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YouTube Shares a Sneak Peek of Its New Video Sharing Feature, Clips
YouTube seems to be opening up more to the short-form video format after its launch of Shorts last year. The video platform has started testing a new feature to let users and creators share specific segments from videos and live streams, dubbed “Clips.” Currently it’s in beta, available only on a limited number of gaming channels. Support for the feature is also limited to desktop and Android devices as the company works through user feedback.
Until now, when sharing YouTube videos and live streams, viewers had to use its watch page URL. It was only possible to start a video at a specific time by adding specific parameters. Clips will now let users share a part of the video or a live stream — between 5 to 60 seconds — with their own attribution.
The Creator Insider channel shared a glimpse of Clips in a video. You can test the feature by clicking on the clip icon (located beside the share button) on this video. Once you plug in a title name and choose the time stamp of the segment from the video using a slider, you can click on the “Share Clip” button to get social media sharing options.
The clip generates a unique URL that you can copy and share manually or on a specific social media platform.
Once you’ve created clips, you’ll get a clips section tab in the left sidebar to share, delete, and manage them.
Note that the clip continues playing on loop on the existing watch page once a viewer clicks on them. The monetization settings of the video will still apply, and it could be useful for live streamers because users won’t walk away from their channels. Gaming has been huge on YouTube, the company shared that it did particularly well last year. “Clips” is going to be a useful feature to share snippets of content not just for gamers but for all kinds of video content creators to share quick, interesting moments from their videos.
Here are some limitations where Clips might not be available:
- On videos made for kids
- Live streams over 8 hours long
- Premieres while they’re still live
- If the original content is deleted, set to private, or violates the community guidelines.
You can read more about Clips in this help article and try it on any newly released videos on the Creator Insider channel.