YouTube Enhancing Shorts with New Creator Tools to Compete with TikTok
YouTube has recently introduced new creation tools for Shorts, including features that allow users to remix videos and add voiceovers, aiming to establish itself as a strong competitor to TikTok. Now, the platform is further expanding its range of creation tools. The latest addition is Collab, which enables users to record short-form videos in a split screen format alongside other Shorts or regular clips.
All users need to do to create a collaborative video from eligible Short or YouTube content is to hit Remix and then select a new format. Of course, TikTok has long had a split-screen effect that allows people to split the screen into multiple frames. Well, YouTube’s Collab is rolling out today and will continue to roll out to users in the coming weeks to challenge TikTok’s version. iOS users will get the format first, but Android users will follow.
The platform is also adding a tool that allows users to quickly build and remix existing Shorts. All they have to do is tap the Remix button and select “Use Sound” in the Shorts player, and the sounds and effects used in the video they just watched will automatically appear. Users can then apply both sound and effects to their own message. In addition, YouTube will begin testing a new recomposition tool in the coming weeks, designed to simplify the conversion of horizontal videos to vertical shorts. The tool gives creators a way to adjust the layout, zoom, and crop of the segment they want after selecting a video to remix. This way they can easily share old material in a new format. They can also use the new split screen effect in their re-composed video.
In addition to these new creator tools, YouTube is also testing a new mobile-oriented vertical live experience for viewers. Audiences will see a preview of vertical live videos in the Shorts feed with this new experience, and if they tap to expand it, they’ll find a scrollable feed with more live videos. YouTube hopes this could increase discoverability for creators, and is a great opportunity to earn money for those who have recently joined its affiliate program. The new mobile device experience will be available to more and more viewers in the coming months.
