On Thursday, the company said it was expanding the beta program for its short video offering, called Shorts, to the United States now and in the coming weeks. Previously, he tested the product only in India. Globally, users can view the shorts, but not create them
YouTube claims that its feature allows social media creators to “shoot short, catchy videos using nothing but their cell phones”. It offers a way to chain multiple clips, add music and use a stopwatch and countdown to record hands-free videos, all of the features currently available on TikTok.
On Thursday, YouTube introduced some new tools that it hopes will help it stand out from the pack: users will be able to try the audio from other short videos and “remix it into their own creation”. Creators will also be able to add text to specific points in the video.
YouTube also plans to explore its broader ecosystem, launching the ability to use video audio across the platform. “It means you can give your own creative vision to the content you love watching on YouTube and help you find a new audience for it – whether it’s reacting to your favorite jokes, experimenting with the creator’s latest recipe, or staging comedy skits,” said the company on a blog. YouTube added that creators may refuse to use long videos for others. (In TikTok, it is a popular practice to “duet” someone else’s video. Videos appear side by side and users can recreate or react to the original video.)
Todd Sherman, product leader for YouTube Shorts, said the company is trying to “lower the barriers to creation” and help the next generation of aspiring influencers find an audience. Producing a traditional YouTube video can be time-consuming and expensive: Professional YouTubers often have expensive camera equipment, editing software and other tools to make your long videos stand out.
“YouTube has made it possible for a whole generation of people using cameras, computers and video editing software to practice their craft and build an audience,” Sherman told CNN Business. “This story is very similar to the story of what we’re doing with the Shorts again, except that now it’s all based on the phone and what you can do inside a phone.”
