Getting started
The [Shortform Clips] app turns a long video into short clips. Pick a source video and a template, and AI finds moments worth clipping and builds clips with a headline and captions.
This guide walks you through making a template with the default settings, creating your first clips, checking the results, and exporting them. You can fine-tune the design and composition after you see your first results.
Step 1. Add your video to a project
Drag and drop the video you want to turn into short clips onto the Selects Home screen. With the chat box empty, this opens a new project with your video in it.
Already working in a project? You can add the video to that project instead.
You don't need to analyze the video first. If it has no transcript yet, Shortform Clips starts the analysis for you when you make clips. See Step 3 for details.
Step 2. Create a template
A template holds your clip's design, caption, and composition settings. For your first clips, create a new template and save it with the default settings.
Install and open Shortform Clips
In your project, click the [Apps] tab next to the [Project] tab.
If [Shortform Clips] is in the list, click it to open it.
If it isn't, click [Explore] in the [Apps] list, then click [Install] on [Shortform Clips] under [Custom apps]. The app opens as soon as it's installed. Next time, open it from the [Apps] list.
Click the [Templates] tab at the top of the app.
Create a new template
Click [+] next to [My templates] and choose [New template]. If you don't have any templates yet, click the [New template] button on the screen.
Enter a name in [Template name], for example: My first short
Check the [Aspect ratio] and click [Continue]. For vertical short clips, keep the default, [9:16].
Check the preview on the left of the editor, then click [Save] at the top right.
A new template is only added to your list after you click [Save]. If you click [Cancel] before saving, the template isn't added.
Import a template you received
If your team sent you a template, you can import it instead of making your own. Click [+] and choose [Import template]. If you don't have any templates yet, click the [Import from file] button on the screen.
Import a template from a file
In the import window, choose [File].
Click the file area to choose the template file (.json), or drag the file into the area.
When you see “Template imported.”, you're done. The imported template is selected for you.
If you edited a template you already have, or the version is different, the [Review template import] window opens. For each template, choose [Replace settings] or [Add a copy], then click [Apply].
Import a template with a share code
In the import window, choose [Share code].
Type or paste the share code you received.
Click [Add to my templates].
A template imported with a share code is added as a separate copy, so it never overwrites a template you already have. Share codes work for 7 days, and you need to be signed in to Selects to use one. If you see a message that the code has expired, ask the sender for a new one.
Step 3. Make clips
To make clips, open the [Make clips] tab and set the following.
Source video: Choose [Project] and pick the video to turn into clips. To use a YouTube video, choose [YouTube link] and paste the link. The app downloads the video and adds it to the open project.
Template: It starts on [Detect automatically], which lets AI pick a template. Click the template field and, in the window that opens, choose the template you saved in Step 2. Click [Manage] to go to the [Templates] tab.
Number of clips: Leave it on [Recommended] or choose a number. You can make up to 30 clips.
Automatic composition: This is off by default. Turn on [Automatic composition] to have AI frame each shot around the people in your video. When it's off, the whole original frame shows over a blurred background. It only applies to 9:16 templates with [Composition mode] set to [Automatic (AI)].
Additional instructions: If you have something specific in mind, open [Additional instructions] and write it in [Clip requests (optional)]. You can leave it empty for your first try. For example: Pick moments where one story starts and finishes. Include enough context so a first-time viewer can follow.
Check your settings and click the [Make clips] button. You'll see the current stage and progress while it works, and the app switches to the [My results] tab as soon as the first clip is ready.
If a credit approval window opens
A credit approval window opens when you make clips from a video that has no transcript yet. Selects asks you to confirm the transcription credits. If the video is already being analyzed, it waits without asking. In the list, these videos are marked “transcript not ready”.
When the Selects window appears, approve it within about 30 seconds. If you don't, the analysis doesn't start and no credits are used.
After you approve, you'll see “Waiting for the transcript.” Making clips continues as soon as the transcript is ready.
Note: Analyzing a video and the AI work that picks your clips may use credits. Even with the same video and request, the moments and headlines AI picks can change each time.
Stop or resume a job
To stop a job while it runs, click [Cancel]. Cancelled or failed jobs stay under Unfinished work in the [Make clips] tab. Click [Resume] to pick one up again, or [Dismiss] to remove it from the list.
The Unfinished work list shows when nothing is running, and keeps your 3 most recent jobs for 14 days. Stopped jobs never restart on their own.
Step 4. Check your results
Open the [My results] tab. If you made clips more than once, choose the run you want in [Saved results]. Your most recent run is marked “Latest”.
Click a finished clip's title or thumbnail. The clip opens in the timeline.
Play it and check that:
The lines flow naturally from start to finish
The headline and captions match what's said
People and important details aren't cut off
How the AI score works
Your clips are listed by AI score, highest first. The [AI score] rates the hook, flow, and payoff out of 10 each, then shows their average as a grade.
A: an average of 8 or higher
B: 6 or higher
C: 4 or higher
D: below 4
A grade gets a + near the top of its range, a − near the bottom, and no sign in the middle. D never gets a sign. For example, an average of 8.3 shows as A−, and A+ needs 9.4 or higher.
Open [Details] to see the score, the reason behind it, and why AI picked that moment. You'll also find composition editing and the cover thumbnails you made here. Use the score as a guide, and play each clip before you decide.
If a clip shows [Some composition retained], its framing was only partly adjusted. Open it to read the note, and check that the people and layout look natural.
Tidy up your results
Reframe clips: Click [Compose all clips]. When you select clips, the button changes to [Compose selected clips].
Delete clips you don't need: Select them and click [Delete selected clips]. When the confirmation appears, click [Delete selected clips] again. The clips move to the “Deleted shorts” folder in your project.
Failed clips: Click [Retry this clip] to make just that clip again.
Step 5. Export your finished video
Caution: Turning on [Overlay preview] in the [My results] tab adds a TikTok-style overlay clip to your timeline. Turn it off before you export. The switch with the same name in the template editor only shows in the preview, so you can leave it on.
Make sure the clip you want to export is open in the timeline. Make any edits you need there first.
Click [Export] at the top right and choose [Video].
Choose the timeline to export and follow the steps in the export window to save it.
To post straight to social media, click [Instagram], [TikTok], or [YouTube] under Socials in the same [Export] menu and follow the steps on screen. Only Instagram business or creator accounts can post through Selects.
Before you post, play your finished video one last time to check the captions, framing, and sound.
What to try next
Change your template's design
In the [Templates] tab, choose the template you want to change.
Change the settings in the [Design], [Captions], [Composition], [AI instructions], [Covers], and [Miscellaneous] tabs. The preview on the left updates as you go.
Click [Save] at the top right.
Make clips again with the updated template to compare the results with your earlier run. Making covers with AI in the [Covers] tab also uses credits.
Adjust the composition
To adjust how the speaker appears on screen, open the [Composition] tab and set [Composition mode] to [Automatic (AI)].
[Speaker zoom]: Set it from 1.0 to 6.0. A higher number shows the face larger.
[Face height of the talker (% down the window)]: Sets how far down from the top the face sits, from 25% to 65%. The default is 40%.
The silhouette in the preview is just an example of your settings. Your actual clips depend on your source video and the people in it.
Share a template
In the [Templates] tab, choose the template to share and click the [Export template] icon next to [My templates].
To send a file, choose [File] and click [Export to file]. To send a code, choose [Share code], click [Create share code], then click [Copy code]. If you have unsaved changes, the button shows as [Save and share].
The person you send it to can add it from [+] > [Import template] with the file or the code.
FAQs
Why isn't my video in the source video list?
If your video isn't in the source video list, make sure the project you added it to is open, then click [Refresh] next to the source video in the [Make clips] tab.
What's the difference between exporting a template and exporting a video?
Exporting a template shares its design and settings with someone else. To save your finished video, open the clip in the timeline and use [Export] at the top right of the app.
Why didn't AI pick the moment I wanted?
The moments and headlines AI picks can change each time you make clips. Choose the clip you like best from your results, or describe the topic or length you want in [Clip requests (optional)] next time.