YouTube Creator Blog

Keep making history: Celebrating the artists, activists and creators of today

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

It's deeply important to us to make YouTube a great place for diverse creators. We've been excited to shine a light throughout Black History Month on amazing black vloggers, comedians, and beauty gurus like Nathan Zed, Tre Melvin, Akilah Hughes, TPindell and Jackie Aina, who connect with millions of fans on YouTube every day.

These are some of the creators who remind us that celebrating black history doesn't start and end in February. Black history is American history and black voices are making contributions every single day.

We're inspired by how black creators share their stories, art and vision on YouTube. Already this year, people around the world watched Swoozie interview President Obama and tuned in to Marques Brownlee, Chescaleigh and SoldierKnowsBest asking presidential hopefuls tough questions on nationally televised debates. Issa Rae created new opportunities for aspiring black talent to tell their stories online. Amandla Stenberg graced the cover of Teen Vogue following her viral "crash course on black culture" that ignited conversations on identity, music, art and appropriation.

From forging new paths in entertainment and storytelling to shining a light on injustices fueling the #BlackLivesMatter movement, black voices are an engine of creativity, innovation, thought and progress that runs all year long. To all the change makers, educators, entertainers, trendsetters, and storytellers, keep innovating, keep mobilizing, keep creating and most of all--keep making history.

Black history is American history and we are proud to be part of the stories being told.

Danielle Tiedt, Chief Marketing Officer at YouTube, recently watched How to Deal with Being Different by William Haynes

Blur moving objects in your video with the new Custom blurring tool on YouTube

Thursday, February 25, 2016

In 2012, we launched the ability for creators to blur all faces in their video as a first step toward providing visual anonymity tools on YouTube. Even then we knew we still had work to do: you didn’t just want to blur faces -- you wanted to blur literally anything in your video.

Today, we’re launching a Custom Blurring tool on YouTube that lets creators do just that. With this new Enhancements feature, available on desktop versions of YouTube, you can blur any object in your video, even as it moves. Whether you want to blur sensitive information such as a license plate or cover up a wardrobe malfunction without reshooting an entire scene, the new Custom Blurring tool will let you blur objects throughout your video, right within YouTube.

Using the new Custom Blurring feature, simply draw a box around whatever it is you want to blur.

Choose the video that you want to edit and select Custom Blurring within the Blurring Effects tab of our Enhancements tool. Simply draw a box around whatever it is you want to blur. The Custom Blurring tool will automatically blur that object as it moves throughout the video, using our new innovative technology that can analyze the motion of any video on the fly.

The new feature will automatically blur that object as it moves throughout the video

At any time, you can move the blurred area, resize it and choose when the blur starts and stops. There is also a “Lock” option to blur something that doesn’t move at all. When you’re done making edits you can either save the changes as part of the same video or save a new copy, which also gives you the option to delete the original video.

While the use cases for this tool are vast, we built this feature with visual anonymity in mind. We wanted to give you a simple way to blur things like people, contact information or financial data without having to remove and re-upload your content.

YouTube is proud to be a platform where people around the world come to share their stories, whether it’s the first time a loved one learned how to ride a bike, or a first-hand recording of an important human rights issue. We hope this new tool helps you to tell your stories on YouTube, and continue to experiment with your creativity and expression. We have no doubt you will.

Amanda Conway, YouTube Privacy Lead, recently watched INSANE OFFICE SLIDE!

And next up is you! Enter for a chance to be a part of the YouTube NextUp class of 2016!

Monday, February 22, 2016

Whether you’re exploring what makes the world go round like ASAPScience, cooking up tasty treats like Laura Vitale or a lifestyle guru with advice to share like Ingrid Nilsen, YouTube NextUp has helped over 250 YouTube creators from 15 countries to turbocharge their YouTube channels since its launch in 2011.

This year, YouTube NextUp is designed to reach more channels than ever! Up to 360 YouTube channels around the world will be selected as winners of NextUp contests to join the NextUp class of 2016. Today we are launching in the US and UK, but check back for additional contests in Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Berlin, Paris, Toronto and Mumbai.

So who’s next up? We’re looking for passionate, motivated and inspiring YouTube creators.¹ Sharpen your production skills to tell more compelling stories and receive mentorship from production and channel development professionals, alongside other talented creators.

If you are selected to join the US NextUp class of 2016, you are eligible to receive:

A $2,500 voucher for production equipment to help you make your video dreams a reality.
A spot at a week-long creator camp at either the YouTube Space Los Angeles or New York (as assigned by YouTube). You’ll team up with production experts to harness new techniques in camera, lighting, and sound, and receive coaching from YouTube Partnerships team on how to grow your audience.
Mentorship by YouTube NextUp grads, plus the opportunity to meet and work with other fast-rising creators. Could there be a better way to set off some truly awesome collaborations?

To enter the US YouTube NextUp contest, see full details (including the eligibility requirements and contest rules) at youtube.com/nextup.

We’re excited to see what you’ll come up with next on YouTube!

Elizabeth Hartnett, YouTube NextUp program manager, recently watched "Beyoncé & Bruno Mars Crash Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show | NFL."

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¹Eligibility requirements and NextUp Contest rules can be found at www.youtube.com/nextup

Transform a view into a donation

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

As a YouTube creator, you’re already making amazing content that inspires, entertains, and helps educate your community. Now, the videos you create can do even more — they can raise money to support your favorite cause.

We recently began rolling out donation cards to US creators, which let your subscribers and viewers donate directly from your videos. Just add a donation card, pick a nonprofit, and start doing good. You can choose any United States, IRS-validated 501(c)3 public nonprofit organization and they receive 100% of the money donated. We’re excited to take this first step and look forward to expanding into other countries so creators across the world can power nonprofits they care about.

YouTube has over a billion users. That’s almost one-third of all people on the Internet. And everyday those users watch hundreds of millions of hours of video, racking up billions of views – which are now billions of opportunities to do good.

Whether you’ve already hosted fundraisers on your YouTube channel or are looking for a simple way to get started, transform a view into a donation. Join creators like John and Hank Green and Madison Beer and use the donation card to connect your audience with a nonprofit of your choice.

For more information about donation cards, check out the YouTube Help Center.

Sherif Hamdy, YouTube For Good Program Manager, recently watched A Deaf Man Learns That His Wife Is Pregnant

#IfIHadSpace? You asked for it, and you got it — YouTube Space Mumbai opens today

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Musicians Aakash Gandhi and Ash King stumble upon a magical doorway to YouTube Space Mumbai

Lights, camera—action!

Back in August we announced that we would be partnering with renowned film school Whistling Woods International (WWI) to open YouTube Space Mumbai. We asked what you would do #IfIHadSpace and you responded overwhelmingly on social media: sci fi shorts, action films, and of course, many, many music videos. Now, we are finally ready to unveil the Space, opening the doors to India’s YouTube creators and nurturing the next wave of entertainment talent for Bollywood and beyond.

At the opening event today, we started the show with a bang with a musical number by YouTube creator, pianist and composer 88 Keys to Euphoria’s Aakash Gandhi, together with his collaborator Ash King. Their latest video, Billie Jean | Jiya Re (Mashup Cover), which opened the event and was released today on YouTube, was shot entirely on campus and is the first official production of YouTube Space Mumbai.

YouTube’s new home for creators in Mumbai is a 1400 square foot space within WWI’s sprawling production complex, which includes a 400 square foot studio, a lounge and workshop space for creators to relax and socialize in, and an edit bay with two machines that are capable of 4K editing. There will also be a small office for our staff on campus, to interact not only with YouTube creators, but with the students at Whistling Woods. In addition, YouTube creators will have access to Whistling Woods’ sound stages and post-production facilities, including two fully-equipped professional studios over 3000 square feet each.

The creators’ lounge at YouTube Space Mumbai

The doors are about to open…

Opening ceremony of the YouTube Space with Subhash Ghai (center), founder and Chairman of WWI

At the YouTube Space, creators can also learn from industry experts and attend workshops to hone their YouTube know-how and production skills. Starting this month, the Space will host networking events for industry and education partners, as well as a regular schedule of workshops for creators. From a “Business Bootcamp” to classes on Adobe tools, these class will give creators the skills they need to operate and succeed as business entrepreneurs in digital media.

Creators will be able to book use of the YouTube Space through an online tool after they have taken an initial orientation class called “Unlock the Space.” The first Unlock the Space orientation will take place this coming Saturday, 5 December, 2015. Information and sign up for upcoming events and workshops will be on the YouTube Space website at www.youtube.com/space. Stay informed about the latest goings on at YouTube Space Mumbai by following us on Twitter @youtubespacemum, or sign up for our newsletter at https://goo.gl/86M6fW.

Posted by David Macdonald, Head of YouTube Spaces, Asia Pacific, who recently watched TVF’s Rajasthani Cowboys.

Found in Translation: Language tools for building a global audience

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Do you ever feel like your videos are getting lost in translation? YouTube has over a billion users and is available in 76 different languages. So it’s easy to understand why it can sometimes feel that way.

On average, over 60% of a channel’s views come from outside of its creator’s home country. That means two out of every three people who watch your channel might speak a different language than you. So how can you make sure viewers around the world can easily discover, understand and love your content? That’s where our latest set of translation features comes in. Designed to help creators make their content more accessible and understandable to an international audience, they include:

Community-contributed subtitles and CC - crowdsource your video subtitles and let your community help you reach more people in more languages. Opt-in by clicking here.
Translated titles and descriptions - add translated titles and descriptions to your videos.That way fans can discover your videos in their native languages. We’ll display your video information in the right language to the right viewers.
Translation marketplace (beta) - order professional translations of your content right from your Video Manager. Once you've chosen the target language(s) you prefer, simply checkout and pay. When the translation is complete, we'll auto-publish your content and send you a confirmation email.

Some of our partners have already tested out these features and the impact has been pretty remarkable. Take VICE. Their channel more than doubled the daily watchtime on translated videos from Spanish and Portuguese speakers. In fact, watchtime from Spanish users tripled. ¡Impresionante!

“These new features have the potential to fundamentally change the way VICE distributes its YouTube content on a global scale”, says Jordan DeBor, Video Partnerships Manager at VICE. “By removing the language barrier, YouTube delivers the opportunity to build new audiences in local markets and expand in our existing ones.”

With the help of over 20,000 volunteer translators, TED, another important YouTube partner, has been experimenting with crowdsourced translations across thousands of videos in more than a hundred languages. They joined the new translation tools pilot just a few months ago and for the first time combined translated captions with translated titles and descriptions for two thousand videos in 11 languages. They saw major growth in localized watchtime – the channel’s localized watchtime increased from 20% to 35% overall, and in several cases up to 60%.

"For more than five years, we’ve been working to remove the barrier of language from TED’s mission in spreading ideas throughout the world”, says Kristin Windbigler, Director of TED’s Open Translation Project. “As one of our most important partners, YouTube has pushed the boundaries in making our videos not only accessible but also discoverable for viewers around the world.”

Ready to start using these features? Check out the translation tools overview page for more information!

Vladimir Vuskovic, Product Manager, recently watched Deb Roy: The birth of a word

YouTube presses play on virtual reality

Thursday, November 5, 2015

This story was originally posted on the official YouTube blog. Earlier this year, YouTube began supporting 360 degree video on YouTube. Today, we’re unveiling new virtual reality (VR) features on Android that enable you to see and be seen in a whole new way.

If we’ve learned anything in the past 10+ years at YouTube it’s that capturing and sharing videos is a great way to bring people there with you—whether “there” is an Icelandic glacier, a special performance by violinist Tim Fain, or just a friend’s birthday party.

Virtual reality (VR) makes the experience of being there even more awesome and immersive, so today we’re bringing two new VR features to YouTube’s Android app. All you need is your current phone, and a Google Cardboard viewer.

First, YouTube now supports VR video—a brand new kind of video that makes you feel like you’re actually there. Using the same tricks that we humans use to see the world, VR video gives you a sense of depth as you look around in every direction. Near things look near, far things look far. So if you were excited about 360° videos, this is pretty freakin’ cool.

To give it a try just find a VR video on YouTube—like the Hunger Games Experience or TOMS Shoes Giving Trip—tap the new Cardboard icon, drop your phone into your Cardboard viewer, and you’re off! If you’re a creator, you can also check out technologies like Jump to capture and share your own VR videos.

Check out this and more VR videos here

Our second bit of news is for the universe of existing YouTube content. And that’s the fact that you can now watch any video using Google Cardboard, and experience a kind of virtual movie theater. Just select the new “Cardboard” option from the watch page menu, drop your phone into your viewer, and you’re done. You’ll now have the largest VR content library right at your fingertips.

Both of today’s updates make it easier to be there. In some cases, really there there. So download the new YouTube app from Google Play, and get going.

Kurt Wilms, Senior Product Manager, YouTube VR recently watched “Waves of Grace”, Sanjeev Verma, YouTube Product Manager, recently watched “LA Phil: The Orchestra VR Video Experience” and Husain Bengali, Product Manager, Jump recently watched “Apollo 11 moon landing.

Creator Blog