LessonCues

Clip maker

Clip a moment from a YouTube video and share it

Pick the part you want, give it a title, and you get a short link that plays only that moment. You don’t download anything or open an editing app.

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcuts work when you’re not typing in a field. If you clicked the video, click anywhere on the page first — the YouTube player keeps its own keys.

Play / pause
SpaceK
Seek 1s (hold Shift for 5s)
←→
Seek 0.1s
,.
Set start at the playhead
I
Set end at the playhead
O
Move start 0.1s earlier / later
[]
Move end 0.1s earlier / later
{}
Preview clip, or pause it
P
Toggle loop
L
Create a new clip, or save changes to an open one
Enter
Start a new clip
N
Mark while playing: press at the start, again at the end. Saves a new clip, or with “Several parts” on, adds a part
M
Show this help
?
  • Free, no sign-up to try
  • Nothing downloaded
  • Plays in YouTube’s own player

How it works

How to clip a moment from a YouTube video

  1. 1

    Paste a YouTube link

    A watch link, a youtu.be link, a Short, a live stream or an embed link. They all work.

  2. 2

    Trim the clip

    Drag the handles on the full timeline, then fine-tune on the zoomed one below it. When you’re done, carry on and make the next clip from the same video.

  3. 3

    Save and share

    Save it to get a short link. Send it, embed it, show it as a QR code or add it to a lesson.

Like YouTube’s Clip feature, which was retired

YouTube used to let viewers share a short, looping piece of a video. That feature has been retired. LessonCues does the same thing for any video that allows embedding, and adds practice controls, notes and lessons.

A clip is a link, not a new video file

Most clip makers download the video and cut a new file from it. That’s slow, the quality drops, and the video ends up somewhere its creator never put it. A clip here is just the video ID with a start and end time. It plays in YouTube’s own player, so the creator keeps the credit, and no video is stored or uploaded again.

What you can do with a clip

  • Write notes on it. Any timestamp in your notes jumps the player to that moment.
  • Make lots of clips from one video, or create them all at once from a list of timestamps or the video’s chapters.
  • Open one page with every public clip from a video and play them back to back.
  • Embed it on your own site or share it to Google Classroom.
  • Put it in a lesson with clips from other videos.

Questions

Is this clip maker free?

Yes, making and sharing clips costs nothing. Clips made without an account are deleted after 30 days; sign in with Google to keep them.

Can I download the clip as a video file?

No. LessonCues never downloads videos. Clips always play from YouTube in its official player. That keeps them within YouTube’s rules and gives the creator credit.

Why won’t some videos play?

Some owners turn off embedding, and their videos only play on YouTube itself. Private and deleted videos won’t play either.

Can I make clips from a Short or a live stream?

Yes, just paste its link. Once a live stream has finished, it works like any other video.

Related

Try it with a video of your own

Paste a YouTube link at the top of this page. Your first clip takes about a minute.

Paste a link to start