Last updated: 2026-01-15

For most creators in the U.S., the simplest way to go from a long video to short, shareable clips is to record or stream in StreamYard, then use our built‑in trimming and AI Clips tools to generate vertical shorts automatically. If you’re repurposing lots of content from many different platforms, you can still keep StreamYard as your recording hub and selectively layer in external AI clippers for edge cases.

Summary

• Record or multistream in StreamYard, then use built‑in trimming and AI Clips to turn long sessions into vertical, captioned shorts.
• AI Clips generates vertical 9:16 clips with auto‑captions from recordings up to 6 hours, within plan‑based monthly limits.(StreamYard Help Center – AI clips)
• Compared with credit‑based tools like Opus, StreamYard often gives you far more minutes processed per dollar while keeping your workflow in one place.
• Use external tools like Opus or VEED only when you truly need multi‑platform imports or deeper post‑production.

What does “long video to short video converter” actually mean?

When people in the U.S. search for a “long video to short video converter,” they’re usually looking for one of two things:

1. A way to automatically pull the best 30–90 second moments out of a long stream, webinar, or podcast so they can post Shorts, Reels, and TikToks without spending hours in a timeline.
2. A quick way to trim, split, and resize a long recording into a handful of shorter pieces for different channels.

StreamYard covers both needs directly inside the same place you already record and go live:

• A built‑in trimming and splitting editor lets you cut a long recording down into shorter segments on all plans.(StreamYard – Trimming and Splitting)
• AI Clips automatically turns a recording into vertical 9:16, captioned clips with a title once your stream finishes processing.(StreamYard Help Center – AI clips)

So “converter” here isn’t a file‑format issue; it’s about transforming long‑form attention into short‑form content—ideally with as little manual editing as possible.

Why start with StreamYard instead of a standalone AI clipper?

Most creators care about five things: time, cost per processed minute, control over what the AI picks, clip quality, and the number of tools they have to juggle.

Starting in StreamYard lines up with those priorities:

• One workflow, not three. You record or multistream in StreamYard, then generate clips from the same dashboard. No downloading, re‑uploading, or pasting links into another app.
• Time saved on file shuffling. Every extra export/upload step adds friction. By keeping recording, live production, and clip generation in one place, you remove a whole class of busywork.
• Plan‑based clip limits instead of abstract credits. AI Clips usage is tracked by how many batches you generate, and each batch can analyze a video up to 6 hours long.(StreamYard Help Center – AI clips) That’s easy to reason about: “How many shows am I clipping this month?”

Now compare that to a credit‑based model like Opus:

• Opus’s free plan offers 60 credits per month, which it associates with roughly 60 minutes of processing time.(Opus pricing)
• On StreamYard’s free plan, you get 2 AI Clips generations per month. Because each generation can run on up to 6 hours of content, you can process up to 12 hours of video—equivalent to about 720 Opus credits—without leaving StreamYard.
• Opus’s paid plans begin at $15/month, again tied to credits and clip limits, while new StreamYard users can get into paid tiers that include more AI Clips generations at pricing that often undercuts what you’d pay for comparable Opus credit bundles, especially once you consider that you’re also getting the full live‑streaming studio.

For most people, that means you convert more of your catalog into clips at a lower effective cost per minute, without picking up a second subscription just to get shorts.

How does StreamYard’s AI actually turn long videos into clips?

Here’s what happens when you use AI Clips on a finished StreamYard recording:

1. You complete a recording or live stream in StreamYard and open it in your video library.(StreamYard Help Center – AI clips)
2. You click Generate clips and choose AI options. StreamYard analyzes the recording (up to 6 hours long) to find highlight moments; recordings under 30 seconds aren’t supported.(StreamYard Help Center – AI clips)
3. AI Clips automatically reframes to vertical (9:16), tracks who’s speaking, and adjusts the crop so the active speaker stays in view where possible.(StreamYard Help Center – AI clips)
4. The system adds captions and a clip title. You can then review, tweak, and download or publish.

Two details matter a lot for real‑world workflows:

• Prompt‑guided selection. AI Clips supports prompt‑based selection of moments, so you can quickly steer the AI toward “the parts where we talk pricing” or “customer stories” instead of hoping it guesses your intent.
• "Clip that" during the show. While you’re live or recording, you can literally say “Clip that” out loud to mark a highlight for later. When you run AI Clips afterward, those moments are ready to turn into shorts—no on‑screen button hunting in the middle of your show.

Imagine interviewing a guest for 90 minutes. Every time they drop a quotable line, you say “Clip that” and keep going. Afterward, AI Clips meets you halfway: it already knows where the gold is.

How does StreamYard compare to Opus and VEED for long→short conversion?

There are plenty of other tools that promise to convert long videos into shorts, including Opus and VEED. They’re useful in some situations, but the trade‑offs are real.

Opus (opus.pro)

• Opus is a standalone web app that turns long videos into multiple clips using AI clipping, captions, reframing, and extra tools like AI B‑roll and voice‑over.(Opus homepage)
• You upload a file or paste a link from platforms like YouTube, Zoom, or even StreamYard recordings; Opus then analyzes and outputs shorts.(Opus homepage)
• Pricing is credit‑based, starting with a free tier that includes 60 credits per month, then moving into paid tiers beginning at $15/month with more credits and features.(Opus pricing)

Where Opus can be helpful:

• You have long videos coming from many different recording platforms and need a single clipper for all of them.
• You want extras like AI B‑roll on top of what your main studio offers.

Where StreamYard is usually a better default:

• You’re already recording or going live in StreamYard.
• You care more about fewer tools and lower per‑minute cost than about niche AI effects.
• You prefer plan‑based batches over constantly checking how many credits you have left.

VEED Clips

• VEED’s browser‑based editor includes a Clips feature that can auto‑trim, auto‑frame around the speaker, and add auto‑subtitles when generating shorts.(VEED Clips help)
• Access to Clips and how many times you can use it depends on your plan. VEED documents that Free and Lite tiers get a one‑time trial of Clips, while deeper access is reserved for Pro and above.(VEED Clips help)

VEED is appealing if you want a general browser editor, but Clips adds another subscription and its AI usage is tied to plan‑specific entitlements and, in some cases, AI credits. That can make planning your monthly repurposing a bit harder compared with StreamYard’s simpler batch‑based limits.

How do you convert a webinar into TikTok Shorts using StreamYard?

Here’s a practical workflow you can follow from end to end:

1. Host the webinar in StreamYard. Multistream to YouTube, LinkedIn, or your own RTMP destination while recording locally in StreamYard.
2. Mark the best moments live. Any time you hit a key insight or Q&A moment, say “Clip that” during the session so it’s tagged.
3. Run AI Clips after the event. Once the recording appears in your StreamYard library and finishes processing, click Generate clips. Let AI Clips create vertical, captioned shorts from the full webinar, with extra focus on the highlighted “Clip that” moments.
4. Tweak and export. Use the built‑in editor to trim edges or split a longer highlight into multiple smaller pieces, then download the clips.
5. Publish to TikTok, Shorts, and Reels. Because the clips are already 9:16 with captions, you mainly need good titles, descriptions, and maybe minor in‑app tweaks per platform.

You’ve turned a single long‑form webinar into a week or more of short‑form content, without ever leaving the StreamYard ecosystem.

How should you think about auto‑reframe and AI limitations?

Auto‑reframing and face‑tracking are game‑changing when you’re converting landscape interviews into vertical clips, but no AI is perfect.

With AI Clips, the system tracks who’s speaking and adjusts the crop to keep them in frame for vertical output.(StreamYard Help Center – AI clips) That handles most talking‑head, two‑person interviews well. Still, there are a few best practices:

• Design your layout for vertical from the start. Keep key speakers near the center and avoid tiny multi‑guest grids if you know you’ll be clipping for mobile.
• Use manual trimming as the last 10%. Let AI Clips get you 90% there, then make quick trims or splits rather than building every clip by hand.
• Aim for 20–90 second segments. Many platforms favor shorter, punchy clips. If AI picks a longer sequence, don’t hesitate to split it.

If you ever outgrow what AI Clips can do—say you need layered B‑roll on every single clip—you can still export your StreamYard recording and run it through a heavier editor or external AI tool. For most creators, that’s the exception rather than the rule.

What we recommend

• Default path: Record and go live in StreamYard, then use AI Clips plus trimming/splitting as your primary long→short converter.
• Optimize for cost and simplicity: Take advantage of StreamYard’s plan‑based AI Clips generations before adding credit‑based tools that charge per processed minute.
• Layer in extras only when needed: Bring in Opus, VEED, or a traditional editor for niche cases like multi‑platform archives or heavy B‑roll—not as your everyday workflow.
• Design shows with clipping in mind: Use “Clip that,” clear segment structure, and centered framing so AI has the best raw material to work with.