Resize preset
Resize Video for YouTube Shorts
YouTube treats a clip as a Short when two conditions hold: the video is square or vertical, and it runs 3 minutes or less. The cap rose from 60 seconds in October 2024. Miss either condition and the upload lands in the regular feed as a standard YouTube video, outside the Shorts shelf entirely. This tool produces the 9:16 1080x1920 frame; if the source runs long, cut it down on the trim page first.
Resizing for YouTube Shorts in detail
YouTube Shorts safe zones are less aggressive than TikTok or Reels. The top 150 pixels are covered by the top bar and search hint, and the bottom 380 pixels sit under the channel avatar, title card, like and dislike buttons, Subscribe CTA, and comment icon. Centered content authored between those bands reaches every viewer without occlusion. YouTube also pulls a thumbnail frame from the middle of the video, so opening on a strong visual in the first 3 seconds is worth more than many small post-production tweaks.
The encoder outputs H.264 MP4 with AAC, which is what YouTube's ingest pipeline transcodes most reliably. The whole resize runs in the browser, so unreleased product demos and internal training clips never leave your machine.
YouTube Shorts requirements
| Setting | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 recommended | Square or vertical video under the cap counts as a Short. Landscape does not. |
| Recommended resolution | 1080 x 1920 | Full HD vertical; 720p also supported. |
| Maximum duration | 3 minutes | Raised from 60 seconds in October 2024. Longer uploads publish as regular videos. |
| Minimum duration | None | But under 3 seconds rarely performs. |
| Top safe zone | 150 pixels | Top bar and search chip. |
| Bottom safe zone | 380 pixels | Channel avatar, title, like, dislike, Subscribe, comment. |
| Codec | H.264 MP4 with AAC | YouTube ingests many codecs but H.264 is safest. |
| Shorts hashtag | #shorts (optional) | Used to help historical classification. |
When to use this preset
Cutting longform into Shorts
Trim a 10 minute YouTube video down to a 45 second highlight, resize to 9:16, and upload as a standalone Short that links back to the full video.
Channel teasers
Resize a 16:9 trailer to 9:16 with branded bars top and bottom, then publish as a Short to drive discovery.
Educational one-liners
Letterbox a whiteboard recording so the diagram stays visible, author text in the safe middle band for mobile viewers.
Behind the scenes clips
Crop the useful part out of a handheld phone recording and letterbox it to 9:16 for a raw behind-the-scenes Short.
Music and reaction Shorts
Resize 16:9 music-video footage to 9:16 letterboxed, so the original composition is preserved above and below the main action.
Frequently asked questions
What is the YouTube Shorts size?
YouTube Shorts run at 1080 pixels wide by 1920 pixels tall in a 9:16 aspect ratio. YouTube accepts any vertical aspect ratio taller than square, but 9:16 at 1080x1920 is the reference spec and fills the viewer without letterboxing.
How long can a YouTube Short be?
YouTube Shorts can run up to 3 minutes, a limit that took effect in October 2024. Uploads longer than 3 minutes are published as regular YouTube videos and do not appear in the Shorts shelf. If your clip runs long, trim it before resizing or split it into several Shorts.
Why is my Short showing as a regular video?
Either the duration exceeds 3 minutes or the video is landscape. YouTube classifies square or vertical video of 3 minutes or less as a Short, and nothing else. Resize to 9:16 and keep it inside 3 minutes and the classification happens automatically. The #shorts hashtag in the title helps historical categorization but is not required for new uploads.
What aspect ratio for YouTube Shorts?
9:16 vertical is the native format. Other vertical ratios like 4:5 or 3:4 and even 1:1 square also count as Shorts when they run 3 minutes or less, but 9:16 fills the full viewer on mobile without margins. Landscape video is treated as a regular feed upload regardless of duration.
Do YouTube Shorts need to be vertical?
Vertical or square. A horizontal 16:9 upload goes into the regular feed even when it is under 3 minutes. For the Shorts shelf and Shorts-specific distribution, the video must be at least as tall as it is wide, and 9:16 is the clean target.
Can I add a horizontal video to Shorts as letterbox?
Yes. Letterbox the 16:9 source into a 1080x1920 9:16 frame with black bars above and below. YouTube treats the final file as a vertical video because its overall aspect ratio is 9:16, so it qualifies for the Shorts shelf. The visible content area is smaller but the engagement profile is the Shorts one.
What codec does YouTube Shorts use?
YouTube accepts many codecs at ingest, but the safest is H.264 video and AAC audio in an MP4 container. That is what this tool outputs. YouTube re-encodes to VP9 and AV1 behind the scenes for playback, but starting with clean H.264 avoids any ingest errors.
Related Tools and Resources
Resize Video for TikTok
9:16 1080x1920 with TikTok-specific safe zones.
Resize Video for Instagram Reels
Same 9:16 frame, different Instagram UI overlay.
Trim Video
Cut longer clips to the 3 minute Shorts cap first.
Video cropper
Pick the 9:16 region by hand when the subject is off centre.
Resize Video
Any dimensions or multi-preset batch export.
Guide: social media video specs
The sizes and caps for every platform, side by side.