YouTube introduces new Shorts features and AI innovations

YouTube is set to revamp its Shorts video feature, offering users and creators enhanced control and engagement with new updates. Starting October 15th, YouTube Shorts will extend video lengths up to three minutes, a strategic move inspired by TikTok’s success in longer short-form content engagement. This alteration is exclusive to videos in a square or taller aspect ratio, with previous uploads unaffected. The extended runtime intends to enrich content, facilitating storytelling for creators while maintaining viewer interest.

YouTube is also streamlining its remixing feature, allowing creators to reimagine existing Shorts with new templates for added creativity. By selecting “Remix” within a Short, users can choose a template to modify their clips. The platform aims to broaden this feature over the coming months, enabling creators to mix and match content from multiple sources to craft unique Shorts.

The introduction of Google’s AI tool, Veo, promises to revolutionise background and video creation. Announced in mid-September, Veo will bring generative AI capabilities to YouTube, furnishing creators with intricate backgrounds and ready-to-use video segments. Although the specific release date is unannounced, the rollout is expected by the end of 2024.

To keep pace with trending content, YouTube is introducing a dedicated Trends page within its mobile app, allowing users to explore popular Shorts within their locale. Additionally, the update includes a comment preview feed for immediate viewer interaction, akin to Instagram’s Live chat display, without navigating to the comment section.

For users preferring reduced visibility of Shorts, YouTube will offer a “Show fewer Shorts” option. Accessed via the three dots menu above the Shorts grid on mobile, this feature temporarily limits the visibility of Shorts content based on user preference.

In a separate vein, Google’s NotebookLM is enhancing its AI-powered notebook capabilities by enabling users to convert long YouTube videos into succinct, AI-generated podcasts. This innovation underscores Google’s effort to enhance educational and informational content accessibility by transforming videos from debates and interviews into podcasts. The update follows an earlier enhancement that allowed integration of public YouTube URLs and audio files into notebooks for study guide creation.

To leverage this new capability of converting videos into podcasts, users must visit the NotebookLM website or Google Labs, sign in using a Google account, and upload their YouTube video of choice. The process involves pasting the desired video URL and generating an audio overview from the linked content. While NotebookLM offers a unique approach to content consumption, Google cautions about potential inaccuracies and extended processing times within the Audio Overview feature.

These updates across YouTube and Google products reflect a growing emphasis on empowering content creators and expanding ways for audiences to interact with media, aligning with evolving digital consumption habits.

Source: Noah Wire Services