In our last tutorial, we explained what a YouTube channel is and how to subscribe to one, so you can keep up with all of the latest videos posted by the channel's creator. But what if you want to post your own videos? For that, you'll need your own channel! This tutorial will show you how to set one up.
Like most things on YouTube besides simply watching videos, you will need to be logged in to create a channel.
How do you make a YouTube channel?
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Go to www.youtube.com in your web browser and log in.
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Click your profile picture in the top-right corner, and then click the YouTube Settings icon.
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Under the Overview section (which you should automatically be taken to), click Create New Channel.
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Click in the box labelled "Name Your Channel" and type in a name for your channel. Then click the drop-down menu underneath that and select the purpose of your channel (Product or Brand; Company, Institution, or Organization; Arts, Entertainment, or Sports; or Other).
Click the check box here to say that you agree to Google and YouTube's rules about having a channel (click Pages Terms to read these rules). Then click Done.
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Congrats! Your new YouTube channel is set up! But it's looking a little dull. Let's fix that by adding some personality. First up is the icon that represents your channel.
Move your mouse over the blank icon in the top-left corner and click the Edit icon (it looks like a pencil). A message will appear saying that your channel's icon is linked to the one on its matching Google Plus page (which was created at the same time as your channel). Click Edit on Google Plus.
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You probably don't have any pictures on the Google Plus page for your YouTube channel yet, so the easiest option is probably to Upload one (which should be the default option selected). Click Select A Photo From Your Computer and use the explorer window that pops up to find a picture on your computer that you want to use (note that it must be at least 250 pixels in both height and width).
After that, you can crop and rotate the photo as you wish, or even add a caption to it. Click Set as Profile Photo when you're done.
(NOTE: A window may appear asking you to share something about your new photo. Just click Cancel to ignore it.)
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Now, let's try adding some cover art for your channel. Go back to your YouTube channel and click Add Channel Art in the top-middle.
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Like with your channel icon, you can upload your own photo to use for your cover art (click Select a Photo From Your Computer and use the explorer window to find one that you want, and then click Open), or you can use a photo already on your Google Plus account.
However, cover art is a little bit tricky in terms of dimensions, so you may want to click Gallery and click on a preset piece of cover art provided by YouTube. Whatever your choice, click Select when you're done.
(NOTE: You may have to click Cancel or the "X" in the top-right corner to get back to your channel page.)
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Let's finish off by adding some extra details to our channel. Click the About tab underneath your channel's header.
Here, you can click the Channel Description button and type in a short introduction to what your channel is about. Or, click the Email button and type in an email address that people can use to get in touch with you if they have questions. You can also click the Country drop-down menu and select which country you live in.
You can also click the Links button and add hyperlinks that people can follow to, for example, your personal website. You can even have some of your links appear right on your channel's cover art!
Alright! Your channel's pretty much set up now. All that's missing are your videos! We'll show you how to upload your videos to YouTube in our next tutorial!
