PricingDescribe the style in observable terms
A useful reference brief explains what you want the viewer to notice. Instead of “make it viral,” name the opening shot, the rhythm of cuts, the caption density and the mood. A quick montage of close-ups needs different footage from a quiet story built around a long talking-head shot. The reference can guide those choices, but it cannot provide coverage you never filmed.
Choose material you can actually use
Upload a short reference in MP4, MOV or WebM format, up to 256 MB, or select an available built-in reference. Add your own footage, up to 1 GB per file. Use material you have permission to upload and publish. Shorty may analyze and use a reference soundtrack, so permission to watch a reference does not automatically give you permission to reuse its music.
Build a usable source set
Include a clear opening image, shots that explain the subject, supporting details and a possible ending. For a product edit, that could mean an overview, an action showing the main benefit and a close-up of the result. If most of your source is landscape but the output is vertical, keep the important action away from the edges where reframing could crop it.
Give a precise editing brief
Example: “Use this reference for its quick opening and clean captions. Make a vertical product edit from my clips. Start with the product in use, follow with two detail shots, then end on the finished result. Keep spoken words intact and avoid cutting away before the action is clear.” This names decisions the edit should make without demanding an exact copy of another creator’s work.
Review the new cut
Inspect subject framing, caption spelling and whether the story still makes sense without knowing the original reference. Confirm that sound is appropriate for the intended publication. Download the rendered MP4 when you are satisfied. Shorty can interpret editing traits, but it does not promise an exact reproduction of every transition, effect or creator format. Use a manual editor if exact frame-level matching is essential.
Review and revise the result
Shorty supports follow-up revision requests. In supported editable compositions, you can select an editable element and describe a targeted change. Review the new version before sharing. Objects flattened into source footage are not automatically separate editable layers; the timeline is for playback and inspection rather than full manual frame-by-frame authoring.