Use case
Convert a YouTube video to Reels
By the KeyMo team · Updated
To convert a YouTube video to Reels, paste the link or upload the file into KeyMo. It picks the strongest moments, scores each one out of 10, reframes them to vertical 9:16 with captions and no watermark, and exports up to 15 clips. You then upload the files to Instagram yourself. KeyMo has no free plan or trial.
How to turn a YouTube video into Reels with KeyMo
A Reel is a short vertical video, and a YouTube episode is a long horizontal one. Converting means finding the few minutes worth posting, cropping them to a vertical frame that keeps the speaker in view, and adding captions. KeyMo does those three jobs in one pass. This is the full flow, using only what the product does today.
- Pick a plan. Pasting a YouTube link needs a paid plan: Starter is $12 a month for 300 source minutes and Pro is $29 for 900. Yearly billing is ten times the monthly price. There is no free plan and no trial.
- Add the video. Paste the YouTube link, or upload an MP4 or MOV file. Sources run from 5 minutes to 3 hours and up to 10 GB. Link import fetches up to 1080p, and you confirm you own the video or have permission to use it.
- Choose a clip length: Auto (15 to 90 seconds), Short (20 to 40), Medium (40 to 60) or Long (60 to 90).
- Let KeyMo find the moments. Each clip gets a score out of 10 and a one-line reason. Only clips scoring 7 or higher are kept, so a weak episode returns fewer clips instead of filler.
- Check the look. Captions are word by word, in one of 12 styles or switched off. The reframe follows the speaker's face, and silence is trimmed.
- Fix anything in the chat editor. Open a clip and tell KeyMo what to change. Edit mode accepts clips from 15 seconds to 10 minutes, and there is a music library sorted by mood.
- Export. Download all clips as one ZIP and upload the ones you want to Instagram. Source files are kept for 7 days and finished clips for 30.
What a Reel needs, and what KeyMo exports
Instagram and Meta publish the numbers below on their own help pages, read on 11 October 2026. The right-hand column is what KeyMo exports, so you can compare the two by eye. For the full numbers see the Instagram Reels aspect ratio and Reels length pages.
| Item | What the platform says | What KeyMo exports |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | Instagram accepts 1.91:1 up to 9:16; Meta recommends 9:16 for Reels | Always 9:16, 1080x1920 |
| Frame rate and size | Instagram states a minimum of 30 FPS and 720 pixels, without saying which side the 720 means | 30 fps, 1080x1920, H.264 video and AAC audio |
| Length | Instagram Help says up to 20 minutes can be recorded and edited in the app; reels over 3 minutes are not recommended to new audiences | 15 to 90 seconds per clip |
| Facebook Reels | Meta says Facebook Reels can be any length or orientation, and the composer fits clips in a 9:16 frame | The same vertical files work there |
| Visible watermarks | Meta lists visible watermarks from other apps among the things to avoid, because low-quality reels are less discoverable | No watermark on any plan |
KeyMo outputs exactly one shape, vertical 9:16. That fits Reels and Facebook Reels. It does not make a square or a 16:9 version, so it is the wrong tool if you need those from the same run.
What you get, and what you do not
| You get | You do not get |
|---|---|
| Up to 15 vertical clips from one video | A 16:9 or square export. Output is 9:16 only |
| A score out of 10 and a reason for each clip | A promise about views or reach. Scores rank clips, they do not predict results |
| 12 caption styles, or none | Free use. There is no free plan and no trial |
| Face-tracking reframe and silence trimming | Link import on a free account. Link import needs a paid plan |
| A ZIP of every clip, with no watermark | Auto-posting. KeyMo gives you files and you upload them yourself |
| Clips kept 30 days, sources kept 7 | Videos shorter than 5 minutes or longer than 3 hours |
The clip targets are built-in goals, not measured results: 3 to 5 clips from a video up to 15 minutes, 5 to 8 up to 30 minutes, 8 to 12 up to an hour, and up to 15 from longer ones.
A worked example: a 45-minute interview
Say you run a channel with a 45-minute interview posted on YouTube, and you want to feed Instagram for a week. On Starter, 300 source minutes covers six videos of that length in a month. On Pro, 900 covers twenty.
For a video of that length KeyMo aims for 8 to 12 clips. If the guest rambles for the first half, fewer clips will clear the 7 out of 10 bar, and that is the intended behaviour. Post the two or three with the highest scores first, since each one comes with a reason you can read in a few seconds.
- Pick Short (20 to 40 seconds) for hot takes and one-line answers.
- Pick Medium (40 to 60) for a story with a setup and a payoff.
- Pick Long (60 to 90) for an exchange that needs room to land.
- Leave it on Auto if you are unsure; it chooses between 15 and 90 seconds per clip.
Who this suits, and who should look elsewhere
- If your source is a talking-head video such as a podcast, interview, lecture or webinar, KeyMo fits. Moments are found from speech, so the content matters more than the camera work.
- If you need a free converter, KeyMo is not it. Instagram's own editor can scale, crop and rotate clips from your camera roll, but you find and cut every moment by hand.
- If you want scheduling or auto-posting, use a separate tool after KeyMo. It does not publish.
- If you are weighing tools, read KeyMo vs Opus Clip and KeyMo vs Klap for a side-by-side read of what each vendor publishes.
Using a YouTube video you do not own
KeyMo asks you to confirm you own the video or have permission before it imports a link. That is the right question. YouTube's own copyright page says crediting the owner does not turn a non-transformative copy into fair use, and that phrases like "no infringement intended" will not protect you. The U.S. Copyright Office adds that fair use is decided case by case, with no set percentage or clip length that is automatically safe.
So the practical rule is simple. Convert your own videos freely. For someone else's video, get written permission first. Instagram's help pages say they cannot give legal advice, and neither can this page. The guide on clipping YouTube videos legally goes through the sources in more detail.
Sources: Instagram Help: Reel size and aspect ratios (checked 11 October 2026); Instagram Help: Record a reel (checked 11 October 2026); Meta Business Help: Reels creative tools (checked 11 October 2026); Meta Business Help: Reels best practices (checked 11 October 2026); Meta Business Help: Facebook Reels any length or orientation (checked 11 October 2026); Meta Business Help: best practices for aspect ratios (checked 11 October 2026); Instagram Help: Edit your reel clips (checked 11 October 2026); Instagram Help: copyright (checked 11 October 2026); YouTube Help: Fair use on YouTube (checked 11 October 2026); U.S. Copyright Office: Fair use (checked 11 October 2026).