Fake YouTube Shorts Generator

Choose your Shorts cover

The editor opens in Channel so you can customize the channel details first. Content starts with a sunset photo as an example. Click that image to upload your own portrait photo, illustration, slide, or still frame. The generator places your image in a 9:16 video area inside a desktop-style Shorts layout, with action buttons outside the right edge.

Upload a PNG, JPG, WebP, or GIF up to 20 MB. The tool processes it in your browser, resizes its longest edge to at most 2,200 pixels, and crops it to fill the video area without stretching. Animated GIFs become a still image. Use image zoom and horizontal or vertical position to frame your subject. An image that exactly fits one axis needs extra zoom before it can move along that axis. Reset framing returns to a centered crop at 100%.

Click the cover image to replace it. Remove image clears the cover and returns to the upload prompt; add a new image before downloading or copying. The default sunset photo can also be used in exports. The generator accepts images, not video files or YouTube links. The player interface uses Inter; text already in your image keeps its original appearance.

Customize the channel and caption

Open Channel to edit the handle, avatar, verification, and subscribe button. The preview adds one @ symbol automatically. Channel handles accept up to 40 characters and shorten visually when needed to keep the Subscribe button inside the image. Leaving the handle blank shows @yourchannel.

Upload a channel avatar in a supported image format. It is resized to at most 400 pixels and center-cropped into a circle. The same avatar appears in the channel row and beside the sound strip. Remove it to restore the neutral profile illustration.

Turn on Verified channel to display a badge. Show subscribe button controls visibility, while Subscribed state changes the button label and styling. These are mockup settings and do not subscribe to a real account.

The caption accepts up to 300 characters, including emoji and hashtags. The sound or related-video label accepts up to 140. Both use one line in the preview, with an ellipsis for overflow, just like the compact viewing layout. Disable the sound strip to hide its row and thumbnail. The channel row moves down to use the space.

Edit engagement and player details

Likes, comments, and remixes are editable display labels: enter 1914, 1.9K, 2M, or another short value. Change Share label to customize that action. Very long labels shorten to fit the action rail.

Choose a heart to match the example or switch to a thumbs-up icon. Liked state highlights the reaction without changing the number you entered. The screenshot is a visual mockup; none of these controls affects real YouTube engagement.

In Appearance, choose a light or dark page background and independently toggle the right action bar, top player controls, and progress bar. Playback icon changes between Play and Pause. Muted icon changes the speaker, and Closed captions active adds an underline to CC. Playback progress controls the red line at the bottom.

The player icons are part of the artwork. They do not play a video, produce audio, open comments, or expand a player. The cube button tilts the preview for viewing; downloads always use a flat composition.

Download your Shorts screenshot

Choose Download PNG and select a resolution. The desktop export panel places settings on the left and the finished screenshot on the right.

The right action bar adds width outside the 9:16 video area. Disable it for a 9:16 screenshot. The cover, channel row, caption, subscribe state, and all enabled player and engagement elements are included. The editor, website header, and website branding are excluded. The export has no watermark.

Preview and export use the same drawing code. Higher resolutions sharpen rendered text and icons, but cannot restore detail missing from a small uploaded image. Copy image copies a PNG at the selected resolution when your browser supports image clipboard access on a secure connection. If it is unavailable, download the PNG instead.

This tool produces a static image, not an MP4, animated Short, or playable YouTube upload. Use the PNG in slides, storyboards, or a video editor when planning content.

Save your work locally

Auto-save stores your uploaded cover and avatar, image framing, channel details, engagement labels, appearance, and resolution in this browser. Save draft saves manually. Turning Auto-save off stops automatic writes but leaves any earlier saved draft in place.

Reset restores the default sunset photo, channel, and player settings; Undo reset restores your previous draft during the current visit. Saved drafts retain their existing cover, including an intentionally removed image. If browser storage is blocked or full, a status message reports that the current draft remains in memory. You can still export before leaving the page. Drafts do not sync across devices.

Your generator content and uploaded images are processed locally. Clear this site's browser storage to delete stored drafts. Read the privacy policy for hosting and analytics details.

Common questions

Is the Fake YouTube Shorts Generator free?

Yes. Create, preview, and download a Shorts screenshot without signing up or adding a watermark.

Can I upload my own cover image?

Yes. Select Upload cover image in Content. You can use a photo, an illustration, or an existing video frame, then adjust its zoom and crop position.

Does it generate a YouTube Shorts video?

No. It exports a PNG screenshot. The playback buttons, sound label, and progress bar are editable visual elements in the mockup.

Can I edit text inside my uploaded image?

Text inside the image is part of the uploaded artwork. Edit it in your image editor and upload the updated image. You can customize the Shorts caption, channel handle, sound label, and engagement values separately in this tool.

Why is the download wider than 9:16?

The desktop layout places engagement buttons outside the video. Turn off Show right action bar for an exact 9:16 export, including 1,080 × 1,920 pixels at 3× resolution.

How should I use a fake Shorts screenshot?

Use it for design concepts, presentations, fictional scenes, or content planning. Use fictional identities or get permission for personal information and images, and identify the image as a mockup when needed. See our responsible use policy. Fake Generator is independent of YouTube and Google.

For another creator format, try the YouTube Comment Generator, TikTok Post Generator, or Instagram Post Generator. The Text Box Generator creates transparent text overlays for use in your own video editor.