Struggling with Shorts? Let CapCut Work Its Magic

📌TL;DR

• Perfect for Presentations: CapCut nails educational content but stumbles with music and multilingual videos.

• Resolution Dip: Your 4K footage might not stay as sharp as you’d hope.

• Pro Upgrade?: Frequent users may find the Pro plan worth it for extra AI tools.

Estimated reading time: 6 - 7 minutes.

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MAIN STORY QUEST

From Long to Short: Can CapCut’s AI Deliver?

CapCut’s AI Clip Generator promises to turn your long videos into social media-ready shorts in just a few clicks.

TikTok? YouTube Shorts? Instagram Reels? It’s all fair game.

Sounds magical, right?

But as with any tool, the magic depends on how (and for what) you use it.

To find out, I tested it with two very different types of content: a live music performance and a TED Talk.

Here’s the good, the bad, and the “meh” of using CapCut for this task.

Why Bother Converting Long Videos to Shorts?

• Get Noticed: Social media algorithms have one motto: “Short is sweet.” And shorts? They’re the eye candy these algorithms love.

• Save Time, Multiply Content: Why settle for one long video when you can split it into five? Or ten? Or... okay, you get the idea.

• Hook Your Audience: Short videos grab attention faster than a two-second TikTok trend—and that’s saying something.

But before you go ahead and use this tool to hit “process,” let me tell you how to use it and how it performed in two very different tests.

How to CapCut Your Way to Viral Shorts

If you have not gotten the Capcut App, you can do so here*.

Step 1: Open CapCut

• Launch the web version of CapCut.
  (This feature is not available on the mobile app.)

Step 2: Access Long Video to Shorts

• Click on the Magic Tools section on the left panel.

• Select Long Video to Shorts from the available options.

• Alternatively, select the tool directly from the home page if it’s visible.

Step 3: Upload Video File

• Drag, drop, or upload your video from your device, Google Drive, or Dropbox.

• Each video is limited to under 3 hours and 10GB file size.

• The accumulated video duration is limited to 60 minutes for free users.

Step 4: Edit Your Preferences

• Once the video is uploaded, you may trim the start and end if necessary.

• Choose your captions from the preview GIF.

• The GIF is pretty small, but don’t worry—you can change it later!

• Set your clip duration. Let the tool decide or set it to your preference.

  • Short and snappy (<60 seconds) for TikTok and IG Reels.

  • A little longer for platforms like YouTube Shorts (up to 3 minutes).

Step 5: Generate and Edit

• Once done, hit ‘Convert’.

• Sit tight—processing times vary based on video length and file size.

• CapCut’s AI Clip Generator analyzes your video and suggests clips based on key moments.

• Preview the shorts before exporting them.

• Select the ‘Edit’ option if you need to fine-tune further (including changing your captions!).

Step 6: Export Your Video

Click Export and customize your settings:

• Share directly to YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok. Or save locally.

• Resolution: 720p, 1080p, or 4K (but don’t expect true 4K sharpness—more on that below).

• Frame rate: Choose between 24fps to 60fps, depending on your platform.

Is This Tool Right for You?

With this tool potentially being a huge time-saver, you might wonder if it’s worth your time and works on every type of video.

I ran two tests using videos of different duration, resolution, and languages.

Here’s what went down.

First Test: A 20-Minute Live Music Performance

For this test, I used a 20-minute video of Taeyang, a K-pop artist, performing at an Asian music festival.

The video was shot in 4K on a mobile phone and featured six songs with crowd interactions.

Most content was in Korean, although he communicates in English during audience interactions.

The Results

Processing Time:

Took around 25 minutes to generate clips. Not lightning fast, but not unbearable.

Output:

CapCut generated 5 shorts. Three were from the songs; two focused on crowd interactions.

• One song clip was cut short, which was a bummer.

• Crowd interaction segments were well-identified but needed trimming at the start and end.

My Take

While the tool technically worked, it didn’t hit the mark for music performances.

The AI seemed to prioritize English-speaking segments over Korean songs, despite CapCut claiming support for over 20 languages, including Korean.

It left me wondering: Does CapCut really understand non-English content as advertised?

Further testing is needed… perhaps with English songs to see if this pattern holds.

It’s probably not the best option for music performances, especially multilingual ones.

You’ll likely need to spend extra time manually editing the clips.

Second Test: A 9-Minute TED Talk

For this test, I used Julian Treasure’s TED Talk, “How to Speak So That People Want to Listen.”

The video was in 1080p with clear speech and well-defined segments.

The Results

Processing Time:

Just 2 minutes… quick and efficient!

Output:

The tool generated 5 shorts, most under 1 minute, immediately usable for social media.

The AI captured key moments and made clean cuts.

My Take

This tool absolutely shines with educational or presentation-style content.

The generated clips were concise, meaningful, and perfect for repurposing on platforms like YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels.

It is a great tool for creators working with spoken content.

If you’re into repurposing webinars, talks, or explainer videos, this one’s a win.

Key Limitation: Resolution Compression

Here’s the kicker: No matter how crisp your original 4K footage is, CapCut’s AI Clip Generator takes it down a peg.

The result?

A “4K” export that feels more like 720p on a good day.

You can see the difference in the image below.

The left is CapCut’s output video; the right is the original video.

To be fair, it’s not a dealbreaker if you’re repurposing content for social media, where most people won’t notice. Especially on mobile!

But if sharpness is your hill to die on, this tool might leave you squinting in disappointment.

And it’s pretty obvious when you put it on a wide screen.

The Verdict

Great For:

• Presentation and educational content.

• Quick, social media-ready clips with minimal effort.

Not Ideal For:

• Music performances or multilingual videos.

• Projects where maintaining 4K quality is essential.

The Final Byte

CapCut’s AI Clip Generator has its moments.

It’s great for quick edits on educational content and social media-ready shorts.

But based on my experience… it struggles with music performances, non-English content, and that pesky resolution compression.

If 4K sharpness is your vibe, this might leave you squinting in disappointment.

For heavy users, upgrading to Pro might be worth it for those extra AI perks.

Just don’t forget it’s not a “one-size-fits-all” solution, and some manual polishing will still be needed.

Tried CapCut? What’s your take?

Does the convenience outweigh the quirks, or should the AI go back to school?

Drop your thoughts below, and I’ll see you in the next one!

*Affiliate Disclaimer: Quick note! If you upgrade to pro from my affiliate link, I might earn a small commission—think of it as a high-five ✋🏼that helps keep this content rolling. I only recommend tools and products that I genuinely believe can boost your productivity and creativity.

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