3-minute Shorts and monetization: plan the cut and the price

YouTube's three-minute Shorts page ties monetization to the Shorts Feed: Shorts that show up there are eligible. It also says a Short over one minute with an active copyright claim of any type is blocked globally. So the plan for a long Short is a file that is square or vertical, 3 minutes or less, with audio you can clear.

What does YouTube's page say? (read 2026-10-09)

How do you cut a long take down to a Short?

If your source is a longer vertical or square clip, video_trim takes a start plus an end or a duration. The duration range is 0.2 to 900 seconds and the price is $0.02 per job, so a 179-second window is one job. Leave a second of margin under 180 so rounding in the player cannot push you over. Poll the job status route, since the default mode is async.

If the source is 16:9, use Timeline 1.0 with a 1080x1920 output and the blur fit, as in the fit modes post. Timeline bills $0.10 per output minute, rounded up, so a 179-second render is $0.30.

How do you handle the claim risk over one minute?

• Check the audio first: probe with video_inspect and, if you need the words, set transcribe true ($0.01 per audio minute) to read what is said.
• Use music you have the rights to; the page lists song limits of 90, 60 or 30 seconds for claimed tracks.
• Keep a 59-second version as a fallback. It is a second video_trim job at $0.02.
• Compare cuts: how many cuts fit covers the 200-slot Timeline cap.

Does a long Short earn more?

YouTube's page does not say so. It says a Short in the Shorts Feed is eligible; it gives no revenue figures. Treat length as a story choice and check the file with a probe before you upload.

Write the plan down per video: source length, the cut window you chose, the output length, the music source, and the price of each Sume job. A 179-second trim is $0.02, a 179-second Timeline render is $0.30, and a fallback 59-second cut is another $0.02. The total is small enough that testing two versions costs less than guessing.