Shortest ad video: Pinterest 4 s, LinkedIn 3 s, Google action 10 s

Pinterest wants at least 4 seconds, LinkedIn video ads at least 3 seconds, and Google Video action campaigns at least 10 seconds. Sume video trim will cut anything from 0.2 seconds, so it never stops you at any of these: the check is yours. One 12-second cut clears all three minimums, and you confirm it by reading duration_seconds on the trim result.

The minimums side by side

Each number below comes from the platform's own specification page, read on 2026-10-08. They apply to different ad products, so the table names the product.

Why the difference matters

A cut meant for one platform fails on another without any warning from the tool that made it. A 6-second bumper is fine for Pinterest and LinkedIn and too short for Google Video action campaigns. A 3-second loop is valid on LinkedIn only. If you reuse one file across ad accounts, the shortest passing length is the largest minimum in the list, which is 10 seconds here.

Sume does not hold these numbers in the catalog. The video-trim docs list the real limits: source up to 1,800 seconds, output 0.2 to 900 seconds, and $0.02 per job. Duration refusals only occur outside that range.

One cut, one check

Trim with precision: exact so the length is frame-accurate, then compare the result with the table. A request that asks for duration: 12 on a source of at least 12 seconds returns 12 seconds. If the source ends early, Sume clamps the end and adds trim_clamped_to_source to warnings[], and the result can come back under the minimum.

{
  "video_url": "https://media.sume.com/artifacts/artf_demo/ad-master.mp4",
  "start": 0,
  "duration": 12,
  "precision": "exact"
}

What this leaves out

Maximum lengths, file sizes and ratios differ by platform and are not on this list. Google's Shorts ad length and the Pinterest 15-minute maximum are covered in other posts. Sume does not upload to any of these platforms, so the minimum is something you enforce before you hand the file over.

Handling the clamp case

A cut near the end of a source is the usual way to miss a minimum. If the source is 11 seconds long and you ask for 12, Sume clamps the end and returns about 11 seconds with trim_clamped_to_source in warnings[]. That passes Pinterest and LinkedIn and fails Google Video action campaigns.

Probe the source before trimming. Video inspect returns duration_seconds without re-encoding, so you know how much footage you have. If the source is shorter than the minimum you need, a trim cannot fix it; a Timeline render can hold a still to reach the length, at $0.10 per output minute.