Beta version of YouTube Shorts is now available in Singapore

YouTube has announced the arrival of the beta version of YouTube Shorts in Singapore on Jul 13. The platform is a new way to create short, catchy videos from mobile phones.

Although short form videos were already viewable on the platform, YouTube users in Singapore will now be able to access Short’s creation tools, unlocking a new playground of creativity for users. This includes a multi-segment camera to string multiple video clips together, the ability to record with music, control speed settings and more. 

Since its first announcement in Sept 2020, YouTube Shorts has since expanded to 26 countries and will now be available across more than 100 countries worldwide. 

Here are some of the things you will be able to do with the new features: 

1. Add text to specific points in your video
2. Automatically add captions to your Short 
3. Record up to 60 seconds with the Shorts camera 
4. Add clips from your phone’s gallery to add to your recordings made with the Shorts camera
5. Add basic filters to colour correct your Shorts, with more effects in the future
6. Sample audio not only from other Shorts but also from videos across YouTube

With these news features, users can put their own unique twist to the content they enjoy watching on YouTube, such as reacting to favourite segments or re-enacting a creator’s latest recipe. Creators will still have full control over their videos, able to opt out if they do not wish for their video to be remixed by users. 

Surpassing 6.5 billion daily views globally, YouTube Shorts aims to be a platform for people to enjoy Shorts and creators to be discovered. 

YouTube has already introduced a row on their homepage specially for Shorts even before introducing the creation tools, allowing users to swipe vertically from one video to the next. A Shorts tab on mobile will be added in the future, making it easier for users to watch Shorts with a single tap.  

“We want to make it easy and fun to create Shorts as we continue to build Shorts alongside our creators and artists, we’ll be adding more features for users to try,” said Todd Sherman, Global Product Manager for YouTube Shorts. 

Although Shorts is a new addition on YouTube, the company is already looking for various ways to monetise Shorts to reward creators, including a $100 million YouTube Shorts Fund distributed over the course of 2021-2022. 

Over the past three years, YouTube has paid more than $30 billion to creators, artists and media companies – helping creators transform their creativity into businesses.