---
title: "Long Video to Short Video with AI"
description: "Turn long videos into short clips: upload a webinar, podcast, livestream or class, and AI cuts captioned vertical clips for you to review and download."
url: https://exemplary.ai/long-video-to-short-video
facts_as_of: 2026-10-09
publisher: "Exemplary AI (https://exemplary.ai)"
---

# Long Video to Short Video with AI

Upload a webinar, podcast, livestream or class recording. AI finds the moments that work on their own and turns each one into a short, captioned clip.

To go from a long video to short video clips, upload the recording (a webinar, podcast, livestream or class) and let AI Clips do the cutting. It reads the transcript, picks passages that make sense without the rest, gives each a virality score, reframes it to 9:16 around the speaker and adds captions; you review, adjust and download. Free plan: 500 one-time credits; files up to 500 MB and 30 min long; 720p video exports with a watermark.

## How to cut a long video into short clips

1. Upload the recording as MP4, MOV or WEBM, or paste a YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Vimeo or X link, then choose the spoken language and pick Create shorts.
2. Clips aim at 30 seconds; for another length, pick a target in the Generate shorts dialog: 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 or 120 seconds. A short target suits a quick hook; a longer one keeps a whole answer or story together.
3. Go through the clips by virality score. Open one in the editor to trim it on the timeline, or delete words in the transcript to cut them from the video.
4. Download each clip as an MP4 (H.264) file and post it where your audience watches.

## Long video to short clips at a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Works well on | Recordings where people talk: webinars, podcasts, livestreams with commentary, lectures, interviews and panels |
| Clip length | Targets of 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 or 120 seconds; 30 seconds unless you pick another |
| How moments are picked | From the transcript, each one scored for virality |
| Shapes | 9:16, 16:9, 1:1, 4:5 or Original; Original keeps the source's own shape |
| Free plan limits | 500 one-time credits; files up to 500 MB and 30 min long |

Facts checked October 2026.

## What to feed it, and what to expect

AI Clips chooses moments from what is said, so it does well with talk: a webinar answer, a podcast exchange, a teacher explaining one idea. Footage with little speech, such as silent gameplay or scenic b-roll, gives it little to work with; cut those parts by hand. Our guide to [turning long videos into Shorts](https://exemplary.ai/blog/turn-long-videos-into-shorts) goes from choosing a source to measuring what you post.

Podcasters can start from the [podcast clips generator](https://exemplary.ai/ai-podcast-clips-generator), which also handles audio-only episodes. If every clip is headed for YouTube, the [YouTube Shorts maker](https://exemplary.ai/youtube-shorts-maker) covers YouTube's length and shape rules. To get audiograms and written posts from the same video as well, see [repurpose one video into many](https://exemplary.ai/repurpose).

## An AI Short Video Maker for Long Recordings

Upload once, get a batch of short clips back, and spend your time choosing instead of scrubbing through a timeline.

### Moments that stand alone

AI looks for passages that make sense without the rest of the recording, so a viewer who never saw the full video can follow.

### A score to sort by

Every clip gets a virality score, so you know which ones to review first.

### Vertical without losing the speaker

The crop follows the person talking as a 16:9 recording becomes 9:16; for an interview or a two-person podcast, Split framing gives each speaker a pane.

### Trim by editing text

Delete a word or a sentence in the transcript to cut it, and move a clip's start or end on the timeline.

## Finish the clip, then make it yours

Choose a frame for your feed, give the words a style, and check the space around them.

### [Horizontal to vertical video](https://exemplary.ai/horizontal-to-vertical-video)

Reframe a wide recording for a vertical feed.

[Reframe a video](https://exemplary.ai/horizontal-to-vertical-video)

### [Caption styles](https://exemplary.ai/caption-styles)

Compare bold, clean and creative caption styles.

[Preview styles](https://exemplary.ai/caption-styles)

### [YouTube Shorts size](https://exemplary.ai/youtube-shorts-size)

Check the frame and safe area for a YouTube Short.

[Check the layout](https://exemplary.ai/youtube-shorts-size)

## Common questions

### Can AI turn a long video to short video clips automatically?

Yes. Upload the recording and AI Clips picks the moments, cuts them, reframes them to vertical and captions them. You decide which clips to keep and can change any of them before downloading.

### What kinds of long videos make good short clips?

Recordings where people talk: webinars, podcasts, livestreams with commentary, classes, interviews and panels. AI finds the moments in the transcript, so silent footage and music-only sections give it little to choose from.

### Can I choose the moments myself instead of using AI?

Yes. Open the transcript, select the passage you want and click "Create clip", then pick its shape and caption style.

### How do I cut a long video into short clips for more than one platform?

Pick the shape for where the clips are going: 9:16 for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, 4:5 or 1:1 for a feed post, 16:9 for YouTube. Each export is an MP4 (H.264) file that you upload to each platform yourself.

### What does the virality score on each clip mean?

It is a rating AI gives each clip so you can sort them and review the most promising first. Treat it as a way to order your review, not a forecast of views.

### Is this AI short video maker free?

You can start for free: the Free plan comes with 500 one-time credits; files up to 500 MB and 30 min long; 720p video exports with a watermark. Each AI Clips run uses credits from that allowance.

## Discover more Clips & Shorts

- [Video trimmer](https://exemplary.ai/video-trimmer)
- [YouTube Shorts Maker](https://exemplary.ai/youtube-shorts-maker)
- [AI podcast clips generator](https://exemplary.ai/ai-podcast-clips-generator)
- [Instagram reel maker](https://exemplary.ai/instagram-reel-maker)
- [Resize videos](https://exemplary.ai/resize-videos)
- [Auto video editor](https://exemplary.ai/auto-video-editor)
- [Crop video](https://exemplary.ai/crop-video)
- [Add image to video](https://exemplary.ai/add-image-to-video)
- [Add text to video](https://exemplary.ai/add-text-to-video)
- [Remove filler words](https://exemplary.ai/remove-filler-words)
- [Add emoji to subtitle](https://exemplary.ai/add-emoji-to-subtitle)
- [Silence remover](https://exemplary.ai/silence-remover)
- [Add watermark to video](https://exemplary.ai/add-watermark-to-video)
- [Add b-rolls](https://exemplary.ai/add-b-rolls)
- [Word highlight in subtitle](https://exemplary.ai/word-highlight-in-subtitle)
- [AI video editor](https://exemplary.ai/ai-video-editor)
- [Twitch clip maker](https://exemplary.ai/twitch-clip-maker)
- [YouTube to TikTok](https://exemplary.ai/youtube-to-tiktok)
- [Sermon clips](https://exemplary.ai/sermon-clips)
- [Horizontal to vertical video](https://exemplary.ai/horizontal-to-vertical-video)
- [Screen and webcam recorder](https://exemplary.ai/screen-and-webcam-recorder)
- [Online screen recorder](https://exemplary.ai/online-screen-recorder)
- [Kick clip maker](https://exemplary.ai/kick-clip-maker)
- [Viral clip finder](https://exemplary.ai/viral-clip-finder)
- [YouTube Shorts size](https://exemplary.ai/youtube-shorts-size)
- [TikTok video size](https://exemplary.ai/tiktok-video-size)
- [Instagram Reels size](https://exemplary.ai/instagram-reels-size)
- [LinkedIn video specs](https://exemplary.ai/linkedin-video-specs)

## Make something worth watching

Start with a recording, choose the moments to keep, and finish your clip with captions.

> Exemplary AI is a browser-based AI tool that turns long videos and recordings into short captioned clips, transcripts in 99 languages, subtitles, translations into 116 languages, and written posts such as summaries, blog posts and YouTube chapters. It is built for YouTubers, podcasters and marketing teams; the Free plan includes 500 one-time credits with watermarked video exports. Pricing: https://exemplary.ai/pricing