# AI Video Generator for YouTube Shorts

> An AI video generator for YouTube Shorts makes vertical 9:16 clips from a prompt or a still image. On Kenerate, Wan 3 is the all-round pick: 2–30 s per clip, 480p–1080p, native sound and spoken lines, from 15 credits a second at 480p. Use Seedance 2.5 for cinematic shots up to 4K and Veo 3.1 Fast for short punchy hooks. Shorts can run up to 3 minutes, so longer Shorts are several clips joined in an editor — then add captions with YouTube subtitles and narration with the Shorts voice generator. Video needs a paid plan.

URL: https://kenerateai.com/ai-video-generator-for-youtube-shorts
Publisher: Kenerate AI (https://kenerateai.com)
Last updated: 1 November 2026

## Key facts
- Format: 9:16 vertical on every model listed here
- Clip length: 2–30 s per generation (Wan 3, Seedance 2.5)
- YouTube Shorts limit: Up to 3 minutes (YouTube Help)
- Sound: Native effects, music and spoken lines in quotes
- Cheapest with sound: Wan 3 — 15 credits/s at 480p
- Captions: Auto Subtitles, 10 styles, clips up to 4 min
- Plan needed: Paid plan for video; no watermark
- Wan 3 (Alibaba): Image or text (+ optional end frame) → 2–30 s · 480p–1080p · sound · 150 credits / 5 s at 720p. Talking clips, faceless b-roll and longer beats.
- Seedance 2.5 (ByteDance): Image, text or references → 4–30 s · up to 4K · sound · 540 credits / 5 s at 720p. Cinematic action and multi-shot scenes.
- Veo 3.1 Fast (Google): Image or text → 4, 6 or 8 s · up to 4K · sound · 225 credits / 5 s. Short hooks with a spoken line.
- Pixverse v6 (Pixverse): Image, text or references → 1–15 s · 360p–1080p · sound · 68 credits / 5 s. Budget social clips and quick tests.
- LTX 2.3 (Lightricks): Image or text → 5–20 s · 480p–1080p · silent · 45 credits / 5 s. Cheap silent b-roll under a voice-over.

## Steps
1. Write the hook and a short script — One idea per Short. Write the first line the viewer hears or reads — the hook — and split the rest into 5–10 second beats, one clip per beat.
2. Make a start frame (optional) — For a recurring character, product or face that must stay the same, make a vertical still first with the AI image generator, or upload your own photo. Skip this for faceless b-roll and type the scene as a prompt.
3. Generate 9:16 clips — Open the video studio, choose Wan 3, set 9:16 and 5 seconds, and describe the action and the sound. Put any spoken line in quotes. Draft at 480p, then re-render the keepers at 1080p.
4. Add captions and voice — Run each clip through YouTube subtitles to burn in captions in one of 10 styles, or make narration with the Shorts voice generator and lay it over faceless clips.
5. Join, download and upload — Join the clips in any editor, download the MP4 (no watermark) and upload it to YouTube as a vertical video. Turn on the altered-content setting if the Short shows realistic scenes that never happened.

## In depth

### One clip or many?
YouTube Shorts can be up to 3 minutes long [1], but an AI generation is a single shot of 2–30 seconds. Most good Shorts are 15–60 seconds built from three to eight clips: a hook, a few beats and a payoff. Generating beat by beat also means you only re-roll the clip that didn't work.
- Under 30 s: one Wan 3 or Seedance 2.5 clip can be the whole Short
- 30 s – 3 min: several clips joined, with captions and a voice-over tying them together

### Disclosure and monetisation
YouTube asks for the altered or synthetic content label on realistic AI scenes — a real-looking person saying something they didn't, or an event that never happened — and not on clearly unrealistic or animated content [2]. Separately, the Partner Program does not pay for mass-produced, repetitive videos [3]. Neither rule bans AI: they ask for honesty about realism and for original work.

### Keep it original
Use fictional characters, your own photos and your own products. Putting a real person or celebrity into a Short without permission can break YouTube's rules and likeness laws, and Kenerate refuses content of minors, sexual content of real people and illegal content.

References:
[1] YouTube Help — YouTube Shorts: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/10059070
[2] YouTube Help — Disclosing use of altered or synthetic content: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/14328491
[3] YouTube Help — YouTube channel monetisation policies: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1311392

## FAQ
Q: How do I make a YouTube Short with AI?
A: Write a hook and split the idea into 5–10 second beats. In Kenerate's video studio pick Wan 3, set 9:16, describe each beat with its sound and generate the clips. Add captions with YouTube subtitles or a voice-over with the Shorts voice generator, join the clips in an editor and upload the MP4 to YouTube as a vertical video.

Q: What size and length should an AI Short be?
A: Vertical 9:16, at 1080p for upload. YouTube Shorts can be up to 3 minutes long. Each AI generation is 2–30 seconds on Wan 3 and Seedance 2.5 (up to 15 on Pixverse v6, 8 on Veo 3.1), so a Short longer than one clip is several clips joined together.

Q: Is there an AI video generator for YouTube for free?
A: Not on Kenerate: video needs a paid plan, and new accounts get free credits for images. The cheapest clip with sound is Wan 3 at 480p — 15 credits a second, so 75 credits for 5 seconds; LTX 2.3 makes silent clips for 45 credits per 5 seconds. Downloads have no watermark. Free tiers elsewhere usually add a watermark or cap length.

Q: Can AI-generated Shorts be monetised?
A: Yes, if the channel meets the YouTube Partner Program rules. YouTube doesn't ban AI tools, but its monetisation policy excludes mass-produced or repetitive content — for example near-identical videos with only small changes. Original scripts, varied visuals and your own voice or commentary keep a channel on the right side of it.

Q: Do I have to label AI videos on YouTube?
A: Only realistic ones. YouTube asks creators to turn on the altered or synthetic content setting when a video shows realistic people, places or events that were made or meaningfully changed with AI. Clearly unrealistic or animated content, and AI help with scripts, captions or thumbnails, don't need the label.

Q: Can the people in the clip talk?
A: Yes, on sound models such as Wan 3, Seedance 2.5 and Veo 3.1. Put the line in quotes in the prompt and say how it's said — "calm", "excited", "deep voice". Keep it under ten words per 5-second clip. For an exact script in a chosen voice, make it with the Shorts voice generator and use lip sync.

Q: Can I make faceless Shorts?
A: Yes. Generate b-roll from text prompts only — hands cooking, landscapes, products, city scenes — then add narration from the Shorts voice generator and burned-in captions. Silent models such as LTX 2.3 are a cheap fit when the voice-over carries the audio.

Q: How do I keep the same character across Shorts?
A: Make one vertical image of the character and use it as the start frame for every clip. Wan 3 and Seedance 2.5 also take reference images, which helps the face and outfit stay consistent across a series.

Q: Can I make the thumbnail with AI too?
A: Yes — Shorts mostly show a frame from the video, but for the channel page and long-form videos you can make a thumbnail with the AI thumbnail generator.

## Related pages
- YouTube Shorts voice generator: https://kenerateai.com/youtube-shorts-voice-generator
- YouTube subtitles: https://kenerateai.com/youtube-subtitles
- AI thumbnail generator: https://kenerateai.com/ai-thumbnail-generator
- Image to video AI: https://kenerateai.com/image-to-video-ai
- AI video generator for Instagram: https://kenerateai.com/ai-video-generator-for-instagram
- AI video generator with voice: https://kenerateai.com/ai-video-generator-with-voice

## Sources
- Kenerate video studio: https://kenerateai.com/app/video
- YouTube Help — Get started with YouTube Shorts (up to 3 minutes): https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/10059070
- YouTube Help — Disclosing use of altered or synthetic content: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/14328491
- YouTube Help — YouTube channel monetisation policies: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1311392