Best AI Tools for YouTube Shorts
You can take two routes for creating videos for YouTube Shorts – do it the “old way” with professional-grade software or use AI to do it much faster.
On this page, we’re focusing on the latter, highlighting AI tools that can help you create fancy videos you can share on YouTube Shorts and other such platforms.
What AI allows you to do is create videos with text. You don’t even have to know the basics of video recording and editing – you can just type or copy/paste the text and let AI generate the video for you. The result typically involves a fancy, lifelike avatar saying the text.
Or you may want to use your existing long video and create multiple short ones from it. That is also possible with some AI tools… Let’s stop here and show you the best AI tools for creating videos for YouTube Shorts.
VEED
👍 Pros
👎 Cons
- Super easy to use - no experience needed
- AI-powered features save a ton of time
- Great for social media & short videos
- Limited advanced editing features
VEED is a browser-based video editing platform that uses AI to simplify creating professional-grade videos for creators and teams. It offers tools such as auto subtitles, AI avatars, and collaboration features, all of which are accessible without the need to download software. The platform’s strength lies in its speed, you can churn out polished videos in minutes, whether for social media or corporate use. Its clean interface makes editing intuitive, even for beginners, and the cloud-based setup means you can work from anywhere. Compared to competitors like Canva or Descript, VEED prioritizes video-specific AI tools, though it may not match Canva’s broader design capabilities.
The Auto Subtitle Generator is a key feature that produces captions with a single click, often with high accuracy; however, niche terms can occasionally trip it up. The AI Clips tool automatically cuts long videos into short, shareable segments, ideal for platforms like TikTok or Instagram. The stock library, with over 2 million royalty-free assets, provides an extensive collection of visuals and audio, while the Brand Kit ensures consistent logos, fonts, and colors across all projects. For teams, collaboration tools like real-time feedback and review modes streamline workflows, making it a solid choice for group projects.
VEED’s AI Avatars enable you to create digital clones for talking head videos, a time-saver for scaling content; however, the technology can feel gimmicky if overused. The text-to-speech and voice cloning features work well for quick voiceovers but lack the warmth of human narration. The VEED Captions App extends the platform’s functionality to mobile, allowing you to record and edit on the go, although larger files can slow it down. Translation tools support over 50 languages, but accuracy tends to drop for less commonly spoken ones.
The free plan is a great starting point, offering access to most features, but exported videos carry a watermark. Paid plans, such as Lite and Pro, remove this limitation and unlock advanced tools, although the pricing may seem high compared to InVideo, which offers similar AI features at a lower cost. Unlike Adobe Premiere Pro, VEED doesn’t cater to users needing deep, technical control, so professionals working on complex projects might find it limiting. The platform’s focus on simplicity sometimes sacrifices depth, especially for audio editing.
Surprises include the mobile app’s polish; it’s rare to find a phone-based editor this capable. The AI cleanup tools, such as background removal and eye contact correction, are also impressive, although they work best with high-quality source material.
To get started, try the free plan to explore the AI tools and stock library. Focus on Auto Subtitles and AI Clips for quick wins, and use the Brand Kit to maintain consistency. Check AI outputs for accuracy, especially translations or voiceovers. If you’re a team, the Pro plan’s collaboration features are worth the upgrade, and the mobile app is great for quick edits. Test with small projects before committing to a paid plan.
Runway by Runway AI, Inc.
👍 Pros
👎 Cons
- Machine learning technology streamlines the editing process
- Many features included, such as masking, color correction, compositing, generation, and VFX
- The free version lets you experience the product before paying
- Limited storage and export options with the free version
Runway is an AI platform that generates and edits videos using text prompts and reference images. It focuses on tools like Gen-4 for creating consistent characters and scenes across multiple shots. This addresses a key challenge in AI-generated video, where continuity often breaks down. Runway builds on multimodal models that integrate text, images, and video for realistic outputs. Users access features through a web app with tiered plans, starting from free exploration to enterprise-level customization.
Key features include Aleph for video editing, which enables changes such as removing objects or adjusting lighting via intuitive prompts. Gen-4 supports narrative capabilities, as shown in short films produced entirely with the model. Compared to competitors, Runway offers more integrated editing than Sora, which prioritizes long-form storytelling but lacks built-in post-production tools. Similarly, Veo excels in 4K photorealism with audio, but it requires a more technical setup for workflows.
Users appreciate the speed of transformations, such as swapping outfits or adding effects, which saves time in prototyping. Recent updates, like References for world consistency, enable branching narratives from a single image. Technical details involve autoregressive-to-diffusion models for faster decoding and higher quality. Pricing includes a free tier with limited credits, standard plans for moderate use, and pro options with expanded storage and support. This structure compares favorably to Luma AIs animation-focused tiers, offering broader creative flexibility.
Potential drawbacks include render delays during peak usage and occasional prompt misinterpretations, leading to less accurate results. Some users report credit consumption even on failed generations, which can be frustrating for beginners. Runway mitigates this with tutorials and a creative partners program for guidance. Against Luma AI, Runway provides superior character consistency but may trail in dreamlike motion effects.
For practical application, start with simple text-to-video prompts to familiarize yourself with the interface. Use image references for better control over styles and subjects. Integrate with Adobe tools for seamless exports in professional pipelines. Experiment with Gen-4 for short narratives, iterating on outputs to refine details. This approach builds proficiency while uncovering the tools strengths in real projects.
Kapwing
👍 Pros
👎 Cons
- Allowing anyone to create videos is cool
- You don't even need a text to get started - you can generate it with GPT
- Perfect for everyone looking to expand its social media reach
- It can take some time to get used to Kapwing's interface
Kapwing’s AI Video Editor is an online tool that turns text prompts, scripts, or images into fully edited videos with B-roll, voiceovers, and subtitles in minutes. It utilizes AI models such as MiniMax and Pika to generate content, supporting resolutions up to 1080p and aspect ratios like 9:16 and 16:9, for platforms like TikTok and YouTube. The platform is built for speed, automating tasks such as resizing, subtitling, and trimming, making it accessible to both beginners and professionals alike.
The workflow is simple. Enter a prompt or script, and the AI creates a video with visuals, music, and captions. Trim with Transcript lets you edit by modifying text, while Smart Cut removes filler words and pauses automatically. The AI Assistant refines prompts to ensure better results. Collaborative features, such as shared workspaces and real-time commenting, enable teams to work together seamlessly. This is a strength not fully matched by competitors like Descript, which focuses on audio editing.
Compared to Veed, Kapwing offers more robust video generation and collaboration tools. However, Veed’s interface is slightly more polished. InVideo is another rival, strong for quick edits but weaker in team features. Kapwing’s free plan includes a watermark, which can be removed with a paid plan. Its credit-based AI system is flexible but may limit usage for heavy users. Pricing aligns with that of similar tools on the market.
Key features include Background Remover, which strips backgrounds in seconds, and Auto-subtitles, which generate captions in multiple languages with good accuracy. AI Clip Maker creates short clips for social media, ideal for highlights. However, AI-generated B-roll can sometimes feel mismatched, requiring manual tweaks. Translation tools are reliable but may require minor corrections for less commonly spoken languages. The cloud-based platform works across devices, including mobile, with no downloads needed.
Kapwing excels for creators who need fast, platform-ready content, but may not suit those requiring advanced manual controls, such as Adobe Premiere Pro. The credit system can feel restrictive for high-volume users, and the watermark on free exports may deter some. Still, its ability to automate tedious tasks makes it a strong choice for efficient video production.
For best results, use clear prompts and lean on the AI Assistant for guidance. Test Smart Cut for dialogue-heavy videos and AI Clip Maker for social media clips. Verify translations before publishing, and use collaborative tools for team projects. Kapwing’s ease of use and speed make it a solid choice for creators who prioritize efficiency and productivity.
Picsart
👍 Pros
👎 Cons
- One site with a diverse set of tools for image and photo editing
- It is affordable considering everything you get in the package
- There is a limited, free plan that lets you test the service
- Perhaps not the best solution for those already versed in Photoshop
Picsart offers a collection of AI-powered tools that lets anyone create and edit images and videos.
Mostly, however, it would be the social media managers who rely on Picsart to power their creations and share them across sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and so on.
Picsart’s online image editor is probably its most popular service, enabling anyone to create new or optimize existing images with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. Using it, you can add text and icons, apply filters, and do much more to make your image stand out online.
Video editor is Picsart’s second most popular service, and it too allows non-experts to create videos. And again, these videos can be then shared across social networks or used in some other setting.
The best part is that many of these tools exist as mobile apps, meaning that you can take your creativity with you, no matter where you are. Whether you’re waiting in a queue or commuting to work — now you can use that idle time to create something fancy.
Opus Clip
👍 Pros
👎 Cons
- Talk about content repurposing
- It's a true time saver for creating short videos
- Helps everyone master TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts
- Limited customization options (not necessarily a deal breaker)
Opus Clip is a generative AI video tool that repurposes long talking videos into shorts in one click — creating 10 viral clips from a single long video.
The service lets you gain new followers on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, and consequently increase website visitors.
It leverages big data to analyze your video content in relation to the latest social media trends from major platforms, and generates a comprehensive understanding of your video for a data-driven decision on content repurposing. Opus Clip then picks the highlighting moments of your long video, rearranges them into a viral-worthy short and polishes it with captions, AI layout, smooth transition to ensure that the clip is coherent and attention-grabbing, and ends with a call-to-action.
The tool will even highlight keywords and add emojis, which are the two tactics that have proven to work with short viral videos.
We can’t recommend it enough; you should try Opus Clip for yourself and see why it is being used by more than 1 million creators. Simply put – it works. Check it out.
How can AI help you create videos for YouTube Shorts?
AI can streamline the process of video creation or allow you to generate videos from text with little to no experience in video creation or editing. Here’s what these tools can do for you:
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Realistic animations
AI can create realistic animations of people, animals, or objects – and then add text and voice to convene your message. These tools will generate natural movements and expressions, making the end result look more lifelike.
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Simple video editing
Instead of using a high-end computer and installing special software, AI allows everyone to edit a video. You can use these tools to remove or change backgrounds, apply special effects, or alter the appearance of objects or people in the video.
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Generate videos from text
You know how ChatGPT can create an entire article from a single sentence? Well, there are AI tools that can do the same with videos. Just type or copy/paste what you want the virtual avatar to say – and get the video with a digital, lifelike avatar saying your message.
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Ads
We should also mention that we have seen many video ads being created with AI. If this is something you’re into, you’ll be delighted to know that the process doesn’t require many special skills. All you have to do is follow the steps described on the web page – and let the AI generate the ad for you.
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Education
Finally, let’s mention teachers (and wannabe teachers) using AI tools to create educational videos for their students. The results could be impressive and, even more, they tend to work – with many folks preferring to watch videos rather than read textual content.
To sum it up – if you’re looking to create clips for YouTube Shorts, you should try using AI for that. The results tend to work as these algorithms have been trained on best practices. Check out one or a few tools from this page, and see how it works for you. We’re sure you’ll love the results.