What you need to know
- YouTube detailed what’s coming up for Shorts, beginning with an option to record three-minute-long videos.
- Shorts will soon display a “template” icon, so creators can quickly hop on the latest trends with their unique touch.
- Other Shorts updates include customization for the Home feed, community engagement, and Veo’s AI assistance for “later this year.”
October is looking like the month for Shorts as YouTube details what’s coming up for its short-form content.
YouTube highlighted several updates arriving for Shorts later this month, beginning with longer videos. Starting on October 15, content creators can craft Shorts up to 3 minutes long. This longer duration for Shorts pertains to videos that feature a square “or taller” aspect ratio.
It’s worth remembering that Instagram’s Reels can reach a maximum of 90 seconds (a minute and a half), so YouTube will have that beat by 30 seconds. However, TikTok lets its users record 10-minute-long videos in the app.
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YouTube’s Shorts update also includes new templates. The post states users can find templates after tapping “Remix” on a Short they enjoy. “Use this template” will let you take a trend or a sound clip and use that in your creation.
Speaking of following trends, YouTube teases that there’s more in store for “Remix” regarding videos and music videos from the platform. “In the coming months,” the post states creators can pull “multiple clips” from a variety of sources across YouTube and plug them into a single Short.
Customization is preparing to hit YouTube’s primary home feed on mobile. Shorts are everywhere, and often in these two-by-two boxes. The platform states it will introduce a “Show fewer Shorts” option inside the three-dot menu of a Shorts suggestion box.
Be advised: YouTube states it will show fewer Shorts “temporarily” on your Home feed if you hit that option.
The company is also looking to drive more engagement between communities and the activities that trend via Shorts. According to the post, pausing a Short will display a new option in the top row called “Trends.” This opens a dedicated Shorts Trending page, where users can find what’s new and catching viewers’ attention.
Additionally, Google is adding a comment section preview in the Shorts feed, showing how others feel about a Short without having to open the section.
Today’s post reiterated an announcement during September’s Made by YouTube event involving Google’s AI model Veo. The AI software is a video-generation model featuring an “advanced understanding of natural language and visual semantics.” YouTube stated Veo’s inclusion on the platform would come to the benefit of Shorts.
Now, the company states Veo will arrive “later this year” with its AI generation tools. Such options will let users create backgrounds and produce unique concepts that might’ve been far too difficult without Veo’s assistance. However, it’s worth noting that any usage of Veo will result in a “generated with AI” content label on your Short.