1. Pick your tool. Opus Clip or Vizard for AI moment-finding, CapCut for manual control. Install the app or open the web version. 2. Upload the source or paste the YouTube link. Vizard and Opus Clip both accept links directly. 3. Set the aspect ratio to 9:16 before anything else. Clipping in 16:9 and cropping later wastes the AI's framing. 4. Turn captions on. Word-by-word highlighted captions are the current standard. Most Shorts are watched muted. 5. Check the hook. The first 3 seconds decide everything. If the clip starts slow, trim to the punchline. 6. Export at 1080x1920. Not 720p. Shorts get re-compressed on upload, so start with maximum quality. 7. Post natively in the YouTube app or schedule through the clipping tool. Native uploads get the full Shorts feature set. Sources: FFmpeg, HandBrake Common failure: exporting with burned-in watermarks from a free tier, then wondering why reach is dead. Either pay for the tier or use CapCut free. Watermarked clips look amateur and platforms notice.
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