How to clip YouTube videos
7 min read · Updated October 24, 2026
Clipping a YouTube video means cutting the best few seconds out of a longer video — to share, to post as a Short, or to repost on TikTok and Reels. Here are three ways to do it, from a single quick cut to letting AI clip a whole podcast for you.
Clip a YouTube video with AI →What "clipping a YouTube video" means
On YouTube itself, "Clip" is a button under some videos that makes a 5 to 60 second link to one moment — it stays on YouTube and you can't download or edit it. When creators talk about clipping YouTube videos, they usually mean something else: cutting moments out of a video into separate files they can edit, caption and post as Shorts, TikToks or Reels.
Before you start, make sure you have the right to use the video: your own content, a creator who has given permission, or a clipping campaign that pays you to clip it. See our guide on whether clipping videos is legal.
Way 1: cut one moment by hand
If you only need one short piece, find the start and end times while watching (pause and note them, e.g. 14:43 to 15:20), then cut that stretch out in any video editor. It is the slowest way per clip, but fine for one or two.
Way 2: cut several clips from timestamps
- 1
Upload the video
Upload your copy of the video to Zlayo (long VODs and podcasts are fine; big files upload in pieces).
- 2
Paste the timestamps
Paste the moments you want, like 14:43 - 15:20 or 1:07:12-1:08:21, one per line. Each becomes its own clip, cut exactly where you said.
- 3
Download them
Each clip comes back upright with captions, cut exactly where you said.
Way 3: let AI find and edit the clips
For long videos — streams, podcasts, interviews — finding the moments is the slow part. An AI clipping tool listens to the whole video and does it for you.
- 1
Upload the video
Zlayo transcribes every word of it and scores every moment.
- 2
Say how many clips and how long
Zlayo scores every moment — how much is said, how loud it gets compared with the rest, reactions, how strong the first line is — and returns that many clips. You can also paste exact timestamps to clip.
- 3
Get finished Shorts
Each clip is cropped upright around whoever is talking, with dead air and filler cut, starting on the hook, captions burned in and an optional heading on top.
Tips for clips that get views
- Start on the most interesting line, not on "so anyway".
- Keep it to one idea: 20 to 60 seconds is the sweet spot for Shorts.
- Always add captions — most people start watching with the sound off.
- Add a short heading that says what the clip is about.
- Post consistently; one clip rarely makes an account, fifty might.
Questions
Cutting one moment by hand in a free video editor costs nothing. Zlayo's timestamp clipping and AI clipping (Auto-Clip) are on the paid plans, from $19 a month.
Use a web tool like Zlayo: upload the video in your browser and download the clips — nothing to install, and it works on a phone.
Yes. Zlayo's AI clip maker transcribes the video, picks the best moments and returns captioned vertical clips.
Anything you like when you cut it into your own file. For Shorts, keep it under 60 seconds; 20 to 45 seconds often works best.