PricingWhat Shorty copies from a reference video
Reference Match reads the reference the way an editor would and applies it to your footage. Version 2.0, released on 25 October 2026, reads the fine print: where the captions sit, which words are highlighted, how fast the edit cuts and where each cut lands in the music.
| From the reference | In your edit |
|---|---|
| Pace | Cuts as quick as the reference: a fast-cut ad stays fast, a slow travel reel stays slow. |
| Music | In edits cut to music, every cut is checked against the beat and moved if it misses. |
| Captions | Placed where the reference puts them, with the same words highlighted and kept off faces. |
| Opening and titles | Ask for one to one and they are rebuilt with your clips. |
| Shot order, transitions, framing, colour | Follow the reference’s structure, transitions, reframing and colour direction. |
Sources: Shorty News: Reference Match 2.0 · Reference video style matching. Shorty’s release notes and feature page.
See it on real edits
The Reference Match 2.0 launch film. The before-and-afters are real edits from Shorty’s tests. Turn the sound on.
The launch film. The reel in the feed is one of Shorty’s own edits, standing in for a video you love. Watch the film
Before and after
Each clip is one trait of the reference carried over to different footage.
Captions matched to a reference reel
Four raw takes and a reference reel: glowing captions with the main words highlighted, on time with every word and off the face.
One-to-one recreation: Reference Match 1.0 and 2.0
Asked to recreate a travel reel’s opening. Top: Reference Match 1.0 made a single LOCATION line. Bottom: 2.0 rebuilt the reference’s three-line title.
Pace matched to a fast-cut reference
A perfume ad cut as quickly as the fast-cut reference it was given.
Cuts locked to the beat
Top: four takes straight from the camera. Bottom: the music video Shorty cut from them, switching takes on the beat.
How to match a reference video in Shorty
- Add your clips or photos: up to 150 clips and 8 GB per edit.
- Add the video you want to copy under References (MP4, MOV or WebM up to 256 MB), or pick one from Discovery.
- Write the brief: “like the reference” for its style, or “recreate it one to one” to copy it closely. Add anything that must differ.
- Watch the MP4. To change something, name the shot or title and what should change; the rest of the edit stays.
Edit my clips like the reference reel: same cut speed, captions in the same place with the key words highlighted, cuts on the beat. Recreate its opening title one to one over my storefront shot. Keep my voiceover and end on the product.
Your brief wins over the reference
If the brief says “key words in yellow” or “no music”, Shorty follows you over the reference. Negatives count too: “no slow motion” and “don’t repeat clips” mean exactly that.
Do it from ChatGPT or Claude
Shorty connects to ChatGPT, Claude, Claude Code, Cursor and Codex over MCP at https://mcp.shortyedit.com/mcp, with OAuth sign-in in your browser. A free Shorty account is created the first time you authorize.
In ChatGPT, ask it to open Shorty Studio and add the reference and your clips in the editor that opens in the chat. In Claude, give it the reference as a video file or direct media link plus your clips, and Shorty edits and renders them.
Sources: Match a reference with ChatGPT · Match a reference with Claude · Shorty MCP setup. Setup steps from Shorty’s MCP page.
What a reference cannot do
Shorty edits the footage you supply; it does not generate missing shots. If the reference opens on a drone shot and you have none, the edit opens on your closest clip. Camera movement, light and angles come from your footage, so an exact match is not guaranteed: name the difference and ask for one focused change.
The reference soundtrack may be used in the render, so use audio you are allowed to publish, or attach your own MP3, WAV or M4A.
Reference editing or reference-to-video generation?
Reference-to-video generators make new frames that imitate a clip’s motion or look. Reference Match keeps your real footage and copies the editing: cuts, timing, captions, titles and colour. Generate the shots you could not film; use Reference Match when the people, product and places on screen must be yours.