Start With the Hook

Your first three seconds decide everything. Front-load the moment of impact: the clutch headshot, the ridiculous whiff, the punchline, or an on-screen question that begs a payoff. Pair it with a tiny zoom-in and a crisp sound sting so viewers instantly “feel” the moment.

• Open with action or a strong reaction, not a setup.
• Use a mini title strap or sticker to promise what’s coming.
• Cut dead air relentlessly—every second should earn its place.

Mine the VODs Like a Producer

The best shorts are clear, self-contained stories. While scrubbing VODs, tag these moments:

• Clutch sequences and reversals
• Laugh-out-loud fails and chaotic RNG
• Spicy team comms or quick banter with a payoff
• Surprising mechanics, glitches, or crisp tech

Target 15–60 seconds per clip. If a moment needs context, punch in a one-line on-screen primer or a 0.5-second text card rather than a slow intro.

Edit With Vertical in Mind

• Format: 9:16 at 1080×1920.
• Crop to keep the focal point centered; use smart reframe for fast camera moves.
• Cut rhythm: 0.5–1.5 second beats to keep energy high.
• Use punch-ins on reactions, crosshair moments, or kill feed pop-ups.
• Add meme overlays, stickers, or quick PNG stingers to accent reactions—sparingly, not every beat.
• Open with a title frame or a 1-line hook. Keep it on-screen for under 1.5 seconds.

Captions That Carry the Clip

Most viewers watch with sound off first. Dynamic subtitles aren’t a luxury—they’re the main event.

• Use bold, high-contrast fonts with drop shadows for legibility.
• Highlight keywords with color, scale, or bounce animations.
• Center captions in the safe zone to avoid platform UI overlays.
• Time words to land on beats, shots, or punchlines.

Audio That Hits Without Overpowering

• Blend commentary with royalty-free music or SFX; duck music under voice by 8–12 dB.
• Use whooshes, hits, and risers for transitions and reveals.
• Add brief silences before a punchline or clutch moment to amplify impact.
• Limit and normalize so dialogue stays crisp even on phone speakers.

Quality and Delivery Checklist

• Resolution/FPS: 1080×1920 at 30 or 60 fps (match gameplay if possible).
• Codec: H.264 .mp4; consider high bitrate for UI clarity.
• Safe areas respected for each platform’s overlays.
• Burned-in captions plus clean version archived.
• Thumbnail: choose a frame with visible face/emotion or a clear “moment of impact.”

Organize Like a Studio

• Folder structure: Footage / Projects / Exports / Assets / SFX / Music / Captions.
• Name files consistently: Game_Date_Clip-Descriptor_Version.mp4.
• Keep project files and proxies for easy revisions.
• Maintain a moments log with timestamps, outcome, and platform notes.

Publishing Playbook

• Batch schedule releases to maintain momentum and algorithm consistency.
• Keep length platform-friendly: up to 60s for Shorts; test 20–40s for faster retention.
• Use a strong first frame as the “thumbnail” for vertical feeds.
• Craft short, searchable titles; add 2–4 relevant tags or hashtags.
• A/B test hooks by swapping the first 2–3 seconds or caption styles.

Sample Weekly Flow

• Day 1: Review VODs, mark 20–30 potential highlights with timestamps.
• Day 2: Assemble 10–15 selects; build captions and sound design.
• Day 3: Polish, add title frames, finalize audio, color tweaks.
• Day 4: QC on mobile, export variants, schedule posts, archive.

Depending on complexity, a small team can comfortably turn around 10–20 shorts per week. Solo editors can aim for 6–12 with a solid template stack.

Tool Stack Suggestions

• Editing: Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or CapCut for rapid vertical workflows.
• Captions: Built-in transcription tools; style with kinetic presets for emphasis.
• Graphics: Lightweight motion templates for title straps and lower-thirds.
• Audio: Libraries of royalty-free tracks and SFX; use limiters and noise reduction.

Measure, Iterate, Win

• Track first 3-second retention, completion rate, and shares.
• Note drop-off timestamps and fix pacing or captions around those beats.
• Double down on formats that drive comments or replays.