Can I make Shorts from someone else's YouTube video or a link?
By RemixViral · Last updated · Markdown version
Technically yes, but it depends on whose video it is and what you add. For your own videos, YouTube's Edit into a Short feature or a clipper works. For other people's videos, YouTube's reused-content policy applies even with the creator's permission, so you need real commentary or transformation. Copying a download with minimal changes is what the policy calls a violation.
Why this question has no one-word answer
Three separate things get mixed together when people ask about turning a link into Shorts. The first is whether a tool can technically fetch a video from a link: several clip makers can. The second is copyright, which is about who owns the footage and whether you have a licence or a legal exception. The third is YouTube's own channel policy about reused content, which is not about copyright at all. A video can be perfectly legal to use and still count as reused content on your channel.
YouTube's channel monetization policies page (read 2026-11-13) defines reused content as repurposing content that is already on YouTube or another online source without adding significant original commentary, substantive modifications, or educational or entertainment value. It also says the policy applies to the channel as a whole, and that monetization may be removed from the entire channel if videos violate it or if YouTube cannot clearly tell that you made the content.
The same page says the policy applies even if you have permission from the original creator, and that reused content is separate from copyright enforcement: it is not based on copyright, permission, or fair use. So "I asked and they said yes" settles the permission question but not the channel-policy question. This page is a practical reading of what YouTube's pages say, not legal advice, and YouTube decides eligibility.
The routes that hold up, in order of safety
None of these removes the need to read YouTube's current pages yourself, because policies change. They are ordered from least to most judgement required.
1. If it is your own video, use the route built for it
YouTube's help page on creating Shorts from your videos (read 2026-11-13) says: go to the watch page of a public video you uploaded, choose Remix, then Edit into a Short, and select up to 60 seconds. It states that only you can edit your long-form video into a Short, that private and unlisted videos and videos with third-party copyright claims cannot be used, and that the video must be opted in to sampling in YouTube Studio. You cannot use Audio Library music on Shorts made this way, per the same page.
2. If it is your own video but you want more than one clip, clip the original file
Edit into a Short is one selection at a time. For many clips from an hour-long recording, work from the original file you own instead: pick moments, cut to vertical, caption, review. The long-video page linked below walks through that manually and with an AI clipper. Square or vertical uploads up to three minutes are categorised as Shorts for uploads on or after 15 October 2024, according to YouTube's three-minute Shorts page.
3. If it is someone else's video, start with who can grant rights
YouTube's licence page (read 2026-11-13) says YouTube cannot grant you rights to use content that is already on YouTube and cannot help you find the parties who can; it suggests reaching out to the creator directly. Some creators mark videos with the Creative Commons Attribution licence, which lets others reuse the work subject to the CC BY terms, and if you reuse such work you need to give credit: title, author, source URL and licence info, shown as a text overlay or voiceover. Check the licence on the specific video, not the channel.
4. Add something that makes the difference visible
The monetization policy lists examples it says do not violate the reused-content policy, including using clips for a critical review, reaction videos where you comment on the original, edited footage where you add a storyline and commentary, and content where the creator explains how they added to it. The test it describes is whether viewers can tell there is a meaningful difference between the original video and yours. A caption on top of someone else's clip is unlikely to meet that bar; a spoken analysis that is the point of the Short probably gets closer. The page adds that other policies, such as copyright, still apply to these examples.
5. Do not re-upload a download with minimal changes
The same policy names it as the violation: taking someone else's content, making minimal changes, and calling it your own original work. Cropping to vertical, adding auto-captions and a new thumbnail is minimal change. This holds even when the original creator is happy for you to do it.
6. Check claims before and after you publish
YouTube's Shorts page says a Short over one minute with an active copyright claim of any type, including manual claims, is blocked globally: it will not be playable or recommended and is not eligible for monetization, with no penalty to your channel. You can remove the claimed content or dispute the claim. Keeping Shorts under a minute avoids that specific rule, though shorter Shorts can still receive claims and are still subject to the other policies.
Why some tools take links and RemixViral does not
Link-import clippers exist. Klap's homepage (read 2026-11-13) says you can paste a link to your YouTube video or upload a file, and OpusClip's MCP documentation (read 2026-11-13) describes a tool that clips a YouTube or Vimeo URL. Both can be the right choice when the link is to your own video and you want the convenience, and we have not tested either.
RemixViral deliberately works differently: you upload a file you own (MP4, MOV, MKV or WebM, up to 120 minutes) and there is no link or URL import. That is a product decision, not a technical limit. A link box invites pasting any video, and as the sections above show, clipping someone else's video is exactly the case where permission, copyright and YouTube's reused-content policy all become your problem. Requiring the source file is a small, honest friction that matches the use case we built for: a creator, podcaster or team clipping their own long recordings.
The trade-off is real. If your source exists only as a YouTube link and you have lost the original file, RemixViral cannot start from it. Owning a video does not guarantee YouTube will accept or monetize every Short cut from it either; RemixViral does not prevent copyright or Content ID claims, and it gives no legal opinion.
| Whose video | What you add | What YouTube's page says | Risk (our reading) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own public long video | A selected segment of up to 60 seconds, plus text or filters | Edit into a Short is available only to you for public videos you uploaded; videos with third-party copyright claims cannot be used | Lowest. Still subject to claims on music or footage inside the video |
| Your own recording (the original file) | Cuts, vertical framing, captions | Square or vertical videos up to three minutes uploaded on or after 15 October 2024 are categorised as Shorts | Low. Over one minute with an active copyright claim, the Short is blocked globally |
| Someone else's video under a Creative Commons Attribution licence | Credit to the author and your own commentary or analysis | CC BY lets others reuse the work subject to its terms; you must give credit. Reused-content policy is a separate check | Medium. Verify the licence on that video; credit alone may not make the difference visible |
| Someone else's video, with written permission | Little or nothing | Reused-content policy applies even if you have permission from the original creator | High for monetization: permission does not address the policy |
| Someone else's video, used for review or reaction | Original commentary, storyline or analysis that is the substance of the Short | Lists critical reviews, reactions and commentary as examples that do not violate the reused-content policy; copyright still applies | Medium. Depends on the amount used, how much you add, and copyright |
| Someone else's video, re-uploaded with minimal changes | Nothing substantive | Named as a violation of the reused-content policy | Highest. Can affect monetization of the whole channel |
Read from YouTube Help pages (channel monetization policies, three-minute Shorts, create Shorts from your videos, license types) on 2026-11-13. The Risk column is our reading, not YouTube's wording, and not legal advice; YouTube decides eligibility.
When to use RemixViral
RemixViral fits when you have the original file of a video you own and want several vertical clips from it: it transcribes the whole video, ranks candidate moments best first with start and end seconds, a one-line reason and a score, cuts them to 9:16 (or 1:1 or 16:9) with captions burned in, and you review and export in the dashboard. Uploads can be up to 120 minutes. See pricing for how it is billed.
It fits when
- You own the long video and have the file (MP4, MOV, MKV or WebM).
- You want many clips from one recording, with a ranked list and a reason for each, rather than one manual selection at a time.
- You want to review every clip yourself before anything is posted; RemixViral has no auto-posting.
It is not the right tool when
- You only have a link to someone else's video. RemixViral has no link import and we do not recommend building a Shorts channel on other people's footage; for commentary, record your own analysis and use short, clearly transformed excerpts, with a video editor you control.
- You want one clip of up to 60 seconds from a public video on your own channel: YouTube's Edit into a Short, described above, is built for that and needs no upload.
- You need a legal opinion on fair use or a licence. That is a lawyer's job; no clip tool provides it.
Ask your AI assistant to do it
If you already uploaded your own video and a clip job has finished, an AI assistant can help you review the ranked clips. It cannot import a link, and it cannot judge rights for you.
Assign to RemixViral: use list_clip_jobs to find my most recent finished clip job, then get_clip_job to read its clips. List the top five with start and end times, score and reason, and flag any whose reason suggests it relies on someone else's footage or music, because I need to check rights before posting. Do not create anything. Show me what you did so I can approve which clips I export.How to connect RemixViral to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Gemini, and the full tool list: AI assistants (MCP).
Frequently asked questions
Can I make Shorts from a YouTube link?
Some tools accept links; whether you should depends on whose video it is. For your own video, YouTube's Edit into a Short works from the watch page. For someone else's video, copyright and YouTube's reused-content policy both apply, so you need a licence or permission and substantial added commentary.
Does permission from the creator make it safe to reupload their video as a Short?
Not for YouTube's reused-content policy. The policy page read on 2026-11-13 says it applies even if you have permission from the original creator and is separate from copyright, permission and fair use. Permission helps with copyright but does not replace your own added value.
Can I use Creative Commons videos for Shorts?
YouTube's licence page says Creative Commons Attribution lets others reuse the work subject to the CC BY terms, and you must credit the author. Check the licence on that specific video, and add your own commentary so your Short is visibly different from the original.
Why does RemixViral not accept YouTube links?
By design: it takes an uploaded file you own (up to 120 minutes) so the tool is used for your own recordings, not other people's videos. If you only have a link to your own video, download your original from your own records or use YouTube's Edit into a Short.
Sources
- YouTube Help: YouTube channel monetization policies (reused content) (read 2026-11-13)
- YouTube Help: Understand three-minute YouTube Shorts (read 2026-11-13)
- YouTube Help: Create YouTube Shorts from your videos (read 2026-11-13)
- YouTube Help: License types on YouTube (read 2026-11-13)
- Klap homepage (read 2026-11-13)
- OpusClip help: MCP server and agent setup (read 2026-11-13)
Related: How do I turn a long video into YouTube Shorts with AI? · Which AI clip maker is best? · RemixViral vs OpusClip · How to keep context when clipping long videos · What is an AI video remixer, and how do I remix my own video?