Creating a video is a pretty simple process

1) To start you need a camera that takes video. Most modern digital cameras, webcams, or cellphones will work just fine. If you don’t have something to record video with, I recommend purchasing a Creative camera (one of the leading brands).

If your phone does take video, signing up for an account with YouTube Mobile allows you to directly send YouTube your mobile videos and publish them on the road (very useful for bands).

2) After you have your raw video footage you need to edit the footage, adding music and making cuts. This can be done with Windows Movie Maker if you have a PC or iMovie if you have a Mac. If using Movie Maker, check out the tutorials section at windowsmoviemakers.net for an extensive list of editing tutorials to help you get the most out of your movie. Apple also has their own tutorials for iMovie here.

3) When you’re finished editing your video you will have to export it with certain settings that depend on what site you will be uploading your video to. YouTube recommends MPEG4 format with 320×240 resolution and 30 frames per second. If you’re using audio, it’s best to use mp3 audio. The following formats may be uploaded to the YouTube website:

.wmv, .avi, .mov, and .mpg

For more help with uploading videos to YouTube, check out their support page. When uploading a video to MySpace, using the YouTube recommendations will ensure about the best quality, but the following formats may be used:

.avi, .asf, .dv, .wmv, .mov, .qt, .3g2, .3gp, .3gp2, .3gpp, .gsm, .mpg, .mpeg,
.mp4, .m4v, .mp4v, .cmp, .divx, .xvid, .264, .rm, .rmvb, .flv, .mkv, .ogm

4) Optimize your video! The most important step in optimizing your video is considering the thumbnail that your video service will choose for your video. The thumbnail is just the screenshot that is used for displaying your video, as shown below:

YouTube will pick the frame that’s in the center of your video. So when optimizing, make sure the middle of your video includes an attractive and relevant frame that will draw your users in.