> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://academy.shade.inc/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://academy.shade.inc/guides/automations/publish-to-youtube-or-vimeo-after-approval.md).

# Publish to YouTube or Vimeo after approval

When a cut's status changes to Approved, Shade uploads it to your YouTube channel or Vimeo account.

**Outcome:** approving a final cut in Shade uploads it to YouTube or Vimeo, with the title and description filled in from its metadata. Nobody has to export and upload it again.

**Who it's for:** content and social teams that publish finished video every week.

**Time:** about 15 minutes.

## Before you start

* Build [Your first automation](/guides/automations/your-first-automation.md) first if you haven't used the automation editor.
* Connect the account in **Settings > Integrate > Integrations**. Open **YouTube** or **Vimeo**, connect, and choose which drives can use it.
* Add a **Status** single-select field with an **Approved** option to the drive. Optionally add **Publish title** and **Publish description** text fields.

## How it works

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  T["Asset Updated: Status = Approved"] --> F["Filter: is a video"]
  F --> U["Upload to YouTube (or Vimeo)"]
  U --> M["Update Asset Metadata: save the watch link"]
```

## Steps

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Trigger on approval

Create an automation named `Publish approved cuts`. Choose **Asset Updated**, set **Specific metadata field** to **Status**, and **Specific value** to **Approved**. Now the automation runs only when a file changes to Approved, not on every edit.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Make sure it's a video

Add a **Filter** step that continues only when the asset's **type** is video. That way, approving a thumbnail or a PDF doesn't try to publish it.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Upload

For YouTube, add **Upload to YouTube**:

* **Asset:** the asset from the trigger
* **Title:** the **Publish title** field, or the asset name
* **Description:** the **Publish description** field
* **Privacy:** start with **Private** or **Unlisted** while you test
* **Publish as:** **Video** or **Short**. Shorts need to be vertical and short enough to qualify on YouTube's side.
* **Tags:** optional

For Vimeo, add **Upload to Vimeo** with a title, description, and privacy setting.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Save the link back to Shade

Add a text field named **Published URL** to the drive. Then add **Update Asset Metadata** and set **Published URL** to the upload step's watch link. Your team can see what's live without leaving Shade.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Save, activate, and test

Click **Save**, then **Activate**. Set a short test video to **Approved** and check your channel. Uploads run in the background, so long videos take a few minutes to finish.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
The automation runs every time a file changes to **Approved**. If someone sets a file back to In review and then approves it again, it uploads a second time. Use a separate **Published** status after upload if your team often changes statuses back and forth.
{% endhint %}

## Variations

* **Schedule instead of publish:** send approved files to Ordinal as draft posts, so your social team schedules them. Use **Upload to Ordinal**, then **Create Ordinal Draft Post**.
* **Designers next:** use **Upload to Canva** to push approved stills and video into your Canva content library.

## Related guides

* [The client review loop](/guides/review-and-client-delivery/the-client-review-loop.md)
* [Turn long videos into social clips with Opus Clip](/guides/automations/turn-long-videos-into-social-clips-with-opus-clip.md)
* [Your first automation](/guides/automations/your-first-automation.md)


---

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