Resize a video for YouTube
A YouTube video should be 1920 × 1080 (16:9); a Short, 1080 × 1920 (9:16) and up to 3 minutes. Choose your video, pick the shape, and get an MP4 that size: a phone video whole on a blurred background, or a wide video cropped for a Short. Made in your browser, with nothing uploaded.
A free tool from Clyper, the AI clipping tool that turns long videos into captioned vertical clips.
Get startedMP4, MOV, WebM or MKV, or drop one on the preview. It's resized on your device: nothing is uploaded.
An example: 8 seconds of IMPAULSIVE
Free, no watermark, and nothing to sign up for.
How to resize a video for YouTube
- Choose the video, or drop it on the page. 16:9 is already picked.
- For a vertical video, pick Blurred background so all of it shows; for a Short, pick 9:16 and crop instead.
- Pick the part, if it's long: up to 30 minutes at a time.
- Press Resize video and upload the MP4 in YouTube Studio.
YouTube video and Shorts sizes
| Video | Short | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | 16:9, YouTube's standard on a computer | Square or vertical |
| Make it | 1920 × 1080 | 1080 × 1920 |
| Length | As long as your account allows | Up to 3 minutes |
| YouTube's recommended bitrate, 1080p | 8 Mbps (12 at 48 to 60 fps) | YouTube gives none of its own for Shorts |
| File | MP4, H.264 video, AAC sound | MP4, H.264 video, AAC sound |
A phone video on YouTube
Filmed upright on a phone, a video is 9:16. Uploaded as it is and longer than 3 minutes, it plays as a regular video in a narrow strip with black on both sides. Made 16:9 on a blurred background, it fills the player and nothing is cut. Under 3 minutes, leave it vertical and post it as a Short.
A wide video as a Short
The other way round: a 16:9 video cut down for Shorts needs to be vertical, and a crop to 9:16 keeps about a third of the picture, so drag it to the speaker. Read how to turn a YouTube video into Shorts, cut the moment first with the video trimmer, or let Clyper find the moments and make the Shorts for you.
Questions
What size should a YouTube video be?
1920 × 1080 (16:9, 1080p) for a regular video: 16:9 is YouTube's standard shape on a computer. A Short is vertical or square, best at 1080 × 1920, and up to 3 minutes.
How do I resize a vertical video for YouTube?
Choose it here; 16:9 is already picked. Pick Blurred background, so the whole phone video sits in the middle on a blurred copy of itself, press Resize video and download the 1920 × 1080 MP4.
What happens if I upload a video that isn't 16:9?
YouTube's player adapts to the video's shape, so it still plays, with empty space around it on a computer. A vertical or square video up to three minutes long can become a Short instead.
How do I make a YouTube video into a Short?
Pick 9:16 here, crop to the part of the picture that matters, and keep it to 3 minutes or less. The 1080 × 1920 MP4 uploads as a Short.
Will resizing lower the quality?
Resizing re-encodes the video, at about 6 Mbps for 1920 × 1080. YouTube recommends 8 Mbps for 1080p uploads, and re-encodes everything it gets anyway. If your video is already 16:9, upload the original instead.
Is my video uploaded?
Only by you, to YouTube. The resizing happens in your browser, on your device. Free, with no watermark.
Sources
Read on November 7, 2026.
Shorts from your long YouTube videos
Paste a YouTube link and Clyper finds the best moments, frames each one 9:16 on whoever is talking and captions every word: up to 30 Shorts from one video.
See plans and pricing
Guides
- Making clipsHow to resize a video for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and moreThe size each app wants, crop or blurred background or bars, and how to resize a video on a phone, a computer or free in your browser.12 min read
- Making clipsVideo sizes for TikTok, Reels and Shorts in 2026The sizes, shapes and limits for each app, where captions are safe, and how to make a 16:9 video vertical.7 min read
- Making clipsHow to convert a horizontal video to vertical (16:9 to 9:16)The three ways to make a 16:9 video 9:16, which suits which footage, what a crop keeps, and how to keep a moving speaker in frame.13 min read
Related converters
- Resize video for Instagram4:5 for the feed, 9:16 for Reels and Stories.
- Resize video for TikTok1080 × 1920, cropped or on a blurred background.
- The full video resizerResize a video for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube or any size you type: cropped to fill, or whole on a blurred background, without uploading it.