How to make YouTube Shorts with AI, step by step
A practical workflow for making YouTube Shorts with AI: pick a topic, write to length, add a voice, footage and captions, and publish on a steady schedule.
Making a Short used to mean filming, editing and exporting. Today a topic and ten minutes are enough. This guide walks through a workflow that works for a channel posting several times a week, and what to check before you publish.
Start with one idea per video
A Short has one job: deliver one idea quickly. If you cannot say the idea in a single sentence, it is two videos. "Three surprising facts about octopuses" is a good brief. "Everything about the ocean" is not.
Write the sentence first. Everything else, the script, the voice and the footage, is built from it.
Pick the length before the script
The script and the length depend on each other. A 15 second video holds about 35 words. A 30 second video holds about 70. A 60 second video holds around 140. If you write first and trim later, the ending usually gets cut. Decide the length first and write to it.
Uma does this for you: you choose 15, 30 or 60 seconds and the script is fitted to the time. If you write by hand, count words, then read the script out loud with a timer.
Open with the payoff
Most viewers decide in the first second or two whether to stay. Start with the most interesting line, not with an introduction. Compare:
- "Hi everyone, today I want to tell you about octopuses."
- "An octopus has three hearts, and two of them stop when it swims."
The second one earns the next sentence. For more on this, read how to write a hook for short videos.
Make it work with the sound off
A large share of people watch with the sound off, so the video has to read as text. Use large subtitles that appear word by word, keep them away from the very top and bottom of the frame, and use high contrast. Subtitles also help people who are in a noisy place or who prefer to read.
Use footage that matches each line
Every sentence should change what the viewer sees. A single image held for ten seconds feels like a slideshow. Aim for a new picture or clip every two to four seconds, and make sure each one illustrates the line being spoken. Use licensed footage so you do not risk a claim on your channel.
Choose a voice and keep it
A consistent voice makes a channel recognisable. Pick one that fits the topic: a warm, steady voice for facts and history, a faster one for tips and humour. Then use it for every video. Changing voices from video to video makes the channel feel unplanned.
Publish on a schedule
The platform learns from what viewers do with your videos, and it needs several data points to learn. A channel that posts one Short a month teaches it very little. Posting several times a week gives you more chances to find a format that works.
A simple routine: pick a day, write down seven briefs, create all seven videos in one sitting, and schedule them through the week.
A short checklist before you publish
- Does the first line make someone want the second?
- Is the idea clear in one sentence?
- Can you follow it with the sound off?
- Does the picture change every few seconds?
- Does the ending give a reason to comment, follow or watch another?
Where Uma fits
Create video takes your sentence and handles the script, voice, footage, subtitles and music, and returns a vertical MP4 you can upload as a Short. If you already have long videos, Cut clips turns them into Shorts. You can try both with free credits.