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One long video can become a week of YouTube Shorts, TikToks and Reels, if you have the hours to find the best moments, reframe them to vertical and caption them. OpusClip is an AI clipping tool built to do that job for you. Want to follow along? Try OpusClip free (affiliate link).
How this guide was put together: every fact below comes from official OpusClip pages, the OpusClip homepage and FAQ and the OpusClip pricing page, checked October 26, 2026. It's a guide based on official information, not a hands-on test. Plans and limits change, so confirm on the pricing page before you buy.
What OpusClip does
According to OpusClip, it picks the highlight moments of a long video, rearranges them into a short clip and polishes it with dynamic captions, AI re-layout and transitions. The main pieces:
- ClipAnything: the AI clipping model. OpusClip says it works on any genre (podcasts, interviews, vlogs, gaming, sports, explainers), not just talking heads.
- ReframeAnything: resizes video for each platform and keeps moving subjects centered with object tracking, with manual tracking if you want more control.
- AI captions: animated caption templates with emoji and keyword highlights. OpusClip claims over 97% caption accuracy, and captions stay editable.
- Virality Score and Auto hook: a score to help you pick which clips to post, plus an auto-generated hook (Virality Score is a paid-plan feature).
- Many languages: the FAQ lists English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and many more.
How to turn a long video into Shorts with OpusClip
- Pick a strong source video. Podcasts, interviews, tutorials, livestreams and vlogs with clear moments work best for Shorts.
- Create a free account at OpusClip. No credit card is required for the free clips.
- Upload or link the video. All plans accept local uploads (up to 10GB per video on Free and Starter, 30GB on Pro). Starter and Pro can auto-import from a verified YouTube account, and Pro also accepts a public MP4 URL.
- Set the clipping options. Choose the timeframe to clip from and a clip length (0–1 min suits Shorts). On Pro you can also search by topic or describe the moment you want with Prompt to clip.
- Review the clips. On paid plans, sort by Virality Score, then watch each clip: AI picks are a starting point, not a final edit. Starter and Pro let you reprompt clipping to refine the results.
- Polish. Pick a caption template and brand template, fix any caption words, and (on paid plans) trim with the text- and timeline-based editor and remove pauses and filler words.
- Export or post. Download the MP4, or on Starter and above post straight to social platforms. Pro adds the social media scheduler, bulk export and export to Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve.
- Link back to the full video. Use each Short to point viewers to the long-form upload, and check which clips actually perform before you clip more like them.
OpusClip free plan limits
OpusClip's FAQ says new users get a 7-day free trial of the Pro plan with 90 minutes of video processing (about 30 downloadable clips). After that you can stay on the free-forever plan with 60 minutes of processing, refreshed monthly. On the pricing page, the free plan:
- Exports clips with a watermark (watermark-free export starts on Starter).
- Lets you export MP4s for 3 days, up to 1080p; media storage expires after 3 days.
- Supports 9:16 only, with no text/timeline editor, no Virality Score and no posting to social media.
- Includes AI clipping, auto hook, AI captions, dynamic layout switching and 1 brand template.
That's enough to test whether OpusClip picks good moments from your videos, but not enough for a regular posting schedule.
OpusClip pricing summary
Prices from the OpusClip pricing page, checked October 26, 2026 (USD):
| Plan | Price | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Watermarked clips, 3-day export window, 9:16 only |
| Starter | $15/mo | No watermark, YouTube auto-import, Virality Score, editor, post to social, 30-day export window |
| Pro | $29/mo | Prompt to clip, 9:16/1:1/16:9, scheduler, bulk export, Premiere/DaVinci export, 100GB storage, team seats (2 users per pack, up to 4) |
| Business | Custom | Dedicated queue, unlimited seats and storage, SSO, CMS integration |
OpusClip offers monthly and yearly billing; check the pricing page for the current yearly rate.
Who OpusClip is for
- Podcasters and interview shows who record long episodes and want daily clips.
- YouTubers who publish long videos and want Shorts to drive discovery without hours of manual editing.
- Streamers and gamers, since OpusClip lists screenshare/gameplay layouts.
- Small teams and brands that need brand templates, a shared workspace and an API (Pro and above).
It's less of a fit if you only make original short-form content from scratch, or if you want frame-by-frame control in a full editor.
Alternatives to consider
- Submagic: caption-first tool for punchy Shorts with animated captions.
- VEED: a broader online video editor that also handles clips and captions.
- Descript: edit long videos by editing the transcript, with a built-in clip creator.
- CapCut: free-to-start editor popular for styled Shorts and Reels.
For a side-by-side look, see OpusClip vs Submagic vs VEED and Descript vs CapCut.
Bottom line
If you already have long videos and no time to cut Shorts, OpusClip is built for exactly that job. Start on the free plan with one recent upload, see whether the clips it picks are worth posting, then upgrade to Starter or Pro if you want watermark-free exports and auto-posting.
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpusClip free?
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Yes. OpusClip says new users get a 7-day free trial of the Pro plan (90 minutes of processing, about 30 downloadable clips), then can stay on a free-forever plan with 60 minutes of processing refreshed monthly. Free clips carry a watermark and expire after 3 days.
How much does OpusClip cost?
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On October 26, 2026 the OpusClip pricing page listed Free at $0, Starter at $15/month, Pro at $29/month and Business at custom pricing. Plans are offered with monthly or yearly billing.
What kinds of videos can OpusClip clip?
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OpusClip says its ClipAnything model works on any genre: podcasts, interviews, vlogs, gaming, sports, explainers and videos with little or no dialogue. You can also prompt it in natural language to find a specific moment (Prompt to clip is listed on Pro).
Can OpusClip post Shorts for me?
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Posting to social media is listed on Starter and above. The social media scheduler and posting to multiple profiles per platform are listed on Pro and Business.
Which OpusClip plan should a YouTuber start with?
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Start on the free plan to see if the clips it picks are worth posting. Starter removes the watermark and adds auto-import from a verified YouTube account; Pro adds the editor features most weekly creators want, such as the scheduler, bulk export and Premiere Pro/DaVinci Resolve export.