A YouTube Short can be up to three minutes long, as long as the video is square or vertical. YouTube Help puts it plainly: "You can now create YouTube Shorts up to three minutes in length", and videos uploaded after October 15, 2024 with a square or vertical aspect ratio and up to three minutes long are treated as Shorts. The old 60-second limit still repeated in many answers is out of date. For AI video, three minutes means joining clips: no single generation on 8frame runs longer than 30 seconds.
TL;DR
| Spec | YouTube Shorts |
|---|---|
| Maximum length | 3 minutes |
| Shape | square or vertical |
| Counts as a Short if | uploaded after October 15, 2024, square or vertical, 3 minutes or less |
| Custom thumbnail | 2160 x 3840 (9:16), verified accounts |
From YouTube Help, "Understand three-minute YouTube Shorts" and "Add video thumbnails on YouTube", checked 2026-09-29.
Building a long Short from AI clips
The longest single AI generation on 8frame is 30 seconds (Wan 3.0 and Seedance 2.5). Kling v3 and Hailuo H3 stop at 15, Veo 3.1 at 8. A three-minute Short is therefore six 30-second clips or, more usually, many shorter shots cut together, which also keeps it watchable.
A workable structure for a 60 to 90 second Short:
- Hook, 2 to 3 seconds. One striking shot. Generate several and keep the best.
- Body, 6 to 10 shots of 5 to 8 seconds. Short shots are cheaper to redo than one long take.
- Payoff, one shot. The reason to watch to the end.
- Join them. Merge Videos on 8frame joins clips for 10 credits.
Draft every shot at 480p in 9:16 (24 credits for 5 seconds on Wan 3.0), then regenerate the keepers at 720p or 1080p. Why long single takes are rarely worth it is in clip length limits by model.
Square or vertical?
Both count as Shorts. Vertical 9:16 fills a phone screen; square works when the same video also goes to feeds that crop to 1:1. Every video model on 8frame offers 9:16. Kling offers it when generating from text; from a start image it follows the image's shape, so start from a vertical image. Choosing a model for Shorts is covered in best AI video generator for YouTube Shorts.
The thumbnail
YouTube recommends 2160 x 3840 for Shorts thumbnails, and custom Shorts thumbnails need a verified account. Full requirements in YouTube thumbnail size.
FAQ
How long can a YouTube Short be? Up to three minutes, if the video is square or vertical, per YouTube Help.
When did YouTube Shorts go to three minutes? Videos uploaded after October 15, 2024 that are square or vertical and up to three minutes long are treated as Shorts.
Is a 16:9 video under three minutes a Short? No. Shorts must be square or vertical.
How do I make a three-minute Short with AI? Generate shots of 5 to 30 seconds in 9:16 and join them. No single AI generation on 8frame is longer than 30 seconds.
Sources
- YouTube Help, "Understand three-minute YouTube Shorts": "You can now create YouTube Shorts up to three minutes in length"; square or vertical; uploads after October 15, 2024: support.google.com/youtube/answer/15424877, fetched 2026-09-29
- YouTube Help, "Add video thumbnails on YouTube": 2160 x 3840 for Shorts, verified accounts: support.google.com/youtube/answer/72431, fetched 2026-09-29
- 8frame clip lengths, aspect ratios and prices: the 8frame tool registry, 2026-09-29
Hook, body, payoff, joined. The 8frame canvas is free and unlimited, and generation is paid from $19/month.