Shortsmith blog — YouTube and Instagram monetization, AI video
YouTube Shorts monetization, Instagram Reels earnings and making videos with AI — what you need to grow a short-form channel, with official sources and real screenshots.
YouTube Shorts monetization requirements, explained (as of October 2026)
Shorts ad revenue needs 1,000 subscribers and 10M Shorts views in 90 days; fan funding opens at 500. The February 2027 changes, how payouts work, and what gets excluded.
· 12 min read
OpusClip alternatives: 4 AI Shorts tools compared (October 2026)
OpusClip, Vrew, CapCut and Shortsmith compared on the same terms: how each makes Shorts, free tiers, the cheapest paid plan and who it fits — from official pricing pages.
· 7 min read
Make YouTube Shorts by chatting in ChatGPT or Claude — connecting Shortsmith over MCP
Connect Shortsmith to ChatGPT, claude.ai, Claude Code or Codex over MCP and start a Short by asking for one in chat. Setup per app, what you can do, and safeguards.
· 8 min read
Render Shorts faster on your own computer — the Shortsmith desktop app
Install the Shortsmith desktop app and your computer does the rendering — no server queue. Supported systems, install warnings, how to use it, and FAQ.
· 9 min read