Share videos online with YouTube
YouTube is a great way to share videos. Find out how to upload your own footage to this popular website
A few years ago, the only way to see amusing clips of children falling over or animals scaring people was to tune into You've Been Framed. With the spread of the internet and broadband connections, it was never going to be long before an online alternative appeared.
By far the biggest and best-known right now is YouTube. A random browse through the site is almost certain to turn up a clip that either makes you laugh or piques your interest. But the site isn't just about consuming. Anyone is free to upload their videos to share with the world. In this Workshop, we'll show how to use YouTube and Windows Media Player to share your clips with a worldwide audience. Step 1: registration
We've created a link to the YouTube homepage at http://www.youtube.com/, so type this into the address or location bar of your web browser and hit Enter. The YouTube website can be used without registration, but by creating a user account additional options are available. Begin by clicking the Sign Up link in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Enter the personal details requested, including the verification text and then click on the Sign Up button. When invited to advertise YouTube to friends and family, just click on the Skip button to continue and sign in will automatically take place. Step 2: activating your account
Before uploading any videos, it is necessary to verify the email address that was used during the registration process. Click on the Upload tab to the far right of the screen, ensure that the correct email address is displayed and click on the Send Email button. A few moments later, an email should arrive that can be used to confirm account details. Simply click on the link contained in the email to continue. If the email does not appear to arrive, check your junk email folder to see if it dropped in there. Step 3: exploring YouTube
With an account successfully created and verified, it is now time to explore the YouTube website, so click on the Home link at the upper left of the page. The main page displays the current featured videos, but there are also links to other interesting content to the right click on any of the links and the videos will start to play automatically. Alternatively, use the search box at the top of the screen to find specific videos. Step 4: rating and commenting
When logged into a YouTube account, you can rate viewed videos by clicking on the red stars that appear beneath the playback window. Below this, comments from other visitors appear and at the bottom of the page is a section to add your own comment. In the upper right-hand corner of the page are ready-made links, which can be added to blog posts or a personal website to link to a video. Click on the Subscribe button to make it easy to access videos uploaded by a particular user. Step 5: finding the videos you want
At the very top of the page, click on the blue down arrow that appears next to the My Account link and select the My Subscriptions option. The page that appears displays links to all of the videos posted by users you have subscribed to. From here it is also possible to create new subscriptions based on keywords to make it easy to find new videos. For example, to stay updated with all the latest basketball videos, type 'basketball' in the Subscribe To Tags box and click on Subscribe. Step 6: uploading your own videos
While it is great fun browsing through YouTube for videos posted by other people, it is also possible to upload videos of your own. Videos captured on camcorders, webcams, mobile phones and other cameras can be uploaded provided they are in either .avi, .mov, .mpg or .wmv formats. It is also important to check that any videos for upload do not exceed 10 minutes in length or 100MB in size. Read more uploading advice by clicking on the Help link followed by Making and Uploading Videos. Step 7: video editing tools
There is a high chance that any existing footage will need to be trimmed down slightly prior to upload, but there is no need to turn to expensive video-editing software. Users of Windows XP have Windows Movie Maker pre-installed and this program is more than capable of the basic editing required. Launch Windows Movie Maker from the Start menu and click on the Import Video link to the left of the screen. Navigate to the video you want to work with and, once imported, drag the clip to the storyboard at the bottom of the screen. Step: trimming videos To start trimming video footage, you need to switch to Timeline view, so open the View menu and select Timeline. The clip that has been added to the storyboard should still be visible at the bottom of the screen. Hold the cursor over the left-hand side of the clip if footage needs to be trimmed from the beginning or to the right to trim from the end. Click and hold the left mouse button to resize the clip and keep an eye on the preview window to the upper right. Once the relevant section of footage has been removed, release the mouse button. Step 9: creating special effects and subtitles
Windows Movie Maker makes it possible to add special effects and titles to videos. In the Movie Tasks pane to the left of the screen, make sure that '2. Edit Movie' is expanded (by clicking on the adjacent down arrow if necessary) and then click on 'View video effects'. Preview effects by selecting one and click on the Play button in the preview window. To apply an effect, simply drag the relevant thumbnail onto the video clip in the storyboard or timeline. Title screens and background music can also be added using the links to the left of the screen. Step 10: it's a wrap
When the video is complete, click on the down arrow next to Finish Movie in the Movie Tasks pane before clicking on 'Save to my computer'. Choose a name and location for the file and click on Next. At the next screen click on the 'Show more choices' link and select the Other Settings radio button. Make a selection from the list of predefined quality options, making a note of the overall file size, which is displayed at the bottom right of the dialogue box remember to keep this below 100MB. Click on Next and the video will be saved. Step 11: how to upload your video to YouTube With a video created, it is time to upload, so return to the YouTube website and log into your account. Click on the Upload tab to the upper right of the page and then enter a title and description for the video. In the tags box, enter a number of relevant keywords that will help other YouTube users to find the video. Then select a category to place it in. Make sure that the correct language option is selected from the drop-down menu and then click on Continue. Step 12: select your audience
At the second stage of the upload process, click on the Browse button, navigate to the video on the hard disk and click on Open. Any video uploaded to YouTube can be made public (meaning that anyone will be able to watch it), or private (so only selected contacts can view it). Make your selection and click on the Upload Video button. Depending on the size of the video and speed of the internet connection, uploading may take some time. A confirmation message will be displayed when the upload is complete. Step 13: keeping tabs on your videos Once a video has been uploaded, there may be a delay of a few minutes before it is available for online viewing. To keep track of progress click on the down arrow next to the My Account link at the top of the page and select the My Videos option. From this screen it is also possible to edit video information, monitor other clips you have uploaded and delete files you no longer wish to be publicly available. Step 14: mobile phone footage YouTube recognises the fact that many modern mobile phones have cameras and as such it is possible to sign up for a mobile account that enables captured footage to be uploaded directly from a camera. Move to the Upload tab and click on the 'Upload videos directly from your mobile phone' link before clicking on Create Mobile Profile. Enter the requested details and click on Create Profile. You will then be provided with an address to send videos you want to share on YouTube.
This article was created: 28 November 2006.
This article was last edited: 20 June 2007.
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