How to Create Vertical Videos for YouTube Shorts: Keep Your Audience Hooked

What is a vertical short-form video

A vertical short-form video is a quick video made for mobile screens, usually under one minute. It plays in an upright position, so viewers don't need to rotate their phones. These videos are popular on platforms like YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels. They are used for entertainment, tutorials, product reviews, and more. Creators focus on grabbing attention fast with clear visuals and short messages.

Key characteristics of vertical YouTube Shorts

YouTube Shorts vertical videos are designed to be engaging, mobile-friendly, and easy to watch. Their format ensures a smooth viewing experience, making them ideal for quick entertainment, tutorials, and brand promotions. The following key characteristics help these videos stand out and attract more viewers:

• 9:16 aspect ratio

This format is perfect for mobile screens, filling the entire display without black bars or cropping issues. A short-form vertical video in this ratio ensures that viewers get a full-screen experience without distractions, enhancing visual appeal and engagement.

• Up to 60 seconds long

YouTube Shorts vertical videos are designed to be short and engaging, with a maximum length of one minute for easy viewing. This time limit helps creators deliver quick messages, tutorials, or entertainment without losing audience attention, making content more effective.

• Full-screen experience

These videos automatically play in full-screen mode, removing the need for extra clicks or manual adjustments. This makes short-form vertical videos more immersive and easy to watch, helping viewers stay focused and engaged throughout.

• Auto-loop playback

Once a YouTube Shorts vertical video ends, it automatically starts again, encouraging multiple views and longer watch times. This feature helps content stay in viewers' minds and increases engagement, making videos more impactful and shareable.

• Mobile-friendly format

Since most people watch videos on their phones, this format ensures smooth playback and easy interaction on any device. A YouTube vertical video loads quickly and plays without interruptions, keeping viewers engaged and making it ideal for modern digital audiences.

5 brands excelling with short-form vertical video

Many top brands use vertical videos for YouTube to connect with their audience creatively and engagingly. These videos help showcase products, share behind-the-scenes moments, and build brand identity. Here are 5 brands making the most short-form vertical video content:

Sephora

Sephora uses quick tutorials, product demos, and makeup tips to attract beauty lovers. Their vertical videos for YouTube make it easy for viewers to learn about new products and see how they work in real life, increasing customer interest.

Editing tips: Fast cuts, split screens, text overlays for product names, beauty filters, smooth transitions.

Starbucks

Starbucks creates engaging content to highlight new drinks, seasonal specials, and customer experiences. Their videos often include colorful visuals, quick recipes, and user-generated clips that keep audiences excited and engaged.

Editing tips: Stop-motion effects, time-lapse, color grading for vibrant aesthetics, animated text.

Louis Vuitton

This luxury brand showcases fashion shows, designer collections, and behind-the-scenes moments. Their short-form vertical video approach creates an immersive experience, enabling the fans to feel closer to high-end fashion and exclusive events.

Editing tips: Slow-motion shots, cinematic transitions, black-and-white effects, dramatic zoom-ins.

GoPro

GoPro features action-packed clips captured with its cameras, highlighting extreme sports and adventures. Its videos engage viewers with thrilling footage and inspire them to capture their own experiences using GoPro products.

Editing tips: High-frame-rate slow motion, first-person POV shots, fisheye lens effects, dynamic cuts to music beats.

H&M

H&M shares new collections, styling tips, and sustainable fashion efforts to connect with young shoppers. Their vertical videos for YouTube focus on making fashion accessible and trendy while appealing to a style-conscious audience.

Editing tips: Jump cuts, trendy glitch effects, overlay animations, speed ramps for styling sequences.

How to make vertical videos for YouTube Shorts with CapCut

The CapCut desktop video editor is a useful tool for creators who want to convert video to vertical for YouTube Shorts. It supports high-resolution exports, smooth transitions, and creative effects suited for short-form content. The software optimizes video formatting, ensuring perfect 9:16 aspect ratio output. With CapCut, editing YouTube Shorts becomes faster and more efficient.

Make vertical YouTube videos with CapCut

Download and install CapCut to create high-quality vertical YouTube videos effortlessly. Click the button below to download CapCut, then follow the on-screen instructions for installation. Start editing and optimizing your videos for YouTube Shorts effortlessly.

STEP 1
1. Import the video

Add your video to the CapCut desktop editor by clicking "Import" or dragging it in, then position it on the timeline for editing.

STEP 2
1. Adjust the video format and edit

Start by adjusting your video's aspect ratio automatically with "Auto reframe," or manually select a suitable format by clicking "Ratio" under the video preview. Enhance your video with AI effects using "AI Stylize" for a more engaging look. Moreover, create custom fonts by navigating to "Text" > "Templates" > "AI generated" > Enter a prompt > "Generate". Finally, make the video more vibrant by fine-tuning colors with the color wheel and curves in the "Adjustments" tab.

STEP 3
1. Export and share

Finalize your edits and click "Export." Adjust the frame rate, format, and resolution, then press "Export" again. Once saved, your video can be shared on Instagram, YouTube, or even TikTok.

Key features

CapCut provides smart editing tools to create high-quality vertical YouTube videos quickly and efficiently. Here are its key features:

• Adjustable aspect ratios

Easily switch between 9:16, 16:9, and other formats to fit different platforms like YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels.

• Convert long videos to shorts

Instantly convert long videos to short and engaging clips with just a few clicks, helping creators turn detailed content into bite-sized clips.

• Instantly auto-reframe videos

Automatically adjust video framing to keep the main subject in focus, making it perfect for repurposing horizontal content into vertical formats.

• Diverse caption generation

Enhance accessibility by adding bilingual subtitles using CapCut's auto caption generator. This boosts engagement for viewers who rely on captions.

• Boost audio quality with AI

Enhance voice clarity and reduce background noise using AI-powered tools, ensuring professional sound quality for tutorials, vlogs, or interviews.

Tips to convert video to vertical for YouTube Shorts

Transforming horizontal videos into short-form vertical video formats ensures better visibility and engagement on mobile screens. Proper resizing, framing, and adjustments help make the content look professional and well-optimized. Here's how to make vertical videos for YouTube Shorts effectively:

• Resize with quality

Maintain video clarity when switching to 9:16 format by adjusting resolution settings and avoiding pixelation. A high-quality short-form vertical video ensures better visuals, smooth playback, and a more engaging viewer experience. CapCut’s video enhancer and resolution settings help resize without losing quality.

• Center the subject

Keep the main subject in the middle to avoid cropping important details or awkward framing. Well-framed YouTube vertical videos look more vibrant, keep the focus on key elements, enhance clarity, and effectively hold the audience's attention.

• Use AI reframing

AI tools can automatically adjust framing, keeping the subject in focus while converting to vertical without manual effort. This speeds up short-form vertical video editing, ensures smooth motion tracking, and improves overall video composition. CapCut’s auto-reframe tool simplifies this process, ensuring smooth and professional results.

• Fit text on the screen

Place captions and on-screen text within safe margins to prevent cut-offs on different devices. Proper text placement in YouTube vertical videos improves readability, enhances storytelling, and keeps the message clear for all viewers. CapCut’s text customization tools allow for precise positioning and style adjustments.

• Test before upload

Preview the video on a mobile screen to check framing, quality, and readability across devices. Ensuring a well-optimized YouTube vertical video before posting helps avoid mistakes, improves audience retention, and enhances overall video performance.

Conclusion

Creating high-quality vertical videos for YouTube helps engage mobile viewers and improve content visibility. Proper resizing, framing, and text placement make videos look more professional and appealing. Testing before uploading ensures the best viewing experience. The CapCut desktop video editor simplifies the editing process, making it easy to create and optimize vertical videos effortlessly.

FAQs

1
1. What is the best resolution for short-form vertical video on YouTube?

The optimal resolution for short-form vertical videos on YouTube is 1080x1920 pixels, adhering to a 9:16 aspect ratio. This ensures the video fills the entire mobile screen, providing an immersive viewing experience. Maintaining this resolution helps prevent pixelation and preserves video clarity. To easily achieve this, consider using the CapCut desktop video editor, which helps you make precise adjustments to meet these specifications.

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1. What is the best vertical video size for YouTube Shorts?

For YouTube Shorts vertical videos, the ideal size is 1080 pixels in width by 1920 pixels in height, maintaining a 9:16 aspect ratio. This vertical format ensures compatibility with YouTube Shorts and optimal display on mobile devices. The CapCut desktop video editor can help you effortlessly resize and format your videos to these exact dimensions.

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1. How does bitrate affect the clarity of vertical YouTube Shorts?

Bitrate significantly influences the visual quality of vertical YouTube Shorts. A higher bitrate supports more data per second, resulting in clearer and more detailed videos. For 1080p videos at 24, 25, or 30 frames per second (fps), a bitrate of 8 Mbps is recommended. However, to efficiently adjust the bitrate setting to maintain optimal clarity in videos, consider using the CapCut desktop video editor.