Turn an interview into short clips, free and without a watermark

How to turn an interview into clips

1. 1. Add the interview

   Paste the interview’s YouTube link, or upload the video file (up to 5 GB). An audio interview works too: upload the audio file in the app.

2. 2. Pick one complete answer

   Read the transcript and find an answer that makes sense on its own. Start on the first words of the answer. End where the point lands. Include the question only if the answer needs it. Select the exact words, or set the start and end on the timeline.

3. 3. Frame the speaker

   Turn on the full-screen 9:16 crop. It can follow the speaker’s face automatically. When the other person speaks, move the frame with keyframes. Or turn the crop off to keep the wide shot.

4. 4. Caption it and publish

   Word-timed captions are burned in, in the language spoken. Download the MP4, or post it to Instagram or X from FastClip.

Why two people are harder to crop

Most interviews are shot in 16:9. A 9:16 window cut from a 16:9 frame keeps about 32% of the width (the arithmetic is on our landscape to vertical guide). Two people side by side do not fit in it. You have three options:

• Follow the speaker. The crop follows the face that is on screen. Where the speaker changes, add a keyframe and move the frame to the other person.
• Pick answers that stay with one person. A long answer from one speaker needs no moves, and it reads best on a phone.
• Keep the wide shot. Turn the crop off, and the clip stays landscape. On Instagram, FastClip places the full picture in a vertical card with your title.

Check the whole clip once before you finish it. A frame that is still on the host while the guest answers is the most common mistake.

Length and originality rules for interview clips

From YouTube Help, read on October 14, 2026: upload Shorts. From Instagram Help and TikTok Creator Academy, read on October 2, 2026: Recommendations on Instagram and TikTok’s originality policy.

• YouTube Shorts: up to three minutes. A Short is a square or vertical video of up to three minutes. A landscape clip is a normal video, not a Short.
• Instagram: three minutes for reach. Instagram says “Reels over 3 minutes won’t be recommended to new audiences”.
• TikTok: add your own work. TikTok may remove content “largely repurposed from another source without adding any creative edits” from the For You feed.
• YouTube monetization: permission is not enough. The reused content policy judges the whole channel. It applies “even if you have permission from the original creator” (YouTube channel monetization policies).

In practice: an interview you recorded is yours to clip. If you clip someone else’s interview, ask for permission, choose the moment yourself and add your own work: captions, text and a clear source. Our originality guide compares the platforms.

Which answer to use

Look for an answer with a clear claim in the first sentence, a number, a story or a surprise. Cut the filler before it, and end on the last sentence that carries the point. Our guides on hooks, finding moments and clip length go deeper.

Questions

More ways to clip long videos

Clipping a podcast? See podcast to Shorts, podcast to TikTok and podcast to Reels. Clipping a recorded talk? See webinar to Shorts. For the caption tools, see the podcast clip maker.