Hands on with YouTube Shorts

[khtannnnnnnnnn]

What are YouTube Shorts?

Shorts are effectively YouTube’s take on short-form video with a focus on creating short videos using nothing but their mobile phones. TikTok is a big deal and there is no denying that the viewer base is far more active than on YouTube.

Because TikTok is a mobile-first video sharing platform or app, it’s easy to just record and upload with minimal edits and little technical know-how. YouTube is more procedure-focused. You can upload videos straight from your smartphone, but this isn’t the way most people create YouTube content.

Don’t confuse Shorts with Stories — which are another thing entirely. The idea is not to give daily updates like Snapchat or Instagram. Shorts is designed to be a standalone piece of content that doesn’t disappear after, say, 24 hours.

How do I get the option?

YouTube Shorts are available in beta in a few regions; after initially launching in India, the new video mode has exploded in popularity. It wasn’t until March 2021 that selected accounts in the US were granted the ability to upload Shorts directly from within the YouTube app. However, we’d imagine that the option will start to become more widely available over the next few months.