YouTube looks to 'Remix' Shorts for creators inspired by music videos

YouTube Shorts logo on a mobile phone
(Image credit: Jay Bonggolto / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • YouTube debuts its "Remix" suit of options for creators looking to record a Short alongside their favorite music videos.
  • Rolling out today, users will soon find a "Remix" option when watching a music video, which offers several options: Sound, Collab, Green Screen, and Cut.
  • YouTube first brought these options to Shorts in 2023, but they were confined to those looking to collab with other Short content.

YouTube is announcing a new way for creators or those looking to have fun creating the perfect Shorts.

As detailed in a blog post, starting today (Feb. 15), "Remix," a new feature, is set to roll out to YouTube creators. This lets creators take certain pieces of their favorite music videos to fit their needs. YouTube states this can be done directly on a music video's page, as users can tap the Remix button beside the Share option.

From there, a new floating menu will appear, consisting of four unique ways users can Remix a music video into a Short. The first involves "Sound," where users can tap this option to rip just the audio from a music video and use it in their Short.

The second option, "Collab," lets users feature their Short content next to the music video. In doing so, users will find a few adjustment options and an array of alternate "layouts."

YouTube states the remaining two options are as follows:

  • Green Screen: Use the video as the background to your Short, so you can film your real-time reaction to your very first listen.
  • Cut: Can’t get over a specific scene from a music video? Cut that 5-second clip and add it to your Short so you can relive it as often as you like.

Following this announcement, users should begin seeing the "Remix" option appear on YouTube while watching music videos.

YouTube Short-savvy users will recognize these "Remix" options as they've been around for a while — but only for Short-to-Short collaborations. Users could pause a Short they were watching and decide if they'd like to collaborate with that person's content or sample it, among others. This is a feature very similar to Meta's version, which allowed creators to add a piece of someone else's content to their own Story back in 2022.

Additionally, that batch of features was joined by the inception of a test for vertical live streams featured in a user's Shorts feed. The platform stated the streams would give Shorts creators a chance to profit from Super Chat donations and memberships. 

Creators also gained a "recomposition" tool, which could help those new to Shorts break into the space by retooling their older, long-form content for this vertical, short-form style.

YouTube has also continued to help its creators craft the right video as it introduced "Create." This new app assists users with a wealth of AI-powered tools that make editing videos easier and quicker.

Nickolas Diaz
News Writer

Nickolas is always excited about tech and getting his hands on it. Writing for him can vary from delivering the latest tech story to scribbling in his journal. When Nickolas isn't hitting a story, he's often grinding away at a game or chilling with a book in his hand.

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