YouTube has announced that the beta version of YouTube Shorts, its new short-form video competitor to TikTok, is now available in more than 100 countries, including Malaysia. While the short-form videos were already available for us to watch, Malaysian YouTubers are now able to use the creation tools to create and post shorts.
Shorts’ creation tools include stringing multiple video clips together, the ability to record with music, and control speed settings. In conjunction with the expansion, YouTube is also adding new features to Shorts. You can now add text to specific points in your video, automatically add captions, record up to 60 seconds of content with the Shorts camera (up from 15 seconds), use filters, and best of all, you can sample audio from any video on YouTube.
According to YouTube, Shorts has surpassed 6.5 billion daily views globally. To support creators, the Google subsidiary is launching the YouTube Shorts Fund worth US$100 million (~RM418.9 million). YouTube will be giving out the funds every month to the most engaging Shorts creators as a reward. Unlike AdSense, creators do not need to be a YouTube partner to be eligible for the Shorts fund.
The short-video format was first launched as a limited release in India in September 2020. It was then expanded to 26 countries, including the US, before today’s global release (which includes our neighbour Singapore).
The beta has already started rolling out and will be available to everybody over the next couple of weeks, so don’t worry if you don’t see the option on your app just yet. If you want to try out the feature, you can start recording straight from the YouTube app by tapping on the create button. If you need more instructions, you can check out YouTube’s Shorts guide here.
(Sources: YouTube, CNA)
