How to Repurpose Long Videos into Shorts (Podcasts, Webinars, Streams)
The best way to repurpose long videos into Shorts is to let AI pick the strongest moments from the transcript, cut each into its own clip, then caption and crop every clip to 9:16 in the same style. If you repurpose several podcasts or webinars a week, use a tool that does that for the whole batch at once like BatchEdits, so you aren't clipping one long video at a time.
The repurposing workflow, step by step
- Start from the transcript. The strongest Shorts are complete thoughts: a claim, a story, a punchline. A transcript lets AI find them without anyone scrubbing a timeline.
- Cut each moment into its own clip. 20 to 60 seconds works for Shorts, Reels and TikTok.
- Remove the silences. Pauses that are fine in a podcast feel slow in a Short.
- Add captions. Most short-form video is watched with the sound off.
- Crop to 9:16. Vertical, with the speaker in frame.
- Keep one look. Same caption font, colours and crop on every clip, so your channel looks consistent.
How to do it in bulk with BatchEdits
- Upload your long videos (podcast episodes, webinars, streams, interviews) in the bulk video editor. Upload several at once.
- Turn on AI clips in your style. AI reads each transcript and picks the best moments.
- Add the rest of your style: auto captions, silence removal, crop to 9:16 and zoom on key moments.
- Process the batch. Each long video's clips land in a folder named after it, every clip already captioned, trimmed and cropped.
- Fix any caption word in the caption editor, then download the folder.
The whole transcript analysis runs once per video, so captions, zooms and clips all come from the same pass.
Tools for turning long videos into Shorts
| Tool | What it does | Many long videos at once | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|
| BatchEdits | AI clips plus captions, silence removal and 9:16 crop with your saved style | Yes | $20/mo for 30 videos |
| OpusClip | AI clips with reframing and a virality score | Bulk export of clips on Pro and Business | $15/mo (Starter) |
| Vizard | One-click clips with auto reframe | One video per job | See vizard.ai/pricing |
| Klap | One-click vertical clips | One video per job | $14/mo billed yearly (Basic) |
| Submagic | Magic Clips with animated captions | One video per job | $19/mo (Starter, 15 videos) |
| Descript | Clips from the transcript, edited as text | One project at a time | $24/mo (Hobbyist) |
Prices from each vendor's pricing page, October 2026. Compare them in more detail on the OpusClip alternatives, Vizard alternatives and Klap alternatives pages.
Tips for clips that get watched
- Hook in the first two seconds. If a clip starts mid-sentence, trim to the start of the claim.
- One idea per clip. If a moment needs context from earlier, it's not a Short.
- Post the best, not all. AI gives you options; pick the strongest few per episode.
- Keep your style fixed so viewers recognise your clips in the feed.
Got Questions? We've Got Answers.
What's the best way to turn a podcast into Shorts?
Upload the episode, let AI pick moments from the transcript, then caption, trim and crop each clip to 9:16. In BatchEdits, AI clips does all of that in one run, for several episodes at once.
How long should a Short be?
Most clips that work are 20 to 60 seconds: long enough for a complete thought, short enough to be watched to the end.
Can I repurpose videos that are already short?
Yes. If your videos are already short, skip AI clips and just apply captions, silence removal and the 9:16 crop to the whole batch. See how to edit multiple videos at once.
Is there a free way to try it?
Edit 3 videos free, no card needed. The 7-day trial adds 7 more videos without a watermark.
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