So, you want you start making videos on YouTube, or you already are and are looking for more resources. This page is for you! This page is meant as a list of resources, guides, and other pointers to get you a good start for making videos. Note that I will not be helping you pirate anything. All links provided here are to their official, legal websites.
This page is maintained by Flurdeh, if you have anything to add shoot me a message on Twitter or make a pull request.
If you want to record a video game on your computer, or just your computer in general. You will need a screen recorder. Honestly, there really are very few choices that are worth considering.
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OBS (Open Broadcaster Software)
Windows/Mac/Linux- This is probably the most common recommendation when it comes to screen recorders, and honestly? The only one to seriously consider. Lots of options and also allows you to stream. This really is the most obvious choice. (Quick Start Guide). There is another version called Streamlabs OBS that is more geared towards streamers. -
Nvidia Shadowplay
Windows- You probably already have this on your computer if you have an Nvidia graphics card, but there aren't many options. You press a button and it records you whole screen. That's all there is to it. -
Mac Screen Recorder
Mac- Apples built in screen recorder, very basic but may do a good enough job for what you need. -
Android/iOS Screen Capture - If you're on a phone or tablet, most devices in recent years have recording software built in.
There aren't too many of these that I know of. Audacity is probably the most popular option here. If you have Adobe's Creative Cloud, Audition might be worth a peek.
Many years ago, all you had to worry about was Windows Movie Maker. We live in more civilized times now and there are many more options for the average person to edit their videos in.
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Hitfilm Express
Windows/Mac- A good program to start with, looks similar to more professional software like Adobe Premiere and is a good stepping stone towards it if you want you to switch to it later. -
Davinci Resolve
Windows/Mac/Linux- Just like Hitfilm, its a good stepping stone to some paid software. Resolve has plenty of advanced features in the free version, but also has a paid version. -
iMovie
Mac- Great software for apple users. -
KDENLive
Windows/Linux- A very full-featured open source video editor that has many professional features built in, as well as a library of compositing effects, and support for custom transistion masks. -
Avid Media Composer
Windows/Mac- This software is a standard in the film industry. Has a more basic free version with and a paid version. -
Openshot
Windows/Mac/Linux -
Shotcut
Windows/Mac/Linux -
Olive
Windows/Mac/Linux- Newer video editor currently in alpha
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Adobe Premiere / After Effects
Windows/Mac- Great software, but as with any adobe product, you pay a hefty price for it. -
Vegas Pro
Windows- Has been around for a while, keep an eye out on Humble Bundle, as they generally have a bundle with Vegas Pro about twice a year. -
Avid Media Composer
Windows/Mac- Has a more basic free version with and a paid version.
Most video & image editors have the ability to make gifs, but often its difficult to optimize especially longer gifs to be uploaded on places like Discord, Twitter, Tumblr, Imgur and so on. If you do want to do it through your video editor or image editor, try limiting your image size to e.g. 540x304 and your fps to 20. What you could also do is simply render your video as an mp4 and upload it to Gfycat.
I don't know much about mobile editors, but these are some of the ones I've found in my search for this list. Its a mix of free and paid software considering most of these have different versions.
- Inshot
Android/iOS - Kinemaster
Android/iOS- Has some limits on the free version like video length. - Adobe Premiere Rush
Android/iOS- Adobe's premiere but simplified for mobile. - iMovie
iOS- Apple's video editor is also available for Iphone/Ipad.
Creating thumbnails, a banner, and a logo are important parts of your YouTube channel. These are some image editing softwares you can use.
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GIMP
Windows/Mac/Linux- Has been around forever as a Photoshop alternative. Open source and very popular. -
Canva
Web Browser- Free web based image editor. Has some templates to choose from to make things easier. Also has a premium version with more options. -
Photopea
Web browser- Has been making a name for itself. Completely web browser based, no need to download anything. -
Paint.NET
Windows- Also has been around for years. A bit more lightweight than GIMP but can still do a decent enough job.
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Photoshop
Windows/Mac- Everybody and their mother knows Photoshop. Adobe offers a subscription for Photoshop+Lightroom that is cheaper than their Creative Cloud subscription. -
Affinity Photo
Windows/Mac- Looks similar-ish to Photoshop and is more geared to photo editing but can definitely do thumbnails. One time purchase.
A very common question being asked when making videos on YouTube is "How do I know what music I can use?" and "Where can I find music for my videos?" YouTube's audio library is a good place to start. YouTube used to have a page where you could look what the licenses of music was, but they've retired it with the introduction of the new creator studio.
A common misconception when searching for music is that people look for royalty free music. Please note that this is not copyright free, and can still fall under copyrighted content. See here.
Each website has a different license, make sure you read and understand them before using the music from the websites below.
- Youtube Audio Library - Youtube's own library for music and sounds
- Bensound ©️ - Very popular website that many content creators have been using for their videos.
- ccMixter - ©️ - Lots of tracks to use with a wide variety.
- Free Music Archive - An library of high-quality audio downloads directed by WFMU. Has music under every type of license.
- FreePD - Music under CC0 license of various moods.
- Freesound - A database of music, sounds, samples and recordings. Each file has its own license, but has many under the CC0 license.
- SoundBible - ©️ - A whole bunch of sound effects, sound clips, and sounds.
- Unminus - ©️ Inspired by Unsplash, Unminus offers free Music for YouTube Videos, Podcasts and Apps. No copyright (CC0)
- Mixkit - Various music, sound effects, videos, video templates and images available for free. Many require no attribution but make sure to check the license listed on the page of what you want before using it.
- Streambeats - Music from different genres free to use for videos & streams.
- Soundjay - Sound effects of different categories, free to use. Attribution not required but appreciated.
- Bandcamp Creative Commons - Popular music site's creative commons section.
Sometimes you need video footage of things you can't film yourself. If this is the case, stock footage can be very handy to use. But often this footage can be extremely expensive, luckily, there are plenty of websites that can provide you with footage just as good without having to pay anything. Some of these don't even need credit. Despite what the description of each website says, it is a good idea to double check on the website what the license is.
- Pexels Videos - ©️ Completely free, CC0 licensed stock videos.
- Coverr - ©️ 7 new videos every Monday.
- Life of Vids - ©️ Videos, clips & loops.
- Mazwai - Great collection of free creative commons HD video clips & footages. Check each video for licensing terms.
- Pond5 - Thousands of historic media files that are public domain.
- Pixabay - Plenty of videos, make sure to read the license, since some may have a different license on this page.
- VYOO - ©️ Beautiful, Free Vertical Videos.
- Mixkit - Various music, sound effects, videos, video templates and images available for free. Many require no attribution but make sure to check the license listed on the page of what you want before using it.
All of the photo's below are free to use. Most under a CC0 license but as always, double check to make sure.
- Unsplash - User submitted, free high-resolution photos. 10 new photos every 10 days.
- ABSFreePic - A high-resolution and absolutely free photos stock site.
- Altphotos - Handpicked free high-resolution photos added daily.
- Barn Images - Barn Images offers you a collection of free high-resolution non-stock photography.
- CC0 Photo - CC0.photo is a project initiated by Raffael Herrmann, which serves you with free photos.
- Creative Commons Search - Search across several libaries to find adaptable / editable images
- Freely Photos - Totally free high quality Christian stock photography.
- Gratisography - Free high-resolution pictures you can use on your personal and commercial projects. New pictures added weekly.
- Jay Mantri - Free pics. Do anything. Make magic.
- Jéshoots - Photos for business or personal use in high resolution for free.
- LibreShot - A collection of hundreds of high quality free stock images for personal or commercial use.
- Little Visuals - Hi-res images zipped up in your inbox. Use them anyway you want.
- Moveast - Photo's of a Portugese guy moving
- Negative Space - Stock photos added every week.
- Pexels - 20 new high-quality photos daily.
- Pickupimage - Free stock images, public domain photos.
- Pixabay - Stock photos, illustrations, vectors and videos.
- Skitter Photo - Public domain pictures and stock photos for commercial use.
- Skuawk - Skuawk public domain photos, free, beautiful and artistically loud.
- Snappy Goat - Over 12 million public domain & CC0 licensed images.
- Snapwire Snaps - 7 new photo's every 7 days.
- Stocksnap - Hundreds of high resolution images added weekly.
- Mixkit - Various music, sound effects, videos, video templates and images available for free. Many require no attribution but make sure to check the license listed on the page of what you want before using it.
- Adobe Stock - Photos, Illustrations, Vectors.
- Fotolia - Photos, Illustrations, Vectors, Videos.
- Inky Deals - Various resources with discounts.
- Shutterstock - Everybody knows Shutterstock. Photos, Vectors, Editorial, Footages, Music.
- Stocksy - Photos & Videos.
- Graphic River - Graphic Assets