YouTube Shorts has expanded its availability from the US and India to the UK.

It was previously something that UK creators could experiment with, but now you get an option to directly record 60-second videos through the app's YouTube Shorts camera.

It is absolutely jam-packed with features too. While it was initially released in India with the ability to record 15-second videos, that's now extended to a minute. You could upload larger ones, but from the app alone 15-seconds was the max. It's good to see YouTube's changed that weird anomaly.

Just like the new sampling option on normal YouTube videos, you can now do the same on Shorts. You can take from others' shorts and videos to make a collage or reference in your own (as long as those videos creators allow for it - YouTube is notorious for Content ID protection).

There's a quick and simple editing station on the app itself, which allows you to add images or clips from your own camera to the video, as well as text and colour filters. And, you can automatically add captions - perfect for those watching in public spaces. Similarly to other social video apps, there's a vertical aspect ratio and a specific area where you'll find the Shorts.

Not to be outdone by Instagram or TikTok, and no doubt wanting to promote YouTube Music as much as humanly possible, you can also add the music you like to the videos. Not everything, mind, but a whole lot that includes tracks from labels, like Universal Music Group’s labels and publishing companies, Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Music Publishing, Warner Music Group and Warner Chappell Music, Believe, Because Music, Merlin, Beggars, Ditto, AEI, The State51, Kobalt and more. No shortage of choice there.

Viewers get a link to the specific videos for music too, so if you like a song, you can jump to it straight from the Shorts. Creators can even start at a song they like and create a Short from that video by tapping the create button on the video (depending on if it's available or not).

Now, what the creators actually want to know. Can it be monetised?

It wasn't available at first to those channels that got to experiment with Shorts at the beginning. But, YouTube has created a Shorts Fund for 2021 and 2022, with a $100M fund distributed over the two years. YouTube says: "Each month, we’ll reach out to thousands of creators whose Shorts received the most engagement and views to reward them for their contributions." How much that'll be or how it'll look like is hard to say.

Over the next few weeks, YouTube Shorts will become available to creators in the UK. YouTube has eluded to the possibility of growing pains and potential issues at the beginning, but that it's excited to get everyone using Shorts.