You download a 9:16 MP4 file of 1080 x 1920 pixels and upload it to YouTube yourself.
A finished Short in Cutroom's player
The headline at the top, a b-roll clip, and captions on every word.
▸ 0:07 / 0:26 · shot 1 of 5
How to make a YouTube Short with Cutroom
These are the four steps from your phone to YouTube. Cutroom does the editing step for you.
- If Cutroom mishears a word, you type the right one in the transcript and the caption changes too.
- If you delete a line in the transcript, Cutroom cuts the video again without it.
- You can swap any b-roll clip for another one, or search millions of free clips.
From your phone to YouTube Shorts
Film one clip
Up to 3 minutes, phone held upright
Upload it to Cutroom
Cutroom writes out every word
Check the edit
Change words, clips or caption style
Download and post
Upload the MP4 in the YouTube app
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
YouTube Shorts length and size rules
These are YouTube's own rules for Shorts, from its help pages, checked on 21 September 2026.
YouTube Shorts rules at a glance
Source: YouTube Help, read 21 September 2026.
| Rule | YouTube Shorts | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Longest Short | 3 minutes | A Cutroom video is never longer, so it fits |
| Shape | Vertical or square | Cutroom exports vertical 9:16 video |
| Wide videos, like 16:9 | Count as long videos, not Shorts | Post vertical or square if you want a Short |
| Where to keep text | YouTube gives no exact numbers | Keep text away from the bottom and the right edge, where YouTube's buttons sit |
Rule: Longest Short
- YouTube Shorts
- 3 minutes
- What it means for you
- A Cutroom video is never longer, so it fits
Rule: Shape
- YouTube Shorts
- Vertical or square
- What it means for you
- Cutroom exports vertical 9:16 video
Rule: Wide videos, like 16:9
- YouTube Shorts
- Count as long videos, not Shorts
- What it means for you
- Post vertical or square if you want a Short
Rule: Where to keep text
- YouTube Shorts
- YouTube gives no exact numbers
- What it means for you
- Keep text away from the bottom and the right edge, where YouTube's buttons sit
Cutroom vs YouTube's own Shorts editor
YouTube's editor is free and posts straight to your channel. Cutroom does the cutting, captions and b-roll for you, and you upload the file yourself.
YouTube's editor and Cutroom side by side
Price
- YouTube Shorts editor
- Free in the YouTube app
- Cutroom
- First video free, then from $19.99 a month
Cutting
- YouTube Shorts editor
- You set the start and end of each clip
- Cutroom
- Long pauses shortened for you
Captions
- YouTube Shorts editor
- Automatic, in some languages and on some devices
- Cutroom
- Automatic in 8 languages, in 40 caption styles
Headline
- YouTube Shorts editor
- You type it with the Text tool
- Cutroom
- A draft written for you, in 15 headline styles
B-roll
- YouTube Shorts editor
- You add your own clips
- Cutroom
- Stock clips placed on key words
Music
- YouTube Shorts editor
- YouTube's audio library
- Cutroom
- Off at first; you can turn on a background track
Posting
- YouTube Shorts editor
- Straight to your channel
- Cutroom
- You download the MP4 and upload it
| YouTube Shorts editor | Cutroom | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free in the YouTube app | First video free, then from $19.99 a month |
| Cutting | You set the start and end of each clip | Long pauses shortened for you |
| Captions | Automatic, in some languages and on some devices | Automatic in 8 languages, in 40 caption styles |
| Headline | You type it with the Text tool | A draft written for you, in 15 headline styles |
| B-roll | You add your own clips | Stock clips placed on key words |
| Music | YouTube's audio library | Off at first; you can turn on a background track |
| Posting | Straight to your channel | You download the MP4 and upload it |
What Cutroom costs
Each video costs 100 credits for the edit, plus 20 credits for each minute you export. A one-minute Short costs 120 credits.
Cutroom plans
| Plan | Price | Credits | Enough for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 600 credits for your one free video | Your first video, made within 7 days, with a Cutroom mark across the middle |
| Lite | $19.99 a month | 1,250 | About 10 one-minute videos, with no mark |
| Basic | $39.99 a month | 2,500 | About 20 one-minute videos, plus AI presenters and generated music |
| Premium | $79.99 a month | 5,000 | About 41 one-minute videos, plus everything in Basic |
Plan: Free
- Price
- $0
- Credits
- 600 credits for your one free video
- Enough for
- Your first video, made within 7 days, with a Cutroom mark across the middle
Plan: Lite
- Price
- $19.99 a month
- Credits
- 1,250
- Enough for
- About 10 one-minute videos, with no mark
Plan: Basic
- Price
- $39.99 a month
- Credits
- 2,500
- Enough for
- About 20 one-minute videos, plus AI presenters and generated music
Plan: Premium
- Price
- $79.99 a month
- Credits
- 5,000
- Enough for
- About 41 one-minute videos, plus everything in Basic
Which one should you use?
It depends on whether you talk in your Shorts.
YouTube's editor or Cutroom
Choose YouTube's Shorts editor if you make quick clips set to music, or you like doing every cut yourself. It is free.
Choose Cutroom if you talk to the camera and want the cutting, captions and b-roll done for you. Your first video is free.
Questions people ask
- Can I make YouTube Shorts for free?
- Yes. YouTube's own Shorts editor is free. Cutroom's first video is free too, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it. That video carries a Cutroom mark, which Lite at $19.99 a month removes.
- How long can a YouTube Short be?
- Up to 3 minutes, in a vertical or square shape. Wider videos, such as 16:9, count as long videos. A Cutroom video is 3 minutes at most, so it always fits.
- Does Cutroom post to YouTube for me?
- No. You download the 9:16 MP4 and upload it as a Short in the YouTube app or in YouTube Studio.
- Do I need editing skills to make Shorts with Cutroom?
- No. You film and upload, and Cutroom cuts the pauses, adds captions and places b-roll. To change something, you edit the words in the transcript or pick another clip.
- Can I turn a long YouTube video into Shorts?
- Not with Cutroom. Cutroom edits one clip of up to 3 minutes into one Short. To cut several Shorts out of a long video, a clipping tool such as OpusClip is the better fit.
- What if my Short gets a copyright claim?
- From 24 September 2026, YouTube no longer blocks Shorts of 1 to 3 minutes automatically when they get a copyright claim. You can remove the claimed part or dispute the claim.
- Can I make a Short without filming myself?
- Yes, on the Basic plan. You give Cutroom a portrait photo and a script, and an AI presenter reads the script on camera. Cutroom then edits that video like your own. A finished one-minute presenter Short costs about 540 credits.
Film one clip and see your first Short. Your first video is free.