Amid growing competition with TikTok and Reels, YouTube unveiled a series of new features on Thursday, July 11, aimed at enhancing its short-form video platform, YouTube Shorts.
In a video update for creators, YouTube’s Chief Product Officer Johanna Voolich introduced six innovative tools to aid in creating Shorts.
Text-to-Speech Video Narration
One key update is the addition of text-to-speech video narration, enabling users to add artificial voiceovers. This feature mimics TikTok’s widely used robotic voices for promotional content. Users can create text and tap the new “add voice” icon in the upper-left corner of the screen to select one of four available voices, whereas TikTok offers a broader selection.
Auto-Generated Captions
In addition to text-to-speech, YouTube Shorts is also rolling out auto-generated captions. These can be added to videos without using external apps like CapCut. Users can customize the captions’ style with different fonts and colors.
To celebrate Minecraft’s 15th anniversary, YouTube Shorts also introduced Minecraft-themed effects. Users can utilize a green screen background or participate in a minigame called Minecraft Rush, where they film themselves clearing blocks quickly and share the video to compete with others.
“Add Yours” Sticker & Auto-Layout Tool
Another significant addition is the new “Add Yours” sticker which encourages users to share content related to a creator’s video, fostering community engagement.
Another notable feature is the auto-layout tool, which simplifies converting regular videos into Shorts by dynamically panning, zooming, and cropping to focus on the main subject. This tool builds on previous tools designed to transform long-form content into Shorts and is initially available on Android.
Enhanced Remixing Capabilities
Additionally, YouTube is enhancing its remixing capabilities. Creators can now remix existing remixes, in addition to remixing other long-form or Shorts videos. This allows for more creative content using segments from other public YouTube videos, provided the original creators have not opted out of such usage.
YouTube Chief Product Officer Johanna Voolich noted that Shorts videos receive 70 billion daily views, the same figure reported last September. Voolich also hinted that YouTube might test Shorts videos longer than 60 seconds to meet diverse user preferences.
These features are part of YouTube’s ongoing efforts to emulate popular elements from TikTok, such as live video previews in the Shorts feed, while TikTok continues to extend its video length. The adoption of TikTok-style elements appears to be benefiting YouTube and its creators, with about one in four creators seeing positive results.
Featured Image courtesy of YouTube
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