Free to use
Turn YouTube moments into lessons
Cut a YouTube video down to the part you need. Loop it while you practise, or put clips from several videos together into a lesson for your class.
1Start by pasting a YouTube link
- No sign-up to try
- Works with watch links, Shorts and live
- Plays in YouTube’s own player
A quick look
From one clip to a whole lesson
It all starts with a clip. Cut out the part you need and practise it if you want. Once you have a few, put them together.
Paste a YouTube link and drag the handles to where the moment starts and ends. On a long video, the zoomed track lets you trim to a tenth of a second.
How it works
Clipping a YouTube video takes three steps
- 1
Paste a YouTube link
Any kind of link works: a normal watch link, a youtu.be link, a Short or a live stream. Paste it into the box at the top.
- 2
Clip the moments
Drag the handles, or type the times, to mark where the moment starts and ends. Turn on loop, change the speed or add notes if you want, then clip the next moment. The video stays loaded.
- 3
Share it or build a lesson
Save it and you get a short link that plays only that part. If you’re signed in, you can also add clips from different videos to a lesson, then present it or print it.
Features
What you can do with a clip
A clip is useful on its own. You can also practise with it, write notes on it, or use it in a lesson.
Exact start and end
A zoomed timeline for fine trims, 0.1-second nudge buttons, and keyboard shortcuts if you’d rather not use the mouse.
Loop and practise
Play at anything from 0.25× to 2×. Set the number of repeats, a pause between them or a lead-in, or let the speed trainer speed it up each time.
Many clips per video
Clip one moment after another without reloading. Or paste a list of timestamps, or pull in the video’s chapters.
Notes with timestamps
Write notes on a clip. A time like 1:24 in your notes jumps the player straight to that moment.
Lessons from any videos
Put clips, text, Google Slides and full videos in the order you want. Other people can save a copy and adapt it.
Present in class
Full screen, works with a clicker, can play straight through by itself, and shows a QR code so students can follow along.
Handouts and exports
Print a sheet with a QR code for each clip, or export to CSV or Markdown.
Share anywhere
Short links, embed code for your own site, Google Classroom, and a page that plays two clips side by side.
Your library, organised
Folders, tags and search for when you have more than a handful. You can also turn on comments for a clip.
Who it’s for
Who it’s useful for
Teachers
Your class doesn’t need the whole 20-minute video. Show them the 90 seconds that explain the idea, as part of a lesson you present.
Music and dance
Loop the bar you keep fumbling or the eight-count you can’t catch. Slow it to 60% and work back up.
Sports and fitness coaches
Clip the rep, write your cues next to it, and play two clips side by side to compare.
Language learners
Play one sentence over and over, with a gap after each repeat so you can say it back.
Students and self-learners
Save the parts of lectures and tutorials you’ll want to watch again, with your notes, sorted into folders.
Anyone sharing a moment
Send someone the actual joke, goal or quote, not “skip to 12:34”. It stops when the moment’s over.
A few things worth knowing
Plays in YouTube’s player
Every clip plays in YouTube’s official embedded player. The video stays on YouTube, with its creator’s name on it.
Nothing is downloaded
We keep the video ID, your start and end times and your notes. No video and no audio.
Free to start
You can make and share a clip without an account, but those clips are deleted after 30 days. Sign in with Google to keep your clips and to build lessons.
Examples
See a real lesson
Lessons I made myself and made public. Anyone can watch, no account needed.
Hi, I’m Mohammed Shammas (Oliyath). I build LessonCues on my own, as a personal project, and I read every message.
What is LessonCues?
A free web app for cutting a YouTube video down to the part you actually want. You set a start and an end, and you get a short link that plays only that bit, on loop if you like. If you teach, you can go further: put clips from several videos in order, with your own notes and slides in between, and you have a lesson.
How do I clip part of a YouTube video?
Paste the link into the box at the top of this page. Drag the two handles to either side of the part you want (or type the times), add a title and press Save. You’ll get a link like lessoncues.com/c/abc123 that plays that part and nothing else.
Can I make a lesson from several YouTube videos?
Yes, once you sign in with Google. Open Lessons, start a new one and add clips from any videos you like. You can put text, Google Slides or a whole video in between. Each lesson gets its own link, and you decide whether it’s public, unlisted or private.
Can I present a lesson in class?
Yes. Presenter mode fills the screen, has big buttons and responds to your keyboard or a presentation clicker. A QR code on screen lets students open the same lesson on their phones. For students without phones, print the handout: it has a QR code for each clip.
Is LessonCues free?
Yes, and you don’t need an account to make and share a clip. One thing to know: clips made without an account are deleted after 30 days. Sign in with Google and they stay. You also get a library, lessons, folders and tags. The Pricing page explains how it stays free.
Does it download or re-upload the video?
No. A clip only records which video and which times: the YouTube video ID, a start and an end. The video plays in YouTube’s official embedded player and never leaves YouTube, so it stays with its creator.
Is this allowed by YouTube?
LessonCues plays every clip in YouTube’s official embedded player, using YouTube’s API Services under their terms. Nothing is downloaded or copied. If a video’s owner has turned off embedding, it simply won’t play here.
Do creators lose views?
No. The video plays in YouTube’s own player, like any YouTube video embedded on a website, so the creator’s name stays on it and the play happens on YouTube. Nothing is re-uploaded anywhere else.
What do you keep about me and my students?
Students don’t need an account to watch a clip or lesson, and watching doesn’t create one. If you sign in with Google, LessonCues keeps your name, email and profile picture, plus the clips and lessons you make. Google Analytics only loads if you accept cookies, and the cookieless page counts from our host don’t identify anyone. Both stay off on pages with videos made for kids. Clips made without an account are deleted after 30 days. You can download or delete everything from your Account page.
How is this different from sharing a YouTube link with a timestamp?
A timestamp link tells YouTube where to start and then lets the video keep playing. A clip also knows where to stop, so it ends, or loops back, when the moment is over.
Can I loop a section of a YouTube video?
Yes. Leave Loop on when you save, or switch it on from the clip page. You can also slow the section down, set how many times it repeats, add a pause after each repeat, or use the speed trainer, which starts slow and speeds up a little each time. That works for a guitar riff, a dance step, a golf swing or a sentence in another language.
What happened to YouTube’s Clip feature?
YouTube used to have a Clip button for sharing a short, looping piece of a video. It has been retired. LessonCues does the same job, adds lessons for teaching and coaching, and works with any video whose owner allows embedding.
Which YouTube links work?
Almost all of them: youtube.com/watch, youtu.be, Shorts, live and embed links, with or without a t= timestamp. Videos won’t play if the owner has turned off embedding, though. Those can only be watched on YouTube.
Got a video in mind?
Paste its link and make your first clip. It’s free, and you don’t need an account.