How to turn long videos into Shorts, Reels and TikToks

1. Pick moments that stand on their own

A good clip makes sense to someone who never saw the full video. Look for:

• A single tip, answer or idea, explained start to finish.
• A strong opinion or a surprising fact.
• A funny moment, a reaction or a fail.
• A before and after, a reveal or a result.
• A short story with a clear ending.

Skim the transcript if you have one; good lines are easier to spot in text than by scrubbing through video.

2. Keep it short

Keep most clips under 60 seconds. Cut the build-up and start as close to the good part as you can. If a moment needs two minutes to land, it may be better as two clips.

3. Open with a hook

The first second or two decides whether people keep watching. Start on the most interesting line, or add a short on-screen title that tells viewers what they're about to get, like "Three settings I wish I'd changed on day one". Keep it honest, so the clip delivers what the title promises.

4. Reframe to vertical 9:16

Horizontal footage needs cropping to 9:16 for Shorts, Reels and TikTok. Keep the speaker's face or the action in the frame, and move the crop as they move. Keep text away from the bottom and right edge, where the apps put captions and buttons.

5. Caption everything

Lots of people scroll with the sound off. Big, readable captions timed to the words keep them watching. Animated, word-by-word captions are popular for talking clips.

6. Tighten the audio

Cut the pauses and ums, level the voice so it's clear on a phone speaker, and keep any music well under the speech.

7. Post it properly

• Write a short description that says what the clip is about, in words people would search.
• Add a few relevant hashtags rather than lots of broad ones.
• Point viewers to the full video when it makes sense.

Or send it to us

clipTin does the reframing, captions, hook title and cuts for you. Trim the moment you want, upload it, and get a vertical clip back. Shorts, Reels and TikTok editing starts at £6.99.