The useful parts of a long video are usually already there. The work is finding the moments that can stand on their own, cutting away the setup they no longer need, reframing them for vertical and getting the captions right. Paste a YouTube link and IMABIRD runs that first pass for you. You get a batch of editable Shorts rather than a folder of finished decisions.
From upload to a batch of Shorts.
9:16
01
Paste the link
Drop in a YouTube URL and start Quick Cut. IMABIRD pulls the source directly, so you do not have to download the video and upload it again. Twitch VODs, Google Drive and Dropbox links use the same field, and you can always upload a file directly instead.
02
Let it find the moments
IMABIRD works through the full video and looks for sections that still make sense when they are removed from the original. Each selected moment becomes its own cut at the length you choose: 10 to 30 seconds, 30 to 60, or 60 to 90.
03
Check the crop and captions
Each cut comes back in the target aspect ratio with captions applied. Open the camera view when you want to see exactly what the vertical crop kept from the source, then move the framing on any shot where the important part ended up outside it.
04
Finish and publish
Open any cut in the timeline to tighten it, extend it, remove a section or change the captions. When it is ready, export at the resolution you need or send the finished cuts to the publishing calendar and spread them across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
A horizontal video does not become vertical by itself.
Turning 16:9 footage into 9:16 means discarding most of the width. A centre crop can work for a locked-off talking head, but it falls apart as soon as the subject moves, a second person enters the frame or something important sits near the edge. The camera view puts the full source beside the vertical result, so you can see what was lost and only fix the shots that actually need attention.
What the preset decides
Clip length: 10 to 30 seconds, 30 to 60, or 60 to 90
Aspect ratio, with 9:16 as the default for Shorts, Reels and TikTok
Reframing mode, including multi-face handling for wider conversations
Caption preset, applied consistently across the generated batch
Why a Short needs its own edit
A strong moment in a long video is not automatically a strong Short. In the original, a line may depend on a minute of setup, a question asked earlier or context the audience already has. Once you pull that moment out, all of that disappears. The best clips are the ones that still carry their own premise, development and payoff when a stranger sees them cold.
That is why the first pass should look for complete moments rather than simply the loudest sentence or the highest-energy section. Sometimes the better clip starts five seconds earlier than the quote you originally noticed because those five seconds are what make the rest understandable.
Captions matter for the same reason. On short-form video they are part of the pacing of the edit. The way a line breaks, when the next words appear and how much text sits on screen at once all change how quickly the clip feels. A good automatic pass gets you most of the way there; names, brands and unusual terms are the parts worth reading through before export.
Treat the generated batch as a shortlist, not an obligation. A forty-minute upload may contain twelve plausible cuts without containing twelve cuts worth publishing. Keeping the strongest four is often better than filling the calendar with eight more that merely work.
Questions.
Do I have to download the video first?
No. Quick Cut can fetch the source directly from the link you paste. The same field also accepts Twitch VODs, Google Drive and Dropbox links, and direct file upload is available when that is easier.
Can I change which moments were picked?
Yes. The generated cuts are starting points, not locked exports. Open any cut in the timeline to trim it, extend it, remove a section, rearrange it or discard it entirely.
What aspect ratio do the cuts use?
9:16 is the default for short-form platforms, but aspect ratio is part of the cut preset. Change the preset and future batches follow the ratio you choose.
Can I publish straight to YouTube?
Yes. Connect YouTube, Instagram or TikTok from your profile, then schedule finished cuts with a date, time and post caption from the publishing calendar.
What does it cost to try?
Signing up gives you 100 credits and does not require a card. Captions and reframing are included on the free tier.
