From October 15, YouTube is tripling the length of YouTube Shorts. Previously limited to 60 seconds, after the update, users will be able to create Shorts that are up to three minutes long.
According to a blog post, longer Shorts was a “top requested feature by creators”. The change will not apply retroactively to videos that were uploaded before October 15th, so existing three-minute videos won’t be converted into shorts.
YouTube also stated that they will be working on making improvements to how the algorithm recommends the new longer Shorts.
The expansion of Shorts will make it easier for creators who use TikTok and Instagram Reels to cross-post to YouTube. Reels can be up to 90 seconds and TikTok videos can be as long as 10 minutes, but moves that bring the platforms closer together will assist creators to make the most of their content.
Short on time? Not anymore!
3 minute long videos that are square or taller in aspect ratio will be considered a Short very soon!! We're excited to be bringing this top feature request to our creators
More info: https://t.co/StqMud1PuD
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) October 3, 2024
Other changes coming to YouTube Shorts
As well as the extended time of Shorts, YouTube also announced several other Shorts features. A key addition to Shorts is the ability to “Remix” a short through the use of templates by simply tapping the button on a short you want to recreate and then selecting “Use this template”. This allows creators to easily participate in trends.
Speaking of trends, another new addition is a new Shorts trends page on mobile. It isn’t clear at this stage what this will look like but YouTube suggests it will be localized by country.
Users who don’t love Shorts also have something to look forward to – YouTube will soon be adding an option to manage your feed and reduce the number of Shorts you see. Click the three-dot menu icon in the upper left of the Shorts grid in the home feed and YouTube will temporarily serve fewer shorts. It is unclear how long this will last and how frequently you’ll need to retrigger it to keep the Shorts out of your feed if you’re not a fan.
Google also reaffirmed that the previously announced addition of artificial intelligence through the integration of Google DeepMind with Shorts is still in development. There’s no exact release date for this feature yet – in the blog post, Google said it would be coming “later this year”.
Featured image credit: Google
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