Short-form video glossary
Plain-English definitions of the words that come up when you turn long videos into short clips — from hooks and retention to avatars, dubbing and auto-posting. 46 terms, each in a sentence or two.
A
A-roll
The primary footage in a video — the main subject or speaker — that carries the core narrative.
Read →AI Avatar
A computer-generated presenter that speaks a script on camera, so you can make talking-head video without filming.
Read →AI Clip Maker
Software that uses AI to find the best moments in a long video and cut them into short, captioned clips automatically.
Read →AI Dubbing
Replacing a video's original audio with a translated voice track so it plays natively in another language.
Read →Aspect Ratio
The width-to-height proportion of a video, like 16:9 (landscape), 9:16 (vertical) or 1:1 (square).
Read →Auto-Posting
Publishing clips directly to connected social accounts from one tool, without manual download and upload.
Read →Auto-Reframe
Automatically re-cropping a landscape video to vertical while keeping the speaker or action centered.
Read →Average View Duration
The mean amount of time viewers spend watching a video, in seconds or as a percentage of its length.
Read →B
C
Captions
On-screen text of a video's spoken words, keeping viewers engaged when they watch with sound off.
Read →Clip
A short, self-contained segment cut from a longer video, usually 15–60 seconds and formatted vertically for social feeds.
Read →Completion Rate
The percentage of viewers who watch a clip all the way to the end (and often loop it).
Read →Cross-Posting
Publishing the same clip to multiple platforms — TikTok, Reels, Shorts — to maximize reach from one video.
Read →D
E
F
Faceless Channel
A social channel that grows without the creator ever appearing on camera, using B-roll, avatars or voiceover.
Read →Filler Word Removal
Automatically removing “um,” “uh,” “like” and other verbal fillers to make a clip sound crisper.
Read →For You Page (FYP)
TikTok's algorithmic main feed that shows videos to people who don't follow you — the primary engine of reach.
Read →G
H
I
J
L
R
Recommendation Algorithm
The system a platform uses to decide which videos to show which viewers, driven mainly by watch signals.
Read →Resolution
The pixel dimensions of a video, such as 1080p (Full HD) or 4K, determining how sharp it looks.
Read →Retention (Watch Time)
How much of a video viewers actually watch — the metric short-form algorithms weight most heavily.
Read →S
Safe Zone
The central area of a vertical frame that stays clear of platform UI like captions, usernames and buttons.
Read →Scheduling
Queuing clips to publish automatically at set times, often aligned to when your audience is most active.
Read →Shadowban
An alleged, unannounced suppression of a creator's reach without a formal notice or ban.
Read →Silence Removal
Automatically detecting and cutting silent gaps and pauses from a recording to tighten pacing.
Read →Subtitles (SRT)
A separate, toggleable text track (often an .srt file) that platforms can display over a video.
Read →T
Talking Head Video
A video centered on a person speaking directly to camera — the dominant format for explainers and creator content.
Read →Text-to-Speech (TTS)
Synthesizing natural-sounding spoken audio from written text — the engine behind AI voiceovers.
Read →Text-to-Video
Generating a finished video from a written prompt or script, with visuals, voice and often an avatar assembled by AI.
Read →Transcript-Based Editing
Editing video by editing its text transcript — delete a sentence and the matching footage is removed.
Read →Transcription
Converting a video's spoken audio into written text, the basis for captions, editing and moment-detection.
Read →U
V
Vertical Video (9:16)
Video shot or reframed taller than it is wide (9:16) to fill a phone screen — the standard for Reels, Shorts and TikTok.
Read →Video Repurposing
Turning one long video into multiple short, platform-ready clips you can post as Reels, Shorts and TikToks.
Read →Virality Score
An AI prediction (often 0–100) of how likely a clip is to perform, based on hook, pacing and retention signals.
Read →Voice Cloning
Creating a synthetic copy of a specific person's voice from a short sample, able to speak any text.
Read →Voiceover
Narration recorded separately and laid over video to explain, guide or tell a story.
Read →W
Y
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