What to know for YouTube Shorts
- Aspect ratio
- 9:16, 1080 × 1920
- Length
- Up to 3 minutes to qualify as a Short
- Caption placement
- Middle band, clear of the title overlay
- Words on screen
- 2–4 at a time
Keeping captions out of the way
The Shorts player puts your channel name, video title and the Subscribe button across the bottom of the frame, and the like, dislike, comment and share column down the right. The bottom fifth and the right sixth are the areas to keep clear.
Why burn them in
YouTube generates automatic subtitles, but they are a caption track rather than part of the picture: viewers can turn them off, they take time to appear on a new upload, and they are not styled. Burning them in means the words are simply there.
How it works
- 1
Drop the clip in
An MP4 or MOV of your YouTube Shorts video, up to eight minutes. It stays on your device.
- 2
Choose how it looks
Eight styles. The preview updates as you pick, so you see it before exporting.
- 3
Export it clean
A finished MP4 with the captions burned in. No watermark, on any plan.
Questions
Do burned-in captions affect Shorts reach?
They do not replace YouTube’s own subtitle track, which is what the platform reads for accessibility and search. Many creators do both: burn in styled captions for the look, and leave auto-subtitles on for everything else.
What resolution should I export?
1080 × 1920 is the sensible target. Exports here keep whatever resolution your source clip has, so a 1080p recording stays 1080p.
Can I caption a Short longer than a minute?
Yes. Clips up to eight minutes work, which covers the full three-minute Shorts limit.
How much does it cost?
3 days free with everything unlocked and no card. After that it is $5 a month, cancel in one click, and a full refund if you ask within seven days.