Can I auto-reframe all my old YouTube videos to Shorts?

You can attempt auto-reframe on all of them, but quality varies significantly. Talking-head content converts well. B-roll, landscape shots, and multi-person scenes often require manual correction. A better approach is reviewing your top 20 performing videos and selectively converting those, rather than batch-converting your entire library with unreviewed output.

What is the best free tool for creating vertical video?

CapCut is the most capable free tool for vertical video creation. It handles auto-captions, basic AI generation features, templates optimized for Shorts/Reels/TikTok, and direct export to social platforms. The free tier is sufficient for consistent short-form content production without professional-level features.

Do YouTube Shorts help a regular YouTube channel grow?

Evidence is mixed. Shorts can bring new subscribers to your channel but some data suggests Shorts subscribers have lower engagement with long-form content than subscribers gained through long-form. A Shorts strategy works best as a supplemental distribution channel rather than a replacement for long-form growth.

How long should a YouTube Short be for maximum views?

Under 60 seconds is the technical limit. Most data suggests 30-55 seconds performs best for viewer retention, with the last few seconds reserved for a hook teasing why they should watch more. Shorts under 15 seconds rarely provide enough value to convert viewers to subscribers.

Guide

Vertical VideoYouTube ShortsReelsTikTokAI Production2026

AI Vertical Video Creator: How to Make Shorts and Reels with AI (2026)

Vertical video is the dominant format on three of the largest platforms — TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Yet most creators still produce horizontal content and try to adapt it to vertical formats as an afterthought. AI tools in 2026 can either automate the conversion of horizontal content to vertical or generate vertical-native content from scratch, depending on your approach.

Last updated: February 26, 2026

Step-by-Step Guide

Decide: convert existing content or create vertical-native

If you have a large library of horizontal content to repurpose, focus on auto-reframe tools (Premiere, DaVinci, Opus Clip). If starting fresh, create vertical-native content using CapCut templates or FluxNote from the beginning.

Set up CapCut with your brand colors and font

Open CapCut and customize your default caption style, color scheme, and any recurring text elements. Consistent visual identity across Shorts and Reels builds brand recognition.

Create your first 5 vertical videos

Produce 5 vertical videos using your chosen method. This tests your workflow, identifies friction points, and gives you enough data to evaluate what your audience responds to.

Review performance data after 30 days

Check average view duration, viewer retention graphs, and follower conversion for your first batch. Identify which video format, topic, or hook style is performing best and double down on it.

Establish a weekly vertical content production schedule

Block 1-2 hours per week for vertical content production using your tested workflow. Consistency compounds — a regular schedule produces more total growth than sporadic high-effort posting.

Converting horizontal video to vertical with AI

The most common challenge for creators with existing content libraries is converting horizontal video to vertical format without losing key visual elements.

Auto-reframe tools:

Adobe Premiere Pro Auto Reframe:
Premiere's AI analyzes your footage and detects the primary subject (usually a person) and keeps them centered during conversion. Works well for talking-head content. Struggles when multiple subjects are in frame or when the important visual action is not the main subject.
How to use: Select clip > Effects > Auto Reframe > set target ratio (9:16) > render.
Quality: Good for person-centered content, needs manual correction for 20-40% of complex shots.

DaVinci Resolve (free):
DaVinci offers smart reframe functionality in the Inspector panel. Similar quality to Premiere's Auto Reframe. The free version supports this feature.

CapCut Auto Reframe:
CapCut's mobile and desktop apps can auto-reframe horizontal footage to vertical. Less precise than Premiere or DaVinci but significantly easier to use. Suitable for social media content where perfection is less critical.

Limitations of auto-reframe:
Auto-reframe tools consistently struggle with: wide landscape shots where the subject is small relative to the frame, scenes with important visual context at the edges of the horizontal frame, text or graphics that need to be visible, and multi-camera edits. Budget manual correction time for any professional content.

Creating vertical-native AI video content

Creating video natively for vertical formats produces better results than converting horizontal content. These tools create 9:16 content from scratch.

CapCut templates (fastest vertical content creation):
CapCut has thousands of vertical templates optimized for TikTok and Reels. These range from text-on-screen formats to complex motion graphic templates. While not AI generation in the strictest sense, AI features (auto-captions, voice cloning, beat sync) within templates produce finished vertical content very quickly.

FluxNote for vertical content:
FluxNote can generate vertical-format video from scripts or topics. For informational Shorts — quick explainers, news summaries, tip videos — this approach produces native vertical content without filming anything. Strong option for faceless educational Shorts channels.

Pika and Runway (generated AI clips in vertical format):
Both Pika and Runway allow you to specify output aspect ratio including 9:16. Generated AI clips for use as visual backgrounds or B-roll in vertical content work reasonably well. The short clip lengths (5-10 seconds) align with Short-form content structure.

Text-on-screen vertical content:
A significant category of high-performing Shorts and Reels is simply text on screen with AI voiceover — no real footage required. This format works for: facts, tips, listicles, and quick explanations. Tools like CapCut and FluxNote both support this format with AI-generated narration.

Vertical video strategy and platform-specific guidance

YouTube Shorts:
- Length: Under 60 seconds
- Hook: Within first 1-3 seconds
- Format: Content that completes a thought or delivers value within the time limit
- AI advantage: Shorts based on your longer YouTube videos can be created by Opus Clip or Pictory from the long-form source

Instagram Reels:
- Length: 15-90 seconds (90 seconds for broader reach)
- Hook: Even more aggressive than Shorts — Instagram Reels viewers are faster to swipe
- Format: Trending audio, on-screen text, and quick cuts perform best
- AI advantage: CapCut templates are optimized for Reels aesthetics; auto-captions are essential

TikTok:
- Length: 15-60 seconds performs best despite platform supporting 10 minutes
- Hook: First 2 seconds are make-or-break
- Format: More personality-driven than YouTube Shorts; authenticity valued over polish
- AI advantage: Captions (85%+ of TikTok watched without sound), text overlays, and beat sync

Consistent posting cadence matters more than individual video quality:
Posting 5-7 Shorts per week consistently for 6 months will outperform posting 1 extremely polished Short per week. AI tools make the volume achievable without proportional time investment.

Cross-posting with modifications:
The same vertical video can be posted on all three platforms, but minor modifications improve performance: remove platform-specific watermarks (TikTok watermarks hurt Reels distribution), adjust audio to trending sounds on each platform, and adjust caption styling if needed.

Pro Tips

Never post a TikTok video with a TikTok watermark to Instagram Reels — Instagram's algorithm penalizes watermarked content by reducing its distribution
The optimal caption placement for vertical video is the lower third of the screen — high captions can be obscured by interface elements on some devices
AI-generated voiceover works extremely well for faceless educational Shorts — the viewer's focus is on the information, not the presenter
Trending audio on TikTok and Reels can be layered under AI-generated narration at low volume — this can improve algorithmic distribution on sound-sensitive platforms
Batch-produce Shorts in a single session: write 7 scripts, generate all narrations, assemble all 7 videos. The workflow gets faster with each video in the batch.