Social media thrives on short-form content. For creators, marketers, and educators, repurposing long videos into digestible clips is essential — but doing so manually is often tedious and time-consuming.
In 2026, an AI video tool that turns long videos into multiple shorts can automatically detect highlights, trim segments, generate captions, and optimize videos for different platforms. These AI video tools for long video repurposing help creators scale content output without increasing editing workload.
In this article, we discover 8 top AI video tools in 2026 that help creators convert long videos into multiple shorts, followed by a step-by-step tutorial on using CapCut to streamline the process.
The Challenge of Repurposing Long Videos
To efficiently turn long videos into multiple shorts, creators face several challenges. This is where AI video tools for long video repurposing in 2026 make a difference:
- Time-consuming manual editing: Reviewing, trimming, captioning, and formatting long videos for TikTok, Reels, or Shorts can take hours.
- Identifying key moments: Not every part of a webinar, tutorial, or livestream is share-worthy, making highlight selection tedious.
- Platform-specific formatting: Each social platform has different aspect ratios and ideal clip lengths.
- Consistency in branding: Adding subtitles, logos, and visual effects manually slows down production.
With AI video tools for long video repurposing, these steps can be automated, helping creators save time, scale output, and maintain quality.
Quick Overview: Top 8 AI Video Tools for Repurposing Long Videos in 2026
Before diving into the details, here's a snapshot of 8 AI video tools that make turning long videos into multiple shorts effortless:
- CapCut – All-in-one platform with AI highlight detection, clip generation, auto captions, and multi-platform export.
- Pictory – Fast automated trimming and highlight extraction, ideal for marketers and educators.
- Wisecut – Smart trimming with silent section removal, background music addition, and captioning.
- Descript – Text-driven editing, precise transcription, and multi-clip generation for dialogue-heavy content.
- VEED.IO – Cloud-based editing with auto subtitles and social media templates for quick short-form videos.
- InVideo – Template-driven short video creation with trimming, captioning, and effects for non-designers.
- Lumen5 – Converts long videos or text content into short clips with multi-format social media output.
- Kapwing – Collaborative cloud editor for clipping, caption generation, and multi-platform export.
Top 8 AI Video Tools for Repurposing Long Videos in 2026
Each platform listed below functions as an AI video tool that turns long videos into multiple shorts, but they differ in automation depth, editing flexibility, and ideal use cases. Whether you're a solo creator or a marketing team, choosing the right tool depends on how much control versus speed you need.
1. CapCut
CapCut is a powerful AI video maker designed to efficiently convert long video to shorts for modern content creators. It combines AI-driven highlight detection, automatic short-form clip generation, captioning, and visual enhancements within a single editing environment, reducing the need for multiple tools.
As one of the most versatile AI solutions for long video repurposing, CapCut can analyze podcasts, webinars, tutorials, and live streams, automatically identify key moments, and generate platform-ready short clips for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Its strong balance between automation and manual control allows creators to scale short-form output quickly while still refining captions, layouts, and branding when needed.
Core Features
- Automatic highlight detection from long videos: CapCut's AI automatically scans your long videos to identify the most engaging moments, saving you hours of manual review.
- AI-powered clip generation and trimming: The platform can intelligently trim and split your footage into multiple short clips optimized for social media formats.
- Auto captions generator: CapCut generates accurate captions automatically, making your videos accessible and improving viewer engagement across all platforms.
- Multi-platform export: Finished clips can be exported directly to TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, or saved in multiple formats for other channels.
- Built-in effects and branding options: Add logos, watermarks, transitions, and visual effects effortlessly, ensuring your content maintains a professional and consistent brand identity.
- CapCut combines trimming, captions, effects, and multi-platform export seamlessly.
- The intuitive interface allows new creators to edit videos easily.
- AI-powered tools speed up trimming, highlighting, and clip generation efficiently.
- Advanced customization options may be limited
2. Pictory
Pictory focuses on automated video trimming and highlights extraction, ideal for marketers and educators who want to quickly turn long-form content into engaging social media clips and maximize content reuse.
Core Features
- Automatic highlight extraction
- AI-generated subtitles
- Social media optimized export
- High-speed highlight detection
- Easy-to-use cloud interface
- Limited advanced visual effects
- Editing flexibility can be restrictive
3. Wisecut
Wisecut excels at smart trimming and automatically removing silent sections, generating short videos with background music and captions. It's perfect for vloggers and tutorial creators who need fast, effortless results.
Core Features
- Automatic trimming of silent parts
- AI-powered clip generation
- Background music addition
- Quick and minimal setup
- User-friendly for vloggers and educators
- Limited advanced editing options
- Some AI trimming may need review
4. Descript
Descript emphasizes text-driven video editing, offering precise automatic transcription and multi-clip editing. It's suitable for dialogue-heavy content or educational videos that need fast splitting and short video generation.
Core Features
- Automatic transcription and captions
- Multi-clip editing
- Highlight selection from long videos
- Excellent transcription accuracy
- Easy creation of multiple clips
- Basic visual effects
- Requires learning curve for beginners
5. VEED.IO
VEED.IO is a simple cloud-based video editing platform that provides automatic captions and social media templates, allowing creators to produce polished short videos without complex editing skills.
Core Features
- Automated subtitles
- Cloud-based editing
- Social media templates
- Simple interface
- Fast export for multiple platforms
- Rendering can be slower on large files
- AI trimming is less precise
6. InVideo
InVideo is known for its template-driven short video creation, supporting automated trimming and captioning. It's ideal for brand marketing teams or non-designers who want visually appealing short clips quickly.
Core Features
- Template-driven video creation
- Automated trimming
- Caption and effects integration
- Visually appealing templates
- Easy for non-designers
- Limited AI highlight detection
- Some manual editing required for best results
7. Lumen5
Lumen5 specializes in smartly transforming long videos or text-based content into short videos, offering multi-format output. It's particularly useful for content marketing and social media promotion.
Core Features
- Long-video splitting
- Text-to-video AI adaptation
- Multi-format output for social media
- AI-guided content adaptation
- Supports multiple output sizes
- Editing precision can require manual adjustment
- Limited visual effects compared to other tools
8. Kapwing
Kapwing is a collaborative cloud-based video editor that supports long video clipping, subtitle generation, and multi-platform export. It's great for team collaboration and educational content short video production.
Core Features
- Cloud-based video editing
- Automatic caption generation
- Long-video clipping and export
- Collaborative cloud editing
- Multi-format export for different platforms
- AI trimming is not as advanced
- Free plan includes watermark
How to Turn Long Videos into Shorts with CapCut
After reviewing multiple AI tools, we recommend CapCut for creators who want a streamlined, all-in-one solution. Here's how to repurpose long videos using CapCut:
- STEP 1
- Upload Your Video
Begin by either clicking to add your video to the designated area, or by uploading it from your Cloud storage, Google Drive, or Dropbox. Make sure the page stays open during the upload process.
- STEP 2
- Generate Short Clips
After uploading your video, choose the clip durations and specific times you want. CapCut's AI clip maker will then analyze your video and automatically edit it into several short clips. This streamlined process ensures efficient editing and customization to suit your needs.
- STEP 3
- Export and Share
After the clips are generated, take time to preview each one. If adjustments are needed, click on “Edit more” for further customization options.
Click “Export” to save the final clips to your device or share them directly on social media platforms for wider audience reach, maximizing engagement with your content.
Conclusion
Repurposing long videos into multiple short clips is no longer a manual or time-consuming task. In 2026, using an AI video tool that turns long videos into multiple shorts enables creators to extract maximum value from every piece of long-form content with minimal effort. Instead of spending hours on manual editing, creators can rely on automation to identify highlights, generate captions, and format videos for different platforms.
Modern AI video tools for long video repurposing such as CapCut, Pictory, and Wisecut provide flexible solutions for different workflows and content types. Among them, CapCut stands out as a streamlined, beginner-friendly option that combines clipping, captioning, editing, and multi-platform export in one place. By choosing the right AI tool and applying a consistent repurposing strategy, creators can significantly increase content reach, engagement, and overall production efficiency in 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
- 1
- Can AI video tools replace professional video editors?
AI video tools can handle repetitive tasks like trimming, captioning, and highlight detection, making content repurposing much faster. However, they cannot fully replace professional editors, who bring creative judgment, storytelling, and advanced visual effects. Tools like CapCut offer powerful automation for everyday content creation, allowing creators to focus on strategy and creativity, but for high-end productions, human expertise remains essential.
- 2
- What is the best AI video tool for complete beginners?
For beginners, ease of use and intuitive interfaces are key. CapCut stands out with its simple drag-and-drop workflow, automatic highlight detection, AI-powered clipping, and built-in captions. Users can quickly turn long videos into social media-ready shorts without technical skills. Other beginner-friendly options include Wisecut and VEED.IO, but CapCut's all-in-one approach makes it ideal for those just starting with video editing.
- 3
- Which AI video tool works best for short form videos?
When focusing on short-form content, tools that automate clipping, highlight detection, and platform-specific formatting are most effective. CapCut excels at creating TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts with minimal effort, while also offering captions, branding, and effects. Alternatives like Pictory and Wisecut work well too, but CapCut's combination of automation, customization, and multi-platform export makes it the top choice for creators aiming to produce engaging shorts quickly.
- 4
- Which free AI video editor has the most features?
Among free options, CapCut provides a rich feature set, including AI highlight detection, auto captions, clip trimming, multi-platform export, and visual effects. Its free version supports most essential workflows, making it ideal for creators who want professional-quality shorts without cost. CapCut's comprehensive capabilities and user-friendly interface make it the most versatile free choice in 2026.