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Short-form video platforms are the best place to promote content for YouTube channels and brands. This is because short-form video content has more active users, meaning there’s a better chance of more people coming across your content.

So branching out into these platforms is never a bad idea. That said, it’s easier said than done. You must find the right clip-maker tools to create content you can share on social media.

You can find dozens of tools but most of them miss the mark entirely. Alternatively, you can use a YouTube clip maker and downloader app like LiveLink to create shorts clips fast.

LiveLink provides a more user-friendly interface to create AI-generated clips from long-form YouTube videos. You don’t need any video editing experience.

Criteria for Evaluating Clip Makers and Downloaders

You can’t just rely on any YouTube clip-maker app or video editor and hope it does a great job. Most generic clip makers don’t provide extra features that make it worth your while.

For starters, AI-powered tools shouldn't be too complicated. They should have a user-friendly interface that helps beginners make clips without any video editing experience.

Besides that, customisation is crucial. You want to find clip-maker apps that let you trim videos for YouTube or do things like add automatic captions.

Of course, these clip-generators should have a justifiable price tag. Along with that, a free-to-try option is also important.

Finally, look for a clip maker that allows you to create clips directly from social media. This means the option to start generating transcripts or clips from a YouTube URL directly.

Also, focus on apps that let you upload to social media platforms. So after a one-time setup of linking your socials, you can directly upload or share on social media.

Top YouTube Clip Makers and Downloaders Compared

Let’s discuss the most popular clip-maker tools on the web. We’ll do a quick overview and discuss their pros and cons.

LiveLink.ai

LiveLink is an online clip-maker tool packed with a bunch of other features. LiveLink has an AI-powered auto-clipper with options like automatic captions and online editing tools.

LiveLink works best if you have video podcasts or long-form YouTube videos. LiveLink’s AI clip-maker is fast and can use NLP to find the best moments or highlights from a podcast episode or video.

Pros:

Cons:

  • Can only run on a browser and you always need an internet connection
  • Adds a watermark for videos when you use the “free” version

Pictory

Pictory is another beginner-friendly alternative. Pictory is easy for anybody to pick up and provides a decent set of features. Pictory is also great for YouTube video repurposing and creating faceless YouTube channels.

Pros:

  • No downloads or installs
  • Option to set up royalty-free music, stock photos and videos
  • Customise and set up branding templates and visual elements

Cons:

  • Doesn’t include advanced editing options like reframing clips or trimming via the transcript.

Vidyo.AI

Vidyo is another great tool for repurposing content on the fly. It packs in a dozen handy features into a user-friendly interface. Also, Vidyo runs lightning-fast and can process long-length videos in minutes.

Pros:

  • Comes with TikTok overlays for previewing content on social media platforms
  • Scene detection technology that can trim clips automatically and refocus on faces
  • Includes advanced video editing tools like post-production effects, and automatic captions.

Cons:

  • Not beginner-friendly, has somewhat of a learning curve for its advanced features
  • Best features are locked behind a paywall
  • Can lag or crash when working with long projects (videos that are longer than 3-4 hours)

Kapwing

Kapwing is great for teams working on their content strategy. Kapwing also runs on the cloud, allowing you to work from anywhere. Kapwing has a solid set of features, making it ideal for collaborative editing and team projects.

Pros:

  • Comes with a user-friendly interface that absolute beginners can pick up and start playing with
  • Includes various editing tools and templates. You can add things like GIFs, videos and music through the app itself

Cons:

  • Free plan limits to basic features and also adds a watermark to videos.
  • The free version also has limitations when exporting videos. You can’t export videos at higher resolutions than 1080p

How to Choose the Right Tool for Your Needs

When finding a clip maker tool, you have so many options. That said, not all of them can fit the bill.

So start by assessing your goals and audience. What type of content are you working with and which platforms or demographics do you want to target?

This is the first step when deciding which video/podcast clip-generator is right for you. For example, most clip makers do well with video podcasts for a general audience. Meanwhile, others might be better for entertainment content that’s fit for a younger audience.

After that, define the type of features you’re looking for. Do you need the clip maker AI to do everything or will you use other video editors and tools along with it? Also, do you have a team that you need to collaborate with?

Look for the features that accommodate these requirements. If you need a jack-of-all-trades clip generator pick one that lets you edit captions and trim videos on the platform itself.

Finally, try the free versions of some clip makers and see if they give the results you want. Look for things like processing time, adaptability to different browsers, devices and ease of use.

Conclusion

YouTube clip makers and downloader tools are essential for short-form content nowadays. Everyone from podcasters to YouTubers uses these tools to promote their content.

Also, these clip makers save time and create consistent results. Budding content creators don’t need to rely on a large team to make short-form YouTube videos. They can do it all by themselves thanks to AI-powered tools.

So try the popular clip makers and see how well they help your content strategy.