Start with one question
A Short that answers one specific question is easier to watch to the end than a broad topic. Use YouTube's search suggestions to find the wording people type, and make that question your title.
YouTube Shorts Guide
How to make YouTube Shorts with AIFrom topic to published Short in one sitting.
To make a YouTube Short with AI, pick one question your audience asks, write a hook plus three quick points, then generate a narrated 30 to 90 second 9:16 video in oVideo's Shorts tool. It writes the scenes, narrates them in one of 12 languages, adds AI images, gameplay or satisfying clips and word by word captions. Check the first two seconds, export and upload.
A script structure you can reuse every dayThe exact steps inside oVideo ShortsLength, hooks and policy, without guesswork
Updated
At a glance
Making YouTube Shorts with oVideo: the facts
- Input
- A prompt, pasted text or one of 12 topic ideas; every script line is editable before you generate
- Length
- 30 to 60 s (4 to 8 scenes) or 60 to 90 s (10 to 15 scenes)
- Languages
- 12 narration languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Turkish
- Visuals
- AI images in 12 styles, gameplay clips (Minecraft parkour, Subway Surfers, Crossy Road, Disney Speedstorm) or satisfying clips
- Output
- 9:16 MP4 at 1080p with word by word captions, no watermark
- Price
- English 30 to 60 s: 82 credits with AI images, 34 with gameplay clips; other languages cost less. Shown before you generate
- Plan
- Any paid plan. Starter is $10 a month for 400 credits: about 4 AI image or 11 gameplay Shorts
- Free accounts
- One preview of the first 2 scenes, no export. Free plan not available in some countries
Made with oVideo
Real videos, not mock-ups.
Every clip below was made from start to finish with oVideo: script, voiceover, visuals and captions. Press play to see the actual output.
3 clips on display
Mind-Blowing Human Body Facts
9:16 vertical·1080p
Why Losing the World Cup Hurts So Much
16:9 landscape·1080p
Co kdyby Československo zůstalo spolu?
9:16 vertical·1080p
Hook, three points, payoff
Open with the answer or a surprising claim, give three short points, then close with a reason to follow. The structure keeps a 30 to 60 second Short tight and gives the AI clear scenes to illustrate.
Let the AI handle production
oVideo writes the scenes, picks a visual for each line, narrates them and syncs the captions, so your time goes into the idea and the hook rather than editing.
The workflow
Make a YouTube Short in oVideo, step by step
About ten minutes of your time, plus generation.
publish faster
00:00
Publish
- 01
Step 01
Step 1: Open Shorts in oVideo and type a topic or paste your text, or start from one of the 12 topic ideas. Pasted text is rewritten into a short script, and you can edit every line before generating.
- 02
Step 02
Step 2: Choose the narration language and voice, then the visuals: AI images in one of 12 styles, gameplay clips (Minecraft parkour, Subway Surfers and more) or satisfying clips.
- 03
Step 03
Step 3: Generate. oVideo writes 4 to 15 scenes, narrates them and adds word by word captions in 9:16.
- 04
Step 04
Step 4: Open the editor and check the first two seconds. Rewrite the opening line or regenerate a scene image if the hook is weak.
- 05
Step 05
Step 5: Export the MP4 and upload it to YouTube as a Short, or publish it straight to your channel on Creator and Pro plans.
Where oVideo shows up
YouTube Shorts niches that suit AI production
Topics where a narrated Short over AI images or gameplay carries the idea without filming.
Finance and investing tip Shorts
Tech news and product review Shorts
Health and fitness quick-tip Shorts
Business and entrepreneurship Shorts
History and science fact Shorts
Self-improvement and productivity Shorts
Keep exploring
Related guides
Answers
Frequently asked questions
- How long should a YouTube Short be?
- YouTube accepts Shorts up to 3 minutes. For most topics, 30 to 60 seconds works well: long enough for a hook and three points, short enough that viewers stay to the end. oVideo Shorts come in two lengths, 30 to 60 seconds (4 to 8 scenes) or 60 to 90 seconds (10 to 15 scenes), so a 3 minute Short needs another tool or your own editing.
- Is it free to make YouTube Shorts with AI on oVideo?
- Not to export. The free plan has 0 credits. It includes one Shorts preview (the first 2 scenes drawn and voiced, no export), 2 AI images, 3 subtitle videos and 3 split screen videos, and it is not available in some countries. Exporting a finished Short needs a paid plan from $10 a month, and paid exports have no watermark.
- How much does an AI YouTube Short cost?
- Credits are charged when you generate. An English 30 to 60 second Short costs 82 credits with AI images (68 in other languages) or 34 with gameplay or satisfying clips (20). A 60 to 90 second Short costs 139 or 49. Starter ($10 a month, 400 credits) covers about 4 English AI image Shorts or about 11 gameplay Shorts, and Creator ($40, 2,000 credits) about 24 or 58.
- Can I monetize Shorts made with AI?
- Yes, if the Short is original and follows YouTube's monetization and reused content policies. YouTube asks creators to disclose realistic synthetic content, such as a real person shown saying something they never said. AI narration over AI images or gameplay clips is usually not that kind of content, but check YouTube's current rules and give each Short your own angle.
- Do I need to film anything?
- No. oVideo Shorts builds every scene for you: an AI image in one of 12 styles for each line, or full screen gameplay (Minecraft parkour, Subway Surfers, Crossy Road or Disney Speedstorm) or satisfying clips under the whole Short. An AI voice reads the script and captions follow it word by word, so you never appear on camera or record audio.
- Can I use my own voice in an AI YouTube Short?
- No. Shorts narration comes from a list of ElevenLabs voices that you can preview before you generate. You cannot record, upload or clone your own voice in oVideo. If your channel needs your real voice, record it yourself and add it in a video editor, or narrate a video yourself and caption it with oVideo's Subtitle Generator.
- Which languages can the narration use?
- Shorts narrates in 12 languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic and Turkish. The word by word captions follow the narration in the same language. Shorts in languages other than English cost fewer credits: 68 instead of 82 for a 30 to 60 second Short with AI images, and 20 instead of 34 with gameplay clips.
- Can oVideo upload the Short to YouTube for me?
- Only to YouTube. On the Creator and Pro plans oVideo can publish a finished Short straight to your YouTube channel. There is no TikTok or Instagram publishing and no scheduler, so for TikTok and Reels you download the 9:16 MP4 at 1080p and post it in each app yourself. On Starter you download the file for YouTube too.
- Can AI make a long YouTube video?
- Not a 10 minute narrated video. oVideo Shorts run 30 to 60 or 60 to 90 seconds in 9:16. For longer pieces, Story to Video makes videos from 15 seconds to 5 minutes, in 16:9 or 9:16, with consistent characters and narration in 7 languages, on the Creator plan ($40 a month, $30 billed yearly). Anything longer than 5 minutes needs another tool or your own editing.