PricingThree ways to give an edit its music
Pick the one that matches what you have.
| Music source | How to add it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| A song you choose | Add an MP3, WAV or M4A file with your clips, or attach one with the paperclip in a revision | Shorty asks you to confirm you have the rights before it uploads |
| A track Shorty finds or creates | Write “add upbeat music” or “a calm, cinematic soundtrack” in the brief or a revision | A library track costs nothing extra; a newly created one uses credits by length |
| The clip’s own sound | Ask for the edit to be cut to the clip’s own soundtrack | Useful when the original audio already has a rhythm |
Sources: Music for your edit, your own tracks and more. Shorty News release notes for these features.
A recorded example: an Alps reel cut to its own beat
In a comparison published on 18 October 2026, Shorty’s Auto director cut ten seconds of Alps footage to the clip’s own soundtrack, with two-word titles tucked behind the hiker or the mountain, and passed every check.
Sources: 16 real edits side by side. One first-party comparison; results depend on your footage and brief.
Brief: “Ten seconds of the Alps cut to the clip’s own soundtrack, with two-word titles and text tucked behind the hiker or the mountain.” Edited by Shorty on Auto. Watch the film
More real edits cut to the music
Shorty edits from the Discovery gallery, each made from one request. The caption says what the saved brief asked for; open the original footage to compare. Turn the sound on.
Vietnam, day to night
Cut on the beat of the clip’s own audio, keeping the original soundtrack, as the brief asked.
Tokyo after dark
The brief asked for cuts locked to beats and downbeats and a flash on each drop, keeping the footage’s own beat as the soundtrack.
Store in motion
A store showcase matched to a reference. The brief asked for quick beat-synced cuts between clothing racks, shoes and shelves.
Studio looks and stock footage
A first edit from one brief: four studio looks plus Pixabay clips the director found, cropped to 9:16 and cut on the beat.
How the cut follows the music
When you ask Shorty for music on a new edit, the track is ready before the director starts, so the cut is built around it. For music montages the director can build a velocity edit: slow on each hit, fast in between, with speed ramps, optical-flow slow motion and motion blur chosen per shot. Speech never ramps, so anyone talking stays at real speed.
Sources: Speed curves and velocity edits. Shorty News release notes for these features.
Ask for it in the brief
Say which song to use, how long the video should be and which moments should hit the beat.
Cut my clips to the attached song as a 15-second vertical reel. Change shots on the beat, put the best jump on the drop with a slow-motion ramp, and end on the final chorus hit.
Popular songs and rights
You can use a popular song only if you have the rights to use it in this video and wherever you post it. Attach its audio file and confirm. If a brief names a song without a file, Shorty creates an original track in that mood and says so on the cut, with how to use the real song: attach its audio file in a change. A finished cut with music shows its track, marked Your track or AI-generated in Shorty.
What to check in the export
Play the MP4 with sound on a phone.
- Cuts land on beats rather than just after them, especially on the drop.
- The strongest moments line up with the biggest hits in the song.
- Speech, if any, is still at normal speed and audible over the music.
- The ending lands on a musical phrase rather than mid-bar.
- If a moment misses the beat, name it in a revision: “move the jump onto the drop”.