One design, one clip, one MP4
A video post is a single design with your words on top of a moving clip. It is made for short vertical videos: hooks, quick tips, lists, big numbers, quotes and promos.
- Start a video post Click New › Video post (“Your words over a moving clip”) and pick a design in Pick a design: Hooks, Captions, How-to, Social, Stories or Promo. At the top right choose where it goes: TikTok, Instagram (a Reel) or YouTube Shorts. Or start from an idea on Home: write what the video should say and the AI writes three versions of the words.
- Add your clip Click the picture area. In the window that opens (“Picture for slide 1”), choose Upload a clip (MP4, WebM or MOV up to 100 MB; only the first 60 seconds are used), Stock clips to search free ones like “coffee pour”, or Your clips for ones you added before. Started from an idea on Home? It opens by itself on Stock clips, already searched for what your words picture.
- Trim it and choose the sound Select the clip for its settings. Starts at and Ends at trim it, from half a second to 60 seconds, and it loops in the editor so you can watch. The clip stays silent unless you switch on Keep the clip’s sound; then Listen plays it. Change the layout and the clip moves with it.
- Check it, then download the MP4 The preview shows it as “A Reel”, “A vertical video” or “A Short”, with a reminder to keep your words clear of the buttons; for YouTube Shorts, the first line of your text becomes the title. Then click Download and choose Video. The app records your design over the clip while you wait (“Preparing the layers…”, then “Recording… keep this tab open”), so a 30-second video takes about 30 seconds. Choose Still image (PNG) for a cover picture from the first frame.
Any carousel, as a short video
Every carousel with more than one slide has Video (swipe) in its Download list: “Your slides as a short video for Reels, TikTok and Shorts.”
One swipe at a time, on its own
Each slide stays on screen for a couple of seconds, with a swipe movement to the next, so the same carousel you post on LinkedIn or Instagram can go out as a Reel, a TikTok or a Short. Nothing to rebuild: open the carousel, click Download, choose Video (swipe).
For the vertical feeds, size the carousel 9:16 first: pick TikTok, or Instagram at 9:16, with the platform chip at the top of the editor. On TikTok the same slides can also go up as a photo mode carousel that people swipe themselves. Photo mode or a video slideshow? compares the two.
Already have a carousel as a PDF or as pictures, made somewhere else? The free LinkedIn carousel to video converter turns it into a video in your browser, with music if you want it.
41 ways to start, before you pick a clip
Open Templates, choose a video post example, click Edit this example and pick your clip. No AI needed.
Hooks
“Three-second hook”: the line that stops the scroll, on screen first.
Tips and steps
“Quick tip” and “Step on screen”.
Lists
“Three things”, “Checklist” and “Save this”.
Numbers
“Big number”, for the one figure your video is about. Use your own.
Quotes and captions
“Quote over a clip”, “Relatable caption” and “Talking with subtitles”.
Social and promo
“Ask the comments”, “Day in the life” and “Promo with a button”.
Rather start from a clip? On the Media page, open Clips, find one you uploaded and use Start a video post with it. Want the words written for you? Start from an idea on Home: “Three versions from your idea; you pick the clip.” That counts as 1 AI carousel.
Reels, TikTok, Shorts and LinkedIn
Video posts are vertical, 9:16. Download the MP4 and post it from the app, or post it to your LinkedIn profile from aiCarousels.
Video posts in aiCarousels, by platform
| Platform | Size | How it gets there | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | 9:16 | Download the MP4, post it in Instagram | MP4 gives the widest support: make it in Chrome, Edge or Safari |
| TikTok | 9:16 | Download the MP4, post it in TikTok | Keep words clear of the side buttons |
| YouTube Shorts | 9:16 | Download the MP4, upload it as a Short | The first line of your text is the title; YouTube shows up to 100 characters |
| 9:16 | Post to LinkedIn, straight to your profile | LinkedIn takes MP4 videos only |
YouTube Shorts
Choose YouTube Shorts as the destination and the preview shows “A Short”, with the first line of your text as its title, so keep that line under 100 characters and make it the hook. Check the edges with the free YouTube Shorts safe zone checker; for the other apps there are the TikTok and Instagram Reels checkers. More on LinkedIn’s vertical videos in the LinkedIn video feed.
What the messages mean
Video post messages and what to do
| You see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| “This video can’t be played here. Try an MP4.” | The browser can’t read that file | Convert it to MP4 and add it again |
| “Videos up to 100 MB, please.” | The file is too big | Trim it in another app, or lower its quality first |
| “This clip isn’t on this device. Add it again.” | Clips live in the browser where you added them | Upload the clip again on this computer |
| “Add a clip first.” | There is no clip in the design | Add one, then download |
| “The clip took too long to load.” | A slow or very large clip | Try again, or use a smaller clip |
