What Highlights Are and Why You'd Make Them

Highlights on Hudl are short video clips you cut from longer game or practice footage, showing the plays or moments that matter most. You might highlight a player's best tackles, a team's scoring drives, or specific technique you want to review. Hudl stores these clips separately from the full video, so you can share them with recruits, parents, or other coaches without sending a 90-minute file.

Creating highlights takes 10 to 30 minutes depending on how many clips you want to pull and how precise you need to be with the timing. The process is straightforward: you upload video, mark where each highlight starts and stops, name it, and save. Hudl handles the rest.

Key Takeaways

  • Highlights are created by marking the start and end point of each clip you want to keep, then naming and saving the selection.
  • You can create highlights directly in Hudl's web interface or use the Hudl app on a phone or tablet while watching video.
  • Each highlight you create is stored as its own clip and can be shared separately from the full game video.
  • The fastest workflow is to watch the full video once, pause at each moment you want to highlight, and mark it before moving on.

Creating Highlights Through the Hudl Website

Log into your Hudl account on a computer and open the game or practice video you want to edit. Click the video to play it. As you watch, pause at the moment a highlight should start. Look for a button labeled "Create Highlight" or a plus icon near the playback controls — the exact location depends on your Hudl plan, but it is always visible during playback.

Click that button. Hudl will mark the current frame as your start point. The video will pause. Now play forward to the moment the highlight should end — usually a few seconds later — and click "Create Highlight" again. Hudl marks the end point and shows you a preview of the clip you just selected. If the timing is wrong, you can adjust the start and end by dragging the markers on the timeline or re-entering the exact second where each should occur.

Once the clip looks right, give it a name. Use something specific: "Johnson interception, 2nd quarter" rather than "highlight 1". This name is what you and others will see when browsing your clips. Click save. The highlight is now stored in your Hudl account as a separate clip you can share, read, or add to a compilation.

Creating Highlights on the Hudl Mobile App

Open the Hudl app on your phone or tablet and navigate to the video you want to edit. Tap the play button to start watching. When you reach a moment you want to highlight, tap the screen to bring up the playback controls, then look for a bookmark icon or a button labeled "Mark" or "Highlight". Tap it to mark the start point.

Continue playing the video and tap the same button again when the highlight should end. The app will show you the clip you selected. If you need to adjust the timing, most phones let you drag the start and end markers backward or forward a few frames at a time. Enter a name for the clip and tap save.

The mobile app is useful if you are watching video on the sideline or at home on your couch, but the web version gives you more precise control over timing because you can see a larger timeline and make smaller adjustments. If you are creating many highlights or need exact frame-by-frame accuracy, the website is usually faster.

Organizing and Naming Highlights So You Can Find Them Later

Hudl stores every highlight you create in a folder tied to that video. If you create 15 highlights from a single game, all 15 will live together. The names you give them are the only way to sort them later, so spend a few seconds on each name instead of calling everything "highlight 1" or "good play".

Use a naming system that includes the player name, the type of play, and the quarter or time if it matters: "Chen defensive stop, 1st quarter" or "Rodriguez touchdown pass, 3rd drive". If you are highlighting for a specific purpose — like showing a recruit what you saw, or breaking down technique for a team meeting — you can add that too: "Chen tackle technique review" or "Rodriguez film study, footwork".

Once highlights are created, you can view them all in one place, share them as a group, or read individual clips to your computer. Hudl also lets you create a highlight reel — a video that stitches multiple highlights together in order — but that is a separate step after you have marked all your individual clips.

Fixing Mistakes and Re-Editing Highlights

If you create a highlight with the wrong start or end point, you do not have to delete it and start over. Open the highlight clip itself and look for an edit button (usually a pencil icon). Click it to adjust the start and end frames. Make your changes and save. The clip updates when ready.

If you named a highlight wrong, you can rename it the same way — open the clip, find the edit option, change the name, and save. If you decide you do not want a highlight at all, look for a delete button in the same menu. Deleting a highlight does not affect the original full video; it only removes that individual clip from your account.

Sharing Highlights After You Create Them

Once a highlight exists in your Hudl account, you can share it in several ways. You can send a link to a specific person or group, read the video file to your computer, or embed it on a website. Click the share button next to the highlight name — it usually looks like an arrow or a link icon — and choose your method.

If you are sharing with a recruit or parent, Hudl lets you set whether they can read the video or only watch it online. You can also set an expiration date so the link stops working after a certain number of days. This is useful if you are sending film to a prospect and want to control how long they have access.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I create highlights from a video that is not a full game?

Yes. Hudl lets you create highlights from any video you upload — practice footage, drills, individual player sessions, or clips you have already edited. The process is the same regardless of the source video length.

How many highlights can I create from one video?

There is no limit. You can create as many highlights as you want from a single game or practice. If you create 50 highlights from one video, they will all be stored separately and can be shared or organized however you need.

Do I need to read highlights to my computer, or can I keep them in Hudl?

You can do either. Highlights stay in your Hudl account indefinitely, and you can watch, share, or edit them anytime you log in. You can also read them as video files to keep on your computer or edit in other software if you want.

What happens to my highlights if I delete the original full video?

Your highlights remain in your account. Deleting the full game video does not remove the individual highlights you created from it. They are stored as separate clips.

Can I create a highlight that is longer than a few minutes?

Yes. A highlight can be as short as a few seconds or as long as you want — there is no maximum length. If you want to mark a 10-minute stretch of a game as a single highlight, Hudl will let you do it.