LinkedIn video ad length: trim a 90-second cut to 30 s with Sume

LinkedIn's help page allows video ads from 3 seconds to 30 minutes, recommends 15 to 30 seconds for all placements, and lists up to 90 seconds for in-stream ads. If your holiday campaign video is 90 seconds, cut a 30-second version with Sume video_trim: send start and duration: 30. Public price is $0.02 per job, and the trim docs say to confirm live rates in GET /v1/catalog.

Length rules in one place

The first three rows are from the LinkedIn page. The last three are from the Sume docs.

Steps

• Import the master with POST /v1/media-imports; the trim API refuses off-host URLs.
• Pull stills with video_inspect to pick the 30-second window that opens on the product, not on a logo.
• Call POST /v1/video-trim with start, duration: 30, and an Idempotency-Key.
• Leave precision at exact so the cut is frame accurate. Re-base times on actual_start_seconds only if you pick keyframe.
• Download the result and check that the file is between 75 KB and 500 MB, as LinkedIn states.

If the window runs past the end of the source, end clamps and the result includes trim_clamped_to_source. Read warnings[] so a short clip does not slip through.

Cutting to the recommended length

The page's recommendation is 15 to 30 seconds for all placements, so a 30-second cut is the top of that range and a 15-second cut is the bottom. If you are unsure, trim both from the same master. That is two jobs and $0.04, and it gives you a pair to test against each other.

Keep the hook early. For a 90-second master, the first 30 seconds is not always the best 30 seconds. Look at the stills, decide where the offer is stated, and start a few seconds before it. Because exact precision is frame accurate, you can cut straight into a scene without a half-second of the previous shot.

If you need a version with a different ratio too, run the trim first, then the crop on the 30-second file. The filter route accepts a source up to 300 seconds, so cutting first also keeps you inside that limit.

Budget and detail

For a quick budget, ten 90-second masters trimmed into one 30-second cut each cost $0.20 in trim fees, and ten pairs of cuts (15 and 30 seconds) cost $0.40. Add the Timeline render at $0.10 per output minute only if you assemble several shots into one piece. A plain trim needs no Timeline step. Confirm each rate in the catalog before you finalise the plan, because the docs ask you to.

What Sume does not do

Sume does not pick the strongest 30 seconds and does not score creative. It also does not report file size against LinkedIn's limits. You choose the range and check the size.