Importing a video from a YouTube URL

Written By Michael

Last updated 30 days ago

Already published on YouTube? Paste a link and Choppity imports the video into your Content OS so you can generate clips without uploading the file yourself.

What to expect

Choppity downloads up to 1080p quality for editing. The source must be a normal public YouTube video (not a live stream). The same limits apply as file uploads: up to 3 hours and within your plan storage and analysis allowance.

Import from a YouTube URL

  1. Go to Generate clips or Short clips.
  2. Paste the full YouTube URL into the link field. A preview thumbnail confirms Choppity found the video.
  3. Click Generate clips (or Continue on the customize step).
  4. Choppity imports the video, then runs the same AI clip workflow as a file upload.
  5. Open your new folder when processing finishes to review, edit, and publish clips.

While the import runs

You may see Connecting to YouTube or progress on your folder card. Imports can take longer than a direct upload because YouTube must serve the file first. Leave the tab open on slow connections.

Tips and troubleshooting

  • Use the full watch URL (for example youtube.com/watch?v=...), not a playlist-only link.
  • Private, age-restricted, members-only, or live videos cannot be imported.
  • If preview fails, fix the URL before continuing.
  • When import keeps failing, upload an MP4 export from your editor instead.