YouTube Shorts to get Collab tool, Q&A sticker & more

Google-owned YouTube has introduced new creation tools for short, vertical videos 'YouTube Shorts', including a Collab tool, Q&A sticker and much more. "YouTube Shorts are now being watched by over 2B logged-in users every month, and today we're introducing new ways to spark imagination and creativity," the company said in a blogpost on Tuesday.

Collab is a new creation tool that allows users to record a Short in a side-by-side format with other YouTube or Shorts videos. Creators can choose from multiple layout options to easily join in with a split screen format.

Users just have to select 'Remix' and then 'Collab' to remix an eligible Short or YouTube video.

"Starting today and in the coming weeks, we'll roll out Collab to all creators on iOS, with Android to follow," the platform said. To roll out soon, the new Q&A sticker will allow creators to ask their audience questions and get responses right in the comments.

The video-sharing platform is also testing a mobile-first vertical live experience, so that live creators can get discovered right in the Shorts feed. Viewers in the test will see previews of vertical live videos mixed into the Shorts feed. Also, when someone taps into the experience, they'll be placed in a scrollable feed of other live videos.

"We're making it easier to create on YouTube with Shorts whenever inspiration strikes on your feed with a new feature that bundles the audio and effect from the Short you're remixing from automatically," the company said. Moreover, in the next few weeks, the platform will start testing new recomposition tools that will help users more easily transform their horizontal videos into Shorts.