Free YouTube editor

Free video editor for YouTube and Shorts

Build your vertical Shorts or 16:9 landscape videos in the browser: cut, add titles and subtitles, record your voice and download in 1080p, with the thumbnail ready to upload.

Edit my video for free See the whole editor

16:9 · 1920×1080
Shorts 9:16
SRT subtitles
1280×720 thumbnail

A “YouTube landscape” project in Chrome: a title with the “Big title” style, subtitles imported from an SRT and an animated story made with GhostPeg.

TWO FORMATS, ONE EDITOR

Shorts or landscape video: your choice.

You can change format whenever you want: text and overlays reposition themselves.

“YouTube landscape” · 16:9

1920×1080, at 24, 25, 30 or 60 frames per second
Ideal for tutorials, reviews, stories and voice-over videos
Vertical clips fit with a blurred or color background

“Reels / Shorts” · 9:16

1080×1920 with the Shorts safe-zone guides (top ≈11%, bottom ≈22%, right ≈14%)
Big text and captions where the app does not cover them
The same video works for Instagram Reels

THUMBNAIL

The thumbnail, in one minute

When the export finishes, click “Download thumbnail”:

Move the slider to the frame that best tells your video.
Choose the YouTube size, 1280×720, or your video’s format.
Type a short title: it appears in big letters, at the top, middle or bottom.
Download it as a JPG. If the video is vertical, the background is filled with a blur.

YouTube requires a verified account to upload custom thumbnails.

SUBTITLES

Subtitles YouTube understands

In Text → Subtitles you type each line or import an .srt file. They show in the video with the style you pick (and you can apply it to every line in one tap).

If you would rather have YouTube show them as captions viewers can turn on and off, click “Export SRT” and upload it in YouTube Studio → Subtitles → “Upload file” → “With timing”.

The web editor does not transcribe your voice automatically: you type or import the subtitles. GhostPeg for Windows does add animated subtitles to the videos it creates.

VOICE-OVER AND SOUND

Your voice over the video, no other app.

For tutorials, reviews and explainer videos.

Record in the editor

Pick your microphone, count 3-2-1, listen to the take and, if you like it, it goes to the Voice track. If not, retake it.

Music steps aside

“Music ducks when someone speaks”: you choose how low the music goes while your voice plays.

Volume per track

Raise or lower each track (0 to 200%), mute a clip’s original sound and add GhostPeg’s own sounds.

From your editor to YouTube, step by step

Export in 1080p. In Chrome, Edge and Safari the file is MP4.
In YouTube Studio: “Create” → “Upload videos” and pick the file.
Write the title and description; upload your 1280×720 thumbnail.
Under Subtitles, upload the .srt you exported.
A Short (vertical, short) is recognized by YouTube automatically when you upload it.

What about long videos?

The web editor is free up to 3 minutes per video, with a small mark in a corner. If your channel posts longer videos you have two paths:

GhostPeg Pro (coming soon): longer videos without the mark in the web editor.
GhostPeg for Windows: edits your own videos with no length cap (on Free, in 720p with a watermark). See the download

Frequently asked questions

What size should I use for a YouTube video?

For a regular video, 16:9 landscape at 1920×1080 (in the editor: “YouTube landscape”). For a Short, 9:16 vertical at 1080×1920 (in the editor: “Reels / Shorts”). You can choose 24, 25, 30 or 60 frames per second.

Can I make YouTube Shorts for free?

Yes. Choose “Reels / Shorts”: the editor marks the area covered by the Shorts buttons and you download the video at 1080×1920, free up to 3 minutes per video.

How do I upload my subtitles to YouTube?

In the editor, under Text → Subtitles, click “Export SRT”. In YouTube Studio open your video, go to Subtitles, choose the language, “Upload file” and “With timing”, and select the .srt file.

Does the editor make the thumbnail?

Yes. After exporting, “Download thumbnail” lets you pick the frame, add a big title at the top, middle or bottom and download a 1280×720 JPG, the size YouTube uses.

How long can a video be on the free version?

Up to 3 minutes per video in the web editor, with a small mark. For longer videos GhostPeg Pro is coming soon; and GhostPeg for Windows already edits your videos with no length cap, with a watermark on Free.

YouTube and YouTube Shorts are trademarks of Google LLC. GhostPeg is not affiliated with or sponsored by YouTube.