Reel ClipsFree tool
Center-crop a file you own for Shorts.
Pick a file on this device. The page center-crops it to a vertical 9:16 frame and keeps the first 3 minutes if the file is longer. You download an MP4. The video stays in this browser.
Video file
Pick a video you own. Conversion runs in this browser.
Stays in this browser. Nothing is uploaded to Reel Clips.
How it works
- 01Choose a video you own. The file stays in this browser.
- 02The page center-crops it to a vertical 1080×1920 frame and keeps the first 3 minutes if the file is longer.
- 03Download the MP4. Sign in when you want to clip a live stream and schedule the Short.
What you get
The download is 1080×1920. That is vertical, so it meets the shape YouTube asks for, and it is within the 1080p ceiling on YouTube’s Shorts creation page. A widescreen source is cropped from the center. The crop does not follow a face. When the file has sound, that track is encoded as AAC.
YouTube Help says you can create Shorts up to three minutes, and that a video uploaded on or after 15 October 2024 is a Short when it is square or vertical and within that length. Uploading from a computer uses the same rule: up to 3 minutes, square or vertical. This tool always writes a vertical frame and trims at 3 minutes. A wide video at the same length would stay a regular upload, which is why the crop happens before the download.
Bring a file of 200 MB or smaller. The converter runs here, so a heavier file is rejected up front.
Clipping the stream instead
If the video is still a live Twitch, Kick, or YouTube channel, Reel Clips can clip the tile, then finish it in the editor and schedule the Short. The trial is 3 days. Reel Clips is $15 a month.