Last updated: 2026-01-18

If you’re searching for an “AI shorts generator,” the most straightforward path is to record or multistream in StreamYard, then use built-in AI Clips to auto-generate vertical, captioned highlights without leaving your dashboard. When you regularly repurpose content recorded in other apps, you can pair StreamYard with external tools like OpusClip or VEED for additional multi-source automation.

Summary

• StreamYard turns your live streams and recordings into vertical, captioned shorts directly in your Video Library, so you skip exports and re-uploads. (StreamYard AI Clips)
• AI Clips generates up to 0–5 short videos (around 60 seconds each) per recording and supports videos up to 6 hours long, with monthly generations based on your plan. (StreamYard AI Video Clips)
• OpusClip and VEED are browser-based options for repurposing uploads and links from many platforms, including StreamYard, but they add extra credits, pricing, and tools to manage. (OpusClip · VEED Clips)
• For most US creators who mainly clip their own shows, webinars, or podcasts, keeping recording, streaming, and AI shorts under one roof in StreamYard offers a strong balance of speed and cost.

What is an AI shorts generator, really?

When people in the US search for “AI shorts generator,” they’re usually looking for a tool that can:

• Take a long video (live show, podcast, webinar, interview).
• Automatically find interesting moments.
• Turn those into short, vertical clips for YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and similar feeds.

Modern tools add auto-captions, reframing for 9:16, and sometimes extras like AI B‑roll or audio enhancement. StreamYard, OpusClip, VEED, and newer names like Shoorts or Virvid all live in this broader category. (Shoorts · Virvid · ShortFuel)

The key question isn’t, “Which logo is on the AI?” It’s, “Where does my recording live, and how much friction do I accept between recording and posting?”

How does StreamYard work as an AI shorts generator?

At StreamYard, the default workflow is simple:

1. Record or go live in StreamYard. When the session ends, your video lands in the Video Library.
2. Click “Generate clips.” Our AI Clips feature analyzes your recording and automatically generates short, vertical (9:16) clips with captions and a title, optimized for Shorts/Reels-style platforms. (StreamYard AI Clips)
3. Get a small set of focused highlights. AI Clips will typically output 0–5 short clips up to about a minute long, so you’re not sifting through dozens of near-duplicates. (AI Video Clips limits)

Some important details if “time and hassle” are your main issues:

• No file shuffling. You never download a giant recording just to upload it somewhere else.
• Vertical and captioned by default. The clips are already reframed to 9:16 with captions and a generated title.
• Long recordings supported. You can generate AI clips from recordings up to 6 hours long; recordings under 30 seconds aren’t supported. (StreamYard AI Clips)

For creators who already stream, interview, or record in StreamYard, this effectively turns your account into an integrated AI shorts generator.

How much can you really process before it gets expensive?

A big concern behind “AI shorts generator” is cost per minute of video processed.

Here’s the practical picture:

• StreamYard uses generations, not credits. You trigger AI Clips in “batches.” Each batch can process a recording up to 6 hours long, and generate multiple shorts from that one video.
• On the StreamYard Free plan, you can generate clips from up to 12 hours of content per month (two 6‑hour batches). That’s effectively similar to processing about 720 “credit-equivalent minutes” compared with OpusClip’s credit model, a level that OpusClip prices around $87/month. (OpusClip pricing)
• On StreamYard’s Advanced-level plan, you can generate up to 25 batches per month. That works out to about 1,500 “credit-equivalent minutes” of long-form video, while a roughly similar volume on OpusClip runs about $145/month. (OpusClip pricing)

OpusClip’s free-forever tier, by contrast, caps you at about 60 minutes of processed video per month with watermarks and limited editing. (OpusClip free plan)

For most people regularly creating shows or webinars, the fact that you can process entire multi-hour broadcasts inside StreamYard without separate credits significantly lowers the real cost per minute—especially once you factor in all the time saved by not managing another app.

How “smart” is StreamYard’s AI vs other tools?

An honest comparison requires recognizing what each option is built to do.

StreamYard focuses on fast, in-context highlights.

• AI Clips is designed to analyze your recording and pull out a handful of moments that work as standalone shorts, typically up to about a minute. (AI Video Clips)
• You can say “Clip that” during your live stream or recording, and that moment is marked so AI can turn it into a highlight later—without adding overlays or distracting you while you’re live. (StreamYard AI Clips)
• The AI automatically reframes to keep the active speaker in view, tracking who’s talking and adjusting the crop where possible. (StreamYard AI Clips)

Other tools emphasize deeper post-production.

• OpusClip’s workflow centers on turning one long video into many shorts, with options like AI B‑roll, audio enhancement, and voice-over layered on top. (OpusClip features)
• VEED’s browser editor can automatically generate clips from longer uploads, with requirements like “spoken audio” and at least two minutes of length for its Clips tool. (VEED Clips)

If you want a dozen variations of the same talking point with intricate timeline control, an external editor or NLE will still matter. Our bias at StreamYard is to handle the 80% of use cases that actually get published: fast, clear highlights that don’t require you to become a full-time editor.

Can you still edit and guide the AI?

Most creators don’t want fully “hands-off” automation. They want a strong head start and then some control.

In StreamYard, the practical workflow looks like this:

• Start with AI Clips. Let the AI do the heavy lifting on selection, reframing, and captioning.
• Use built-in trimming and splitting. Every plan includes a simple editor in the Video Library, so you can tighten intros, cut fillers, or split a clip into multiple parts before downloading or publishing. (Video trimming and splitting)
• Guide future clips with prompts and voice cues. AI Clips supports prompt-based selection, and using the “Clip that” voice marker during your show tells the system, in effect, “this is a moment I care about.”

You won’t find deep multi-layer timelines or heavy VFX here, and that’s intentional. For most podcasters, coaches, churches, and small teams, the real bottleneck is getting from “recorded” to “published” fast—not learning another full editor.

When do OpusClip or VEED make sense alongside StreamYard?

There are reasonable cases where pulling in another AI shorts generator is helpful:

• You repurpose content from many sources. OpusClip’s Pro plan supports ingestion from platforms like YouTube, Zoom, Loom, Riverside, and StreamYard itself, so a single tool can clip everything you record across the web. (OpusClip ingest sources)
• You want AI B‑roll, voice-overs, or advanced styling in one place. OpusClip layers those features on top of its clipping workflow. (OpusClip features)
• You primarily upload, not live stream. If your main workflow is editing uploads and not hosting live shows, VEED’s browser editor and Clips tool may fit how you already work. (VEED Clips)

In those cases, many teams still use StreamYard as the capture and live-production hub, then selectively send some recordings to an external tool when they truly need the extra automation.

How should you choose your workflow for shorts?

Here’s a simple scenario to illustrate.

You host a weekly 60‑minute live interview show and post 3–5 shorts per episode.

• With StreamYard only: you go live, say “Clip that” when guests drop gems, and then run AI Clips after the show. You trim the AI’s picks a bit, download or post, and you’re done. You pay for one subscription and rarely touch MP4 files manually.
• With StreamYard + external generator: after the show, you download or copy the link, upload to another app, wait for processing, tweak templates, export, then upload again to each social platform. You gain more fine-grained options, but at the cost of time, credits, and another subscription.

For most people looking up “AI shorts generator,” the first path gets you from idea to social feed faster, with fewer decisions and lower ongoing costs.

What we recommend

• Start inside StreamYard. If you already record or go live here, turn on AI Clips and the built-in editor before shopping for extra tools.
• Measure by minutes and friction, not only features. Consider how many hours of content you process per month and how many times you move files around.
• Add an external AI shorts generator only for special cases. Use tools like OpusClip or VEED when you truly need multi-platform ingestion or heavier post-production layers.
• Keep the stack lean. The fewer tools you juggle, the easier it is to publish consistently—which is what ultimately grows your audience.