CampaignReel

Ad placement specs against what generators output

What each YouTube video ad format asks for

Google states hard lengths for two formats: bumper ads run 5 to 6 seconds and non-skippable in-stream ads are 60 seconds or shorter. Skippable in-stream has no stated maximum but charges a view at 30 seconds. Masthead is 16:9 and autoplays up to 30 seconds. As of 2026-09-12.

Length in the spec, by formatBars are the length as each page publishes it. Placement rules and tool limits are never mixed on one axis.Length in the spec, by formatNon-skippable in-stream60 s or shorter60 s or shorterMastheadUp to 30 s autoplayUp to 30 s autoplayBumper5 to 6 s5 to 6 sSkippable in-streamNo maximum statedIn-feed videoNot statedShortsNot stated
Fig. 1 Bars are the length as each page publishes it. Placement rules and tool limits are never mixed on one axis.
What each page puts in writingFilled where the page states something in that column, hollow where it does not address it.What each page puts in writingLengthSkip behaviourWhat counts as paidBumperBumper — Length: 5 to 6 sBumper — Skip behaviour: Non-skippableBumper — What counts as paid: Charged on impressionsNon-skippable in-streamNon-skippable in-stream — Length: 60 s or shorterNon-skippable in-stream — Skip behaviour: Non-skippableNon-skippable in-stream — What counts as paid: Charged on impressionsSkippable in-streamSkippable in-stream — Length: No maximum statedSkippable in-stream — Skip behaviour: Skip after 5 sSkippable in-stream — What counts as paid: View at 30 s, or the full length if shorterIn-feed videoIn-feed video — Length: Not statedIn-feed video — Skip behaviour: Click to watchIn-feed video — What counts as paid: View at 10 s autoplay in a Video View campaignShortsShorts — Length: Not statedShorts — Skip behaviour: In feedShorts — What counts as paid: View at 10 s or the endMastheadMasthead — Length: Up to 30 s autoplayMasthead — Skip behaviour: Not statedMasthead — What counts as paid: Bought on reservation only
Fig. 2 Filled where the page states something in that column, hollow where it does not address it.
Rows carrying a published figureHow many rows carry a published figure in each column, counted straight off the table.Rows carrying a published figureLength3 of 6Skip behaviour5 of 6What counts as paid6 of 6
Fig. 3 How many rows carry a published figure in each column, counted straight off the table.
Durations and conditions Google states for each video ad format. Recorded 2026-09-12.
FormatLengthSkip behaviourWhat counts as paid
Bumper5 to 6 sNon-skippableCharged on impressions
Non-skippable in-stream60 s or shorterNon-skippableCharged on impressions
Skippable in-streamNo maximum statedSkip after 5 sView at 30 s, or the full length if shorter
In-feed videoNot statedClick to watchView at 10 s autoplay in a Video View campaign
ShortsNot statedIn feedView at 10 s or the end
MastheadUp to 30 s autoplayNot statedBought on reservation only

Inclusion rule. Formats Google names on its own video ad formats help page, with only the values that page states. A value the page does not give is recorded as not stated. Order. As the help page orders them, shortest hard limit first.

1Per format

  • Bumper ads — 5 to 6 seconds, one generation on every tool that publishes a duration.
  • Non-skippable in-stream — 60 seconds, one call on three entries and several on every other tool that states a length.

2Two hard ceilings decide whether one generation is enough

The 5 to 6 second bumper and the 60 second non-skippable ceiling are the two numbers that matter when the creative is generated rather than shot. A bumper fits inside a single generation on every tool recorded here, with room to spare. A 60 second non-skippable fits inside a single generation on only three entries, so on every other tool that states a length it is assembled from several, which means the joins are a creative problem before they are a technical one.

Everything in between is a judgement rather than a limit. Skippable in-stream states no maximum, but it charges a view at 30 seconds, which is a soft instruction about length: past that point the advertiser pays the same whether the ad runs 31 seconds or three minutes.

3What counts as a view moves the brief, not the spec

Three formats define a view by watch time rather than by completion: 30 seconds on skippable in-stream, 10 seconds on in-feed autoplay in a Video View campaign, 10 seconds on Shorts. None of that constrains the file, and all of it constrains the edit, because it says where the thing worth paying for has to happen.

For generated creative the practical consequence is where to spend the generation budget. The seconds before a skip or a counted view are the ones that get watched, and on tools that bill per second of output they are also the cheapest part of the spend to iterate on.

4What Google does not state here

The formats page gives durations and behaviour, not file specifications. Aspect ratios appear only for Masthead, and resolution, bitrate and codec are not on this page at all. Anything about file delivery therefore reads as not stated in this table rather than being filled in from elsewhere.

5A generator's ad pipeline

For ad work around “YouTube”, SceneMixer's pages explain how its ad projects are produced:

The final cut ends on an end card: your main image plus four lines — Brand, Product name, Tagline, Call to action. The first two are read from your photo and your brief; the tagline and call to action are written with the script.

SceneMixer, The End Card (read 2026-10-13)

Video is 16:9 landscape by default, with 9:16 vertical available; you set it once per project. Segments are typically 4 to 15 seconds, and some model tiers go to 30.

SceneMixer, AI Short Drama Generator — “What length and aspect ratio does it output?” (read 2026-10-13)

6Sources

Read from Google Ads Help on video ad formats, checked 2026-09-12. What the tools actually output is on output specs.