YouTube Shorts have already generated shocking view totals and creator revenue. I'll show you how to make Shorts from your favorite Twitch Clips.
YouTube Shorts shook up the vertical short video landscape this year, already generating shocking view totals and creator revenue. Twitch has also taken off over the past couple years, and it has the perfect feature for short video sharing with Clips, audience-generated bits of streaming video that run under 30 seconds long.
Twitch itself doesn’t allow you to download your own Twitch Clips or any Clips made by other users, but it only takes a couple minutes to share them as Shorts using free, online software. Here’s how:
- Copy the Twitch Clip’s link
- Edit and download using Kapwing
- Post it as a YouTube Short
Step 1: Copy the Twitch Clip’s Link
Start by finding the Twitch Clip you want to turn into a TikTok video. You can find clips of your favorite streamers by going to their profiles, then scrolling down to “Popular Clips,” where all clips made from their stress are listed in order of view count. You can also find all the clips you made yourself by clicking your profile picture in the top right, selecting Creator Dashboard, clicking Content in the left menu, then Clips.
When you’re watching a clip, copy the link in the URL bar at the top of your window or click the Copy to Clipboard button on the right of the sharing options above the clip.
Step 2: Edit and Download Using Kapwing
To save the Twitch clip as an MP4 file that you can repost as a YouTube Short, head over to Kapwing's video cutter in your browser on any device and use the Start Editing button to enter the Kapwing Studio. Here, paste the link you copied from Twitch into the URL bar and the clip will upload to the Studio timeline and canvas.
Twitch clips have an aspect ratio of 16:9, while YouTube Shorts require a vertical aspect ratio of 9:16, just like TikTok videos or Instagram Reels. Select Lock Ratio in the menu on the right, then deselect the video layer by clicking outside of the frame and choose 9:16 under Output Options. This will add bars to the top and bottom of your 16:9 video.
To make the most of the YouTube Shorts 9:16 frame, I recommend splitting the video layer into 2 sections, with gameplay (or whatever the streamer is doing) on top, and the streamer view on bottom. Select the video layer, copy it, then choose Crop from the video editing menu. Here, crop the video so it only includes the streamer view itself, then arrange this layer on the canvas – most people place it directly below their gameplay layer.
Crop the original video layer to include just the gameplay frame and position it where you want. In this case, I’m putting it on top of the streamer view. I’m going to add a geometric background as well, by selecting the Images tool and searching for “geometric wallpaper.” Now that everything is ready, click Export Video and give Kapwing a minute or so to process your edited Twitch clip. Once it’s ready, save it to your files with the Download button.
Step 3: Post It as a YouTube Short
Now that you’ve saved your Twitch clip as a 9:16 video, you can post it on YouTube as a Short. YouTube Shorts can only be uploaded using the YouTube mobile app, so if you downloaded it on your phone, you’re ready to go. But if you saved it to your computer, you should move it to your phone via Airdrop, Google Drive, email, or any method that works for you.
Now, open the YouTube mobile app on your phone, tap the plus-sign button in the middle of the bottom toolbar, and choose Create a Short. Here, use the upload option to the left of the recording button to find the video you downloaded from Kapwing. Make any further edits you would like, then tap the Next button to add its title, privacy and audience settings, and publish it as a Short.
I hope this article helps you take advantage of YouTube's huge new growth opportunity in YouTube Shorts! If you're looking for more tips and tutorials on creating great video content in 2021, check out the Kapwing YouTube channel or look through some related articles on Twitch and YouTube Shorts:
• How to Make a Twitch Banner Image
• How to Use YouTube Shorts
• Y2Mate Shut Down: The Best Alternative
