Engaging Your Audience with Optimal Video Concepts

Best YouTube Video Ideas to Spark Inspiration

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Ideas are the fuel for your YouTube channel, and you are running on empty. Out of video ideas or in need of fresh new ideas? No worries. This article is truly a definitive list of YouTube video ideas.

Bookmark this post, so whenever you need a content idea, you can quickly reference it. After you finish reading, you will be ready to make your next video.

Make Creative YouTube Videos with Wondershare Filmora

Wondershare Filmora is a great tool and known for its creativity in video files. You can always make use of features on Filmora that would help you to tweak your videos in any way. Be it the effects, overlays, or transitions, Filmora has all the tools and features available to make creative content for your YouTube channel. The best advantage of having Filmora in the tool list is that it has some inbuilt templates which are easy enough to be implemented and embed on the YouTube Videos.

1. Content Idea Resources

Before we go deeper into the search to find you the best topics for YouTube, let’s take a quick look at some tools that may help you warm up and get your creative juices flowing.

Portent’s Content Title Idea Generator: Put in one of your keywords in this content idea generator and it will come up with an interesting title for you.

We The Unicorn’s Video Idea Generator Quiz: Answer this multiple-choice quiz and allow the algorithm to suggest a YouTube video idea that best suits your style.

701 YouTube Video Ideas [eBook]: You’ll save time brainstorming, be able to post consistently, and grow your YouTube channel faster with this book of ideas.

As you can see, coming up with ideas doesn’t have to be an agonizing drag. It’s all about flexing your creativity muscle and we are here to help you do it. Are you ready to be inspired? Great! Let’s begin this list:

2. Showcase Who You Are

Talk About Yourself: Introduce yourself to the world. You can answer 10 of the most common ice breaker questions you get at social gatherings: “Who are you?” “What do you do for a living?” “What are your hobbies?” In this video, you get to decide how you want to showcase yourself to your audience.

Reviews: Do you have opinions? Of course, you do. Movie trailers, popular YouTube videos, products such as makeup, gadgets, and toys, you have thoughts on everything. It’s more than content creation, it’s critical thinking. Understanding why you like or dislike something is not only helpful for other people like you, but it’s also helpful for you to know your own preferences. It’s a little exercise in self-discovery.

Day in a Life: Bring the audience with you on a day of your life. Show people what it is like to walk in your shoes from morning to night. How do you commute to school or work? What do you have for lunch? What obstacles do you encounter throughout the day? You’ll be surprised what will happen as your day unfolds.

Top 10: People love lists because it’s a simple rundown. When you set your video as a list, the viewer knows exactly what they are getting, and familiarity with the format will make it more likely to be clicked. While you can make a top 12 or top 16 list, it is shown that picking a number ending on “0” will yield the best results .

Routines: What do you do when you get ready for school or work? What do you do before bed? Discussing your routine can inspire people to lead the life you have. A routine does not mean going to an office every day , it can mean eating a new restaurant every month, doing something impulsive once a week, or appreciating what you have on a daily basis.

Reflection: You’ve come a long way and you don’t always acknowledge it. Were there a few pivotal milestones in the last five years? Were there new friends you made or new places you’ve been to? Can’t think of anything? Well, pull out your calendar and flip back a few months and a few years. Was there something you scheduled that you’ve forgotten? It was important enough for you to mark it down at the time, reflect on how it went, and what you got out of it.

Favorites: Game, food, or sports team: when you talk about your favorite things, you allow people to take a peek into the history of you. It’s easier to get people excited when you talk about something you are passionate about, so do it! Also, talking about your favorite thing allow other people who like those things to find you. This is a great way to find and build your own community

Relatonships: Your parents, your partner, your teachers, or your friends, your relationship with each of those people are different, even though you are the same person. That’s the beauty of a relationship. This makes it a great topic to share on YouTube because it shows a unique side of who you are every time you speak about another relationship you have.

Rant: The world is out to get you… not really, but there are enough annoying situations during the week to fill a weekly rant segment for your channel. Here’s a tip about ranting that you should use to avoid sounding whiny: offer a solution at the end or be funny .

Show and Tell: Like the elementary school exercise, show and tell is a terrific way to show off something interesting you have and talk about the significance of it. An old childhood toy, a new gadget, a gift from a friend: every item has a story, show and tell it.

3. Challenge Yourself

Leave Your Comfort Zone: Do something that you didn’t think you can do and film it. It might end up being a Fail, but that is how you learn. Learn a new language and talk to a native speaker. Go bungee jumping. Offer free hugs in public. Do something that makes your heart beat faster everyday and film it.

Live On A Budget: Reduce your weekly budget to $50, can you do it? How about $10? This YouTube video idea gives you perspective into your life. How will your lifestyle change when you vastly reduce your expenses? Knowing this can actually help us prepare for the worst-case scenario.

30 Day Challenge: Usually a 30-day challenge is associated with partaking in a healthy activity such as exercise or giving up a bad habit. But all that has been done, why not challenge yourself to do something different? Cook all your meals for 30 days. Take a different route to work every day for 30 days. Have a 10-minute long conversation with someone new for 30 days.

Speed Round: You think you are good at something? Well, why not try to do it as quickly as possible? Complete a round of video games as quickly as you can. Do a MasterChef mystery box challenge in your kitchen. Run from one subway station to the next , beating the tube itself.

4. Show Your Talent

Make Music: An original song, a cover, or a remix, YouTube is a fantastic platform to showcase your musical talents. Don’t forget, some of the world’s top artists began their journey on YouTube. You might be next to join the discovered on YouTube list .

Creating: Are you an artist? Show your process in making a piece. Depending on the speed in which your project takes, use a timelapse to present what you did in the most effective way.

Unusual skill: Do you have a party trick that you would love to show everyone, but don’t have a party to go to? YouTube is the place for you. Juggle, do a magic trick, dance like Christopher Walkens, whatever unusual skill you have, share it on camera, and get the accolades you so deserve.

5. Explore Your Surroundings

Tour: Your home, your office, your city. Bring your camera and take your audience on a tour of a place you know well. Show them all the hidden gems, tell them a story about the history, and be spontaneous and discover along the way.

Special Event: In any community, there is always a special event taking place, whether it be a concert, a festival, or a conference. Film the environment, interview attendees, and share the experience.

Travel: Go on a trip and bring your camera with you. Create drama by documenting all the things that didn’t go as planned… and any memorable trip will have hiccups along the way. Discover things along the way and vocalize your thoughts through the trip.

Discuss Current Events: As the environmental climate, there is also a social and political climate. Address the current state of events in your city. Are there plans to build new infrastructure? Is there a social injustice that the public should know about? You can discuss international affairs, national politics, or keep it local to start.

6. Be An Educator

Advice: Have you been through a trying experience? Do you have advice for other people setting off on the same path? Whether it’s graduating school, starting a new job, losing weight, or practicing a new skill, creating content that offers helpful advice for those seeking it will give you credibility to speak about the topic since you have gone through the situation yourself.

How to Plan Something: Did you plan a camping trip that went really well? Did you throw a surprise birthday party that went without a hitch? It doesn’t have to be anything grand but think back to something you followed successfully and explain what you did to achieve it.

Lifehacks: Do you have lifehacks? This may be the most generous gift you can share with your audience. You can save them time, energy, and a whole lot of headaches. If you have an engineering spirit, then consider how you can simplify all the little activities that make up a day. No engineering spirit? Start with these lifehacks instead.

Time Management: The responsibility of every person is slightly different, but how you manage your daily schedule. Do you write tasks down on an agenda? Do you have a calendar? What do you do when you get distracted? What is your schedule like? Do you create your own bullet journal or use a productivity app? If so, share it!

Guided Activities: For beginners, some activities are better with a guide. If the audience is unable to join an in-person class, YouTube is a wonderful online alternative for guided activities such as yoga, meditation, and other exercise or relaxation activities.

Tutorial: Is there software you use particularly well? Are you skilled in the kitchen or the garage? Can you install appliances without reading the instructions? Give a step-by-step tutorial in completing a project.

7. Share Your Beliefs and Lifestyle

Motivation: Whatever you are pursuing, know that there are many on the same path as you. If you are an aspiring dancer create content for those that are with you on the journey. Encourage them and speak authentically about the accomplishments to come. Motivation is the energy that is in circulation. The more you send out into the universe, the more will come back to you.

Pets: If you share your home with animals, then you have no shortage of content. Point the camera at your dogs, cats, and ferrets for a while and see what ridiculous scenarios they get up to.

Fitness and Food: Do you subscribe to a specific type of fitness and diet? Have you seen the results that you want to share? Yes, perfect! If no, then why not do a little experimentation. Try to include a fitness and diet regimen in your daily life and vlog about it. Who knows, it might become a healthy change.

Tattoos, Piercing, or Scars: Every tattoo, piercing, and a scar on your body probably have an interesting story behind it. Whether it is something you are proud of or something you may prefer to hide, recognizing the different marks on your body and how they represent your history is a great way to reflect and get inspired.

Document Your Journey: It’s important to set achievable goals for yourself. That’s how you can encourage progress within yourself. With a goal and a timeline in mind, it can be as simple as documenting your journey towards it. If you are working on your novel, you can do a vlog updating the viewers on your process and word count or even bringing a camera with you as your piece gets workshopped.

Holiday: We all share memories of that wonderful time of year. For some it’s a spectacle for others it’s a modest affair. How do you celebrate the holidays and is there a story to that tradition?

Career: So much of our identity is related to what we do for a living. Talking about your day job on YouTube can be tricky. Be authentic, but also use your discretion, because you don’t want to misrepresent yourself professionally to the world.

Philosophy: What is your relationship with money, weekends, and your extended family? Thinking about your values can help you explore life philosophically, thus encouraging you to live the best life possible. As you speak about your philosophy, you are bound to experience alternative views, and that is where great content materializes.

Haul: If you have some money to spend, create a haul YouTube video. Haul video involves you going on a shopping spree and bringing home a big “haul.” In essence, it is an unboxing video on steroids. This type of video generally involves fashion or groceries, but it can be related to anything in large quantity. It’s all about showing off your new stuff to the audience.

Unboxing: Got something new from Amazon? Before you open it, turn on your camera. Unboxing is an easy YouTube video idea that allows your viewers who are considering buying the item to better understand whether it is in fact the right purchase for them.

8. Nurture Your Curiosity

Build Something: IKEA furniture, a website, a LEGO miniature, a business plan. The best way to get better at something is to just do it. Use your hands and build something and capture it for YouTube.

Behind the Scenes: It’s not only the entertainment industry that offers behind the scenes content, but many businesses offer tours and open houses. Reach out to any business or organization you are curious about the inner workings and odds are there will be a day where you can pop in and have a look at what it makes the wheels turn.

Jargon and Slang: From fashion to baseball to dentistry, everything has its own set of jargon or slang. What’s a galloon? What does it mean to win the pennant? What is 3MOD? If you are interested in languages, then diving into the world of jargon and slang is an interesting one.

Deconstruct a Process: Be like Tim Ferriss by breaking down a process into parts enabling you to learn a new skill faster, whether it be language or sports or coffee . Show your viewer how to properly learn how to improve performance by simplifying.

Languages: We all want to learn a new language, but it isn’t easy. If you have a knack for languages, show it off as a skill. Help new speakers avoid common mistakes, discuss the etymology of each word, and explore all the diverse dialects.

Accents: How accents derive is a fascinating topic to explore if you are seeking good ideas for YouTube. Why do some accents sound like music while other sound abrasive? Why different neighborhoods in the same city have different accents? There are endless questions to explore. Evenconstructed languages can be analyzed for their accents.

History: Are you interested in your city, your school, or the land your office is built upon? What was it like ten years ago? A hundred years ago? An exploration of history does not have to be about Rome or Mesopotamia, it can be about your backyard
Debunking Myths: Before every MythBusters episode they warn you not to attempt any of their experiments, and we are not encouraging you to either. At least, not to their scale. There is a multitude of myths out there that can use your expert eye to explore. In your city itself, there are stories worth debunking or at least learning more about.

Compare Two Things: Need something to do on YouTube? Why not compare diets such as Paleo vs Keto, devices such as Android vs iPhone, or a remake vs an original?

Opposing Opinions: Do you have a friend who always has to argue with you about everything: films, values, politics? Well, don’t just save those conversations for private, invite him or her over and film a debate.

Deep Dive: Go down the rabbit hole on a topic you are really fascinated about. Dissect every song from an artist, read every book by an author, or learn about a different type of plant growing in your community. Everywhere you look, you should see opportunities to get obsessed over a topic.

Biography of Someone: It could be a famous person or it can be someone from your family. Tell their story in a way that only you can. Get interviews, do research, and find a personal connection. Every life is significant, now it is your chance to honor that.

Fun Facts: Grab a deck of questions from Trivial Pursuit and pick a fun fact to explore. Use it as a jumping-off point for exploring an interesting topic. Share it with viewers who might not have known that they were interested in this fact.

Timeline of a Topic: Pick any topic and trace the lineage and better understand how it has gotten to this point. Where did it begin, has it hit critical mass, and how has it evolved over the years?

9. Be a Fan and a Critic

Fanfiction: Continue a story of one of your favorite movie characters or explore the life of some secondary character in a television show that you enjoy. Use their existing storyline to guide where you toward an interesting YouTube video about how they could have evolved.

Re-edit: Use your editing skills to recreate a classic movie scene, allowing it to have a completely different tone. Or mashup footage from a variety of sources to create an original piece of video content.

Speculation of Unreleased Entertainment: There are always rumors of upcoming movies, music, and books from famous filmmakers, musicians, and authors. Speculate on what the new release can possibly be about. Generate buzz and excitement and consider what you would do if you were put into the shoes of those famous creators.

Spotlight on the Best: In every field, there are those that are considered world-class. How did they get there, what support did they get, and how are they working to stay at the top? Highlight their achievements and see what we can anticipate from them in the future.

Commentary: Can you offer insights into a particular piece of work? Share it with the world and add another dimension to what the viewers have already seen.

Spotlight on Something Not So Popular: Is there something you adore that nobody really knows about? You can be the one to help this become mainstream.

Tribute: Pay tribute to a personality or an event from the past. Help people remember the significance of what happened from the past through your YouTube video.

Shoutout: Like sending out a thank you card, use YouTube to publicly thank someone for doing something awesome! It’s like you are giving a toast to someone in front of the whole Internet, what an honor.

Summarize a Book, Movie, or TV Show: Give the Coles note summary of a book, a movie, or TV show. Challenge yourself to make a summary that is as interesting as the actual source material.

“Best of” Video: Select the best scenes from your favorite actor or the best plays from your favorite athlete and compile it into a video that highlights all the best moments.

10. Create Entertainment

Fails: Don’t get embarrassed, get views. Embrace your shortcomings and accept that everybody has failed at something. Be careful and don’t get hurt too bad though.

Parody: Channel your Key of Awesome and create your own parody of something from pop culture. If you parody something trending, it can help you catch the wave of popularity and bring in views as all eyes are currently on that topic.

Break Something: There is nothing like watching something get destroyed. Maybe that’s why the Will it Blend videos got so popular. No matter how we resist it, we enjoy seeing the destruction.

Time Lapse: The growth of a plant, the flow of traffic, the rise and fall of the sun through your eyes. In this fast pace world, it’s fun to see organized chaos at a rapid rate.

Screen Sharing: Let people watch you play a video game or give a tour of your desktop. Share your screen as you write a poem.

Cinematography: There is always a place for beautiful cinematography on YouTube. Tell a great story about your life or your city with great moving images.

Short subject documentary: Pick a topic that matters and explore in through the structure of a documentary. Remember that when making a documentary, think about it as making a movie – you are not there to lecture them. Can you get peopleriled up as Michael Moore does? Can you encourage people to take action? If yes, then you are ready to start making documentary-style YouTube videos.

Lip-sync: Can’t sing but feel you have a musical gift to give to the world, well, they will never put you on the billboards for what you can do lip-syncing, but you can make a pretty entertaining YouTube video through this medium. It doesn’t even have to be music either, take Bad Lip Reading .

Impressions: A good impression is always worth a good laugh, and a bad one is almost as good. Give it a shot, pull up videos of some of your favorite celebrities, and film yourself attempting to mimic their voice, characteristics and expressions.

Sketch Comedy, Short Film, or Role Play: Do you have characters and scenes in mind that will be perfect for SNL? Well, instead of having to go through Lorne Michaels, create the character yourself and publish your comedy sketch on YouTube.

Interview: Find a subject matter experts and ask them interesting questions about their profession and areas of interest.

Games: Play a game with your friends or other YouTubers and allow the competitiveness, frustration, and hilarity to ensue.

Okay! How do you feel?

I bet you are bursting and ready to create your next video. Onwards! Remember, whatever idea you pick, be sure to give it your own flair. That is what YouTube is all about. Got another YouTube video idea you want to share? Let the Filmora.io community know in the comments.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Ideas are the fuel for your YouTube channel, and you are running on empty. Out of video ideas or in need of fresh new ideas? No worries. This article is truly a definitive list of YouTube video ideas.

Bookmark this post, so whenever you need a content idea, you can quickly reference it. After you finish reading, you will be ready to make your next video.

Make Creative YouTube Videos with Wondershare Filmora

Wondershare Filmora is a great tool and known for its creativity in video files. You can always make use of features on Filmora that would help you to tweak your videos in any way. Be it the effects, overlays, or transitions, Filmora has all the tools and features available to make creative content for your YouTube channel. The best advantage of having Filmora in the tool list is that it has some inbuilt templates which are easy enough to be implemented and embed on the YouTube Videos.

1. Content Idea Resources

Before we go deeper into the search to find you the best topics for YouTube, let’s take a quick look at some tools that may help you warm up and get your creative juices flowing.

Portent’s Content Title Idea Generator: Put in one of your keywords in this content idea generator and it will come up with an interesting title for you.

We The Unicorn’s Video Idea Generator Quiz: Answer this multiple-choice quiz and allow the algorithm to suggest a YouTube video idea that best suits your style.

701 YouTube Video Ideas [eBook]: You’ll save time brainstorming, be able to post consistently, and grow your YouTube channel faster with this book of ideas.

As you can see, coming up with ideas doesn’t have to be an agonizing drag. It’s all about flexing your creativity muscle and we are here to help you do it. Are you ready to be inspired? Great! Let’s begin this list:

2. Showcase Who You Are

Talk About Yourself: Introduce yourself to the world. You can answer 10 of the most common ice breaker questions you get at social gatherings: “Who are you?” “What do you do for a living?” “What are your hobbies?” In this video, you get to decide how you want to showcase yourself to your audience.

Reviews: Do you have opinions? Of course, you do. Movie trailers, popular YouTube videos, products such as makeup, gadgets, and toys, you have thoughts on everything. It’s more than content creation, it’s critical thinking. Understanding why you like or dislike something is not only helpful for other people like you, but it’s also helpful for you to know your own preferences. It’s a little exercise in self-discovery.

Day in a Life: Bring the audience with you on a day of your life. Show people what it is like to walk in your shoes from morning to night. How do you commute to school or work? What do you have for lunch? What obstacles do you encounter throughout the day? You’ll be surprised what will happen as your day unfolds.

Top 10: People love lists because it’s a simple rundown. When you set your video as a list, the viewer knows exactly what they are getting, and familiarity with the format will make it more likely to be clicked. While you can make a top 12 or top 16 list, it is shown that picking a number ending on “0” will yield the best results .

Routines: What do you do when you get ready for school or work? What do you do before bed? Discussing your routine can inspire people to lead the life you have. A routine does not mean going to an office every day , it can mean eating a new restaurant every month, doing something impulsive once a week, or appreciating what you have on a daily basis.

Reflection: You’ve come a long way and you don’t always acknowledge it. Were there a few pivotal milestones in the last five years? Were there new friends you made or new places you’ve been to? Can’t think of anything? Well, pull out your calendar and flip back a few months and a few years. Was there something you scheduled that you’ve forgotten? It was important enough for you to mark it down at the time, reflect on how it went, and what you got out of it.

Favorites: Game, food, or sports team: when you talk about your favorite things, you allow people to take a peek into the history of you. It’s easier to get people excited when you talk about something you are passionate about, so do it! Also, talking about your favorite thing allow other people who like those things to find you. This is a great way to find and build your own community

Relatonships: Your parents, your partner, your teachers, or your friends, your relationship with each of those people are different, even though you are the same person. That’s the beauty of a relationship. This makes it a great topic to share on YouTube because it shows a unique side of who you are every time you speak about another relationship you have.

Rant: The world is out to get you… not really, but there are enough annoying situations during the week to fill a weekly rant segment for your channel. Here’s a tip about ranting that you should use to avoid sounding whiny: offer a solution at the end or be funny .

Show and Tell: Like the elementary school exercise, show and tell is a terrific way to show off something interesting you have and talk about the significance of it. An old childhood toy, a new gadget, a gift from a friend: every item has a story, show and tell it.

3. Challenge Yourself

Leave Your Comfort Zone: Do something that you didn’t think you can do and film it. It might end up being a Fail, but that is how you learn. Learn a new language and talk to a native speaker. Go bungee jumping. Offer free hugs in public. Do something that makes your heart beat faster everyday and film it.

Live On A Budget: Reduce your weekly budget to $50, can you do it? How about $10? This YouTube video idea gives you perspective into your life. How will your lifestyle change when you vastly reduce your expenses? Knowing this can actually help us prepare for the worst-case scenario.

30 Day Challenge: Usually a 30-day challenge is associated with partaking in a healthy activity such as exercise or giving up a bad habit. But all that has been done, why not challenge yourself to do something different? Cook all your meals for 30 days. Take a different route to work every day for 30 days. Have a 10-minute long conversation with someone new for 30 days.

Speed Round: You think you are good at something? Well, why not try to do it as quickly as possible? Complete a round of video games as quickly as you can. Do a MasterChef mystery box challenge in your kitchen. Run from one subway station to the next , beating the tube itself.

4. Show Your Talent

Make Music: An original song, a cover, or a remix, YouTube is a fantastic platform to showcase your musical talents. Don’t forget, some of the world’s top artists began their journey on YouTube. You might be next to join the discovered on YouTube list .

Creating: Are you an artist? Show your process in making a piece. Depending on the speed in which your project takes, use a timelapse to present what you did in the most effective way.

Unusual skill: Do you have a party trick that you would love to show everyone, but don’t have a party to go to? YouTube is the place for you. Juggle, do a magic trick, dance like Christopher Walkens, whatever unusual skill you have, share it on camera, and get the accolades you so deserve.

5. Explore Your Surroundings

Tour: Your home, your office, your city. Bring your camera and take your audience on a tour of a place you know well. Show them all the hidden gems, tell them a story about the history, and be spontaneous and discover along the way.

Special Event: In any community, there is always a special event taking place, whether it be a concert, a festival, or a conference. Film the environment, interview attendees, and share the experience.

Travel: Go on a trip and bring your camera with you. Create drama by documenting all the things that didn’t go as planned… and any memorable trip will have hiccups along the way. Discover things along the way and vocalize your thoughts through the trip.

Discuss Current Events: As the environmental climate, there is also a social and political climate. Address the current state of events in your city. Are there plans to build new infrastructure? Is there a social injustice that the public should know about? You can discuss international affairs, national politics, or keep it local to start.

6. Be An Educator

Advice: Have you been through a trying experience? Do you have advice for other people setting off on the same path? Whether it’s graduating school, starting a new job, losing weight, or practicing a new skill, creating content that offers helpful advice for those seeking it will give you credibility to speak about the topic since you have gone through the situation yourself.

How to Plan Something: Did you plan a camping trip that went really well? Did you throw a surprise birthday party that went without a hitch? It doesn’t have to be anything grand but think back to something you followed successfully and explain what you did to achieve it.

Lifehacks: Do you have lifehacks? This may be the most generous gift you can share with your audience. You can save them time, energy, and a whole lot of headaches. If you have an engineering spirit, then consider how you can simplify all the little activities that make up a day. No engineering spirit? Start with these lifehacks instead.

Time Management: The responsibility of every person is slightly different, but how you manage your daily schedule. Do you write tasks down on an agenda? Do you have a calendar? What do you do when you get distracted? What is your schedule like? Do you create your own bullet journal or use a productivity app? If so, share it!

Guided Activities: For beginners, some activities are better with a guide. If the audience is unable to join an in-person class, YouTube is a wonderful online alternative for guided activities such as yoga, meditation, and other exercise or relaxation activities.

Tutorial: Is there software you use particularly well? Are you skilled in the kitchen or the garage? Can you install appliances without reading the instructions? Give a step-by-step tutorial in completing a project.

7. Share Your Beliefs and Lifestyle

Motivation: Whatever you are pursuing, know that there are many on the same path as you. If you are an aspiring dancer create content for those that are with you on the journey. Encourage them and speak authentically about the accomplishments to come. Motivation is the energy that is in circulation. The more you send out into the universe, the more will come back to you.

Pets: If you share your home with animals, then you have no shortage of content. Point the camera at your dogs, cats, and ferrets for a while and see what ridiculous scenarios they get up to.

Fitness and Food: Do you subscribe to a specific type of fitness and diet? Have you seen the results that you want to share? Yes, perfect! If no, then why not do a little experimentation. Try to include a fitness and diet regimen in your daily life and vlog about it. Who knows, it might become a healthy change.

Tattoos, Piercing, or Scars: Every tattoo, piercing, and a scar on your body probably have an interesting story behind it. Whether it is something you are proud of or something you may prefer to hide, recognizing the different marks on your body and how they represent your history is a great way to reflect and get inspired.

Document Your Journey: It’s important to set achievable goals for yourself. That’s how you can encourage progress within yourself. With a goal and a timeline in mind, it can be as simple as documenting your journey towards it. If you are working on your novel, you can do a vlog updating the viewers on your process and word count or even bringing a camera with you as your piece gets workshopped.

Holiday: We all share memories of that wonderful time of year. For some it’s a spectacle for others it’s a modest affair. How do you celebrate the holidays and is there a story to that tradition?

Career: So much of our identity is related to what we do for a living. Talking about your day job on YouTube can be tricky. Be authentic, but also use your discretion, because you don’t want to misrepresent yourself professionally to the world.

Philosophy: What is your relationship with money, weekends, and your extended family? Thinking about your values can help you explore life philosophically, thus encouraging you to live the best life possible. As you speak about your philosophy, you are bound to experience alternative views, and that is where great content materializes.

Haul: If you have some money to spend, create a haul YouTube video. Haul video involves you going on a shopping spree and bringing home a big “haul.” In essence, it is an unboxing video on steroids. This type of video generally involves fashion or groceries, but it can be related to anything in large quantity. It’s all about showing off your new stuff to the audience.

Unboxing: Got something new from Amazon? Before you open it, turn on your camera. Unboxing is an easy YouTube video idea that allows your viewers who are considering buying the item to better understand whether it is in fact the right purchase for them.

8. Nurture Your Curiosity

Build Something: IKEA furniture, a website, a LEGO miniature, a business plan. The best way to get better at something is to just do it. Use your hands and build something and capture it for YouTube.

Behind the Scenes: It’s not only the entertainment industry that offers behind the scenes content, but many businesses offer tours and open houses. Reach out to any business or organization you are curious about the inner workings and odds are there will be a day where you can pop in and have a look at what it makes the wheels turn.

Jargon and Slang: From fashion to baseball to dentistry, everything has its own set of jargon or slang. What’s a galloon? What does it mean to win the pennant? What is 3MOD? If you are interested in languages, then diving into the world of jargon and slang is an interesting one.

Deconstruct a Process: Be like Tim Ferriss by breaking down a process into parts enabling you to learn a new skill faster, whether it be language or sports or coffee . Show your viewer how to properly learn how to improve performance by simplifying.

Languages: We all want to learn a new language, but it isn’t easy. If you have a knack for languages, show it off as a skill. Help new speakers avoid common mistakes, discuss the etymology of each word, and explore all the diverse dialects.

Accents: How accents derive is a fascinating topic to explore if you are seeking good ideas for YouTube. Why do some accents sound like music while other sound abrasive? Why different neighborhoods in the same city have different accents? There are endless questions to explore. Evenconstructed languages can be analyzed for their accents.

History: Are you interested in your city, your school, or the land your office is built upon? What was it like ten years ago? A hundred years ago? An exploration of history does not have to be about Rome or Mesopotamia, it can be about your backyard
Debunking Myths: Before every MythBusters episode they warn you not to attempt any of their experiments, and we are not encouraging you to either. At least, not to their scale. There is a multitude of myths out there that can use your expert eye to explore. In your city itself, there are stories worth debunking or at least learning more about.

Compare Two Things: Need something to do on YouTube? Why not compare diets such as Paleo vs Keto, devices such as Android vs iPhone, or a remake vs an original?

Opposing Opinions: Do you have a friend who always has to argue with you about everything: films, values, politics? Well, don’t just save those conversations for private, invite him or her over and film a debate.

Deep Dive: Go down the rabbit hole on a topic you are really fascinated about. Dissect every song from an artist, read every book by an author, or learn about a different type of plant growing in your community. Everywhere you look, you should see opportunities to get obsessed over a topic.

Biography of Someone: It could be a famous person or it can be someone from your family. Tell their story in a way that only you can. Get interviews, do research, and find a personal connection. Every life is significant, now it is your chance to honor that.

Fun Facts: Grab a deck of questions from Trivial Pursuit and pick a fun fact to explore. Use it as a jumping-off point for exploring an interesting topic. Share it with viewers who might not have known that they were interested in this fact.

Timeline of a Topic: Pick any topic and trace the lineage and better understand how it has gotten to this point. Where did it begin, has it hit critical mass, and how has it evolved over the years?

9. Be a Fan and a Critic

Fanfiction: Continue a story of one of your favorite movie characters or explore the life of some secondary character in a television show that you enjoy. Use their existing storyline to guide where you toward an interesting YouTube video about how they could have evolved.

Re-edit: Use your editing skills to recreate a classic movie scene, allowing it to have a completely different tone. Or mashup footage from a variety of sources to create an original piece of video content.

Speculation of Unreleased Entertainment: There are always rumors of upcoming movies, music, and books from famous filmmakers, musicians, and authors. Speculate on what the new release can possibly be about. Generate buzz and excitement and consider what you would do if you were put into the shoes of those famous creators.

Spotlight on the Best: In every field, there are those that are considered world-class. How did they get there, what support did they get, and how are they working to stay at the top? Highlight their achievements and see what we can anticipate from them in the future.

Commentary: Can you offer insights into a particular piece of work? Share it with the world and add another dimension to what the viewers have already seen.

Spotlight on Something Not So Popular: Is there something you adore that nobody really knows about? You can be the one to help this become mainstream.

Tribute: Pay tribute to a personality or an event from the past. Help people remember the significance of what happened from the past through your YouTube video.

Shoutout: Like sending out a thank you card, use YouTube to publicly thank someone for doing something awesome! It’s like you are giving a toast to someone in front of the whole Internet, what an honor.

Summarize a Book, Movie, or TV Show: Give the Coles note summary of a book, a movie, or TV show. Challenge yourself to make a summary that is as interesting as the actual source material.

“Best of” Video: Select the best scenes from your favorite actor or the best plays from your favorite athlete and compile it into a video that highlights all the best moments.

10. Create Entertainment

Fails: Don’t get embarrassed, get views. Embrace your shortcomings and accept that everybody has failed at something. Be careful and don’t get hurt too bad though.

Parody: Channel your Key of Awesome and create your own parody of something from pop culture. If you parody something trending, it can help you catch the wave of popularity and bring in views as all eyes are currently on that topic.

Break Something: There is nothing like watching something get destroyed. Maybe that’s why the Will it Blend videos got so popular. No matter how we resist it, we enjoy seeing the destruction.

Time Lapse: The growth of a plant, the flow of traffic, the rise and fall of the sun through your eyes. In this fast pace world, it’s fun to see organized chaos at a rapid rate.

Screen Sharing: Let people watch you play a video game or give a tour of your desktop. Share your screen as you write a poem.

Cinematography: There is always a place for beautiful cinematography on YouTube. Tell a great story about your life or your city with great moving images.

Short subject documentary: Pick a topic that matters and explore in through the structure of a documentary. Remember that when making a documentary, think about it as making a movie – you are not there to lecture them. Can you get peopleriled up as Michael Moore does? Can you encourage people to take action? If yes, then you are ready to start making documentary-style YouTube videos.

Lip-sync: Can’t sing but feel you have a musical gift to give to the world, well, they will never put you on the billboards for what you can do lip-syncing, but you can make a pretty entertaining YouTube video through this medium. It doesn’t even have to be music either, take Bad Lip Reading .

Impressions: A good impression is always worth a good laugh, and a bad one is almost as good. Give it a shot, pull up videos of some of your favorite celebrities, and film yourself attempting to mimic their voice, characteristics and expressions.

Sketch Comedy, Short Film, or Role Play: Do you have characters and scenes in mind that will be perfect for SNL? Well, instead of having to go through Lorne Michaels, create the character yourself and publish your comedy sketch on YouTube.

Interview: Find a subject matter experts and ask them interesting questions about their profession and areas of interest.

Games: Play a game with your friends or other YouTubers and allow the competitiveness, frustration, and hilarity to ensue.

Okay! How do you feel?

I bet you are bursting and ready to create your next video. Onwards! Remember, whatever idea you pick, be sure to give it your own flair. That is what YouTube is all about. Got another YouTube video idea you want to share? Let the Filmora.io community know in the comments.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Ideas are the fuel for your YouTube channel, and you are running on empty. Out of video ideas or in need of fresh new ideas? No worries. This article is truly a definitive list of YouTube video ideas.

Bookmark this post, so whenever you need a content idea, you can quickly reference it. After you finish reading, you will be ready to make your next video.

Make Creative YouTube Videos with Wondershare Filmora

Wondershare Filmora is a great tool and known for its creativity in video files. You can always make use of features on Filmora that would help you to tweak your videos in any way. Be it the effects, overlays, or transitions, Filmora has all the tools and features available to make creative content for your YouTube channel. The best advantage of having Filmora in the tool list is that it has some inbuilt templates which are easy enough to be implemented and embed on the YouTube Videos.

1. Content Idea Resources

Before we go deeper into the search to find you the best topics for YouTube, let’s take a quick look at some tools that may help you warm up and get your creative juices flowing.

Portent’s Content Title Idea Generator: Put in one of your keywords in this content idea generator and it will come up with an interesting title for you.

We The Unicorn’s Video Idea Generator Quiz: Answer this multiple-choice quiz and allow the algorithm to suggest a YouTube video idea that best suits your style.

701 YouTube Video Ideas [eBook]: You’ll save time brainstorming, be able to post consistently, and grow your YouTube channel faster with this book of ideas.

As you can see, coming up with ideas doesn’t have to be an agonizing drag. It’s all about flexing your creativity muscle and we are here to help you do it. Are you ready to be inspired? Great! Let’s begin this list:

2. Showcase Who You Are

Talk About Yourself: Introduce yourself to the world. You can answer 10 of the most common ice breaker questions you get at social gatherings: “Who are you?” “What do you do for a living?” “What are your hobbies?” In this video, you get to decide how you want to showcase yourself to your audience.

Reviews: Do you have opinions? Of course, you do. Movie trailers, popular YouTube videos, products such as makeup, gadgets, and toys, you have thoughts on everything. It’s more than content creation, it’s critical thinking. Understanding why you like or dislike something is not only helpful for other people like you, but it’s also helpful for you to know your own preferences. It’s a little exercise in self-discovery.

Day in a Life: Bring the audience with you on a day of your life. Show people what it is like to walk in your shoes from morning to night. How do you commute to school or work? What do you have for lunch? What obstacles do you encounter throughout the day? You’ll be surprised what will happen as your day unfolds.

Top 10: People love lists because it’s a simple rundown. When you set your video as a list, the viewer knows exactly what they are getting, and familiarity with the format will make it more likely to be clicked. While you can make a top 12 or top 16 list, it is shown that picking a number ending on “0” will yield the best results .

Routines: What do you do when you get ready for school or work? What do you do before bed? Discussing your routine can inspire people to lead the life you have. A routine does not mean going to an office every day , it can mean eating a new restaurant every month, doing something impulsive once a week, or appreciating what you have on a daily basis.

Reflection: You’ve come a long way and you don’t always acknowledge it. Were there a few pivotal milestones in the last five years? Were there new friends you made or new places you’ve been to? Can’t think of anything? Well, pull out your calendar and flip back a few months and a few years. Was there something you scheduled that you’ve forgotten? It was important enough for you to mark it down at the time, reflect on how it went, and what you got out of it.

Favorites: Game, food, or sports team: when you talk about your favorite things, you allow people to take a peek into the history of you. It’s easier to get people excited when you talk about something you are passionate about, so do it! Also, talking about your favorite thing allow other people who like those things to find you. This is a great way to find and build your own community

Relatonships: Your parents, your partner, your teachers, or your friends, your relationship with each of those people are different, even though you are the same person. That’s the beauty of a relationship. This makes it a great topic to share on YouTube because it shows a unique side of who you are every time you speak about another relationship you have.

Rant: The world is out to get you… not really, but there are enough annoying situations during the week to fill a weekly rant segment for your channel. Here’s a tip about ranting that you should use to avoid sounding whiny: offer a solution at the end or be funny .

Show and Tell: Like the elementary school exercise, show and tell is a terrific way to show off something interesting you have and talk about the significance of it. An old childhood toy, a new gadget, a gift from a friend: every item has a story, show and tell it.

3. Challenge Yourself

Leave Your Comfort Zone: Do something that you didn’t think you can do and film it. It might end up being a Fail, but that is how you learn. Learn a new language and talk to a native speaker. Go bungee jumping. Offer free hugs in public. Do something that makes your heart beat faster everyday and film it.

Live On A Budget: Reduce your weekly budget to $50, can you do it? How about $10? This YouTube video idea gives you perspective into your life. How will your lifestyle change when you vastly reduce your expenses? Knowing this can actually help us prepare for the worst-case scenario.

30 Day Challenge: Usually a 30-day challenge is associated with partaking in a healthy activity such as exercise or giving up a bad habit. But all that has been done, why not challenge yourself to do something different? Cook all your meals for 30 days. Take a different route to work every day for 30 days. Have a 10-minute long conversation with someone new for 30 days.

Speed Round: You think you are good at something? Well, why not try to do it as quickly as possible? Complete a round of video games as quickly as you can. Do a MasterChef mystery box challenge in your kitchen. Run from one subway station to the next , beating the tube itself.

4. Show Your Talent

Make Music: An original song, a cover, or a remix, YouTube is a fantastic platform to showcase your musical talents. Don’t forget, some of the world’s top artists began their journey on YouTube. You might be next to join the discovered on YouTube list .

Creating: Are you an artist? Show your process in making a piece. Depending on the speed in which your project takes, use a timelapse to present what you did in the most effective way.

Unusual skill: Do you have a party trick that you would love to show everyone, but don’t have a party to go to? YouTube is the place for you. Juggle, do a magic trick, dance like Christopher Walkens, whatever unusual skill you have, share it on camera, and get the accolades you so deserve.

5. Explore Your Surroundings

Tour: Your home, your office, your city. Bring your camera and take your audience on a tour of a place you know well. Show them all the hidden gems, tell them a story about the history, and be spontaneous and discover along the way.

Special Event: In any community, there is always a special event taking place, whether it be a concert, a festival, or a conference. Film the environment, interview attendees, and share the experience.

Travel: Go on a trip and bring your camera with you. Create drama by documenting all the things that didn’t go as planned… and any memorable trip will have hiccups along the way. Discover things along the way and vocalize your thoughts through the trip.

Discuss Current Events: As the environmental climate, there is also a social and political climate. Address the current state of events in your city. Are there plans to build new infrastructure? Is there a social injustice that the public should know about? You can discuss international affairs, national politics, or keep it local to start.

6. Be An Educator

Advice: Have you been through a trying experience? Do you have advice for other people setting off on the same path? Whether it’s graduating school, starting a new job, losing weight, or practicing a new skill, creating content that offers helpful advice for those seeking it will give you credibility to speak about the topic since you have gone through the situation yourself.

How to Plan Something: Did you plan a camping trip that went really well? Did you throw a surprise birthday party that went without a hitch? It doesn’t have to be anything grand but think back to something you followed successfully and explain what you did to achieve it.

Lifehacks: Do you have lifehacks? This may be the most generous gift you can share with your audience. You can save them time, energy, and a whole lot of headaches. If you have an engineering spirit, then consider how you can simplify all the little activities that make up a day. No engineering spirit? Start with these lifehacks instead.

Time Management: The responsibility of every person is slightly different, but how you manage your daily schedule. Do you write tasks down on an agenda? Do you have a calendar? What do you do when you get distracted? What is your schedule like? Do you create your own bullet journal or use a productivity app? If so, share it!

Guided Activities: For beginners, some activities are better with a guide. If the audience is unable to join an in-person class, YouTube is a wonderful online alternative for guided activities such as yoga, meditation, and other exercise or relaxation activities.

Tutorial: Is there software you use particularly well? Are you skilled in the kitchen or the garage? Can you install appliances without reading the instructions? Give a step-by-step tutorial in completing a project.

7. Share Your Beliefs and Lifestyle

Motivation: Whatever you are pursuing, know that there are many on the same path as you. If you are an aspiring dancer create content for those that are with you on the journey. Encourage them and speak authentically about the accomplishments to come. Motivation is the energy that is in circulation. The more you send out into the universe, the more will come back to you.

Pets: If you share your home with animals, then you have no shortage of content. Point the camera at your dogs, cats, and ferrets for a while and see what ridiculous scenarios they get up to.

Fitness and Food: Do you subscribe to a specific type of fitness and diet? Have you seen the results that you want to share? Yes, perfect! If no, then why not do a little experimentation. Try to include a fitness and diet regimen in your daily life and vlog about it. Who knows, it might become a healthy change.

Tattoos, Piercing, or Scars: Every tattoo, piercing, and a scar on your body probably have an interesting story behind it. Whether it is something you are proud of or something you may prefer to hide, recognizing the different marks on your body and how they represent your history is a great way to reflect and get inspired.

Document Your Journey: It’s important to set achievable goals for yourself. That’s how you can encourage progress within yourself. With a goal and a timeline in mind, it can be as simple as documenting your journey towards it. If you are working on your novel, you can do a vlog updating the viewers on your process and word count or even bringing a camera with you as your piece gets workshopped.

Holiday: We all share memories of that wonderful time of year. For some it’s a spectacle for others it’s a modest affair. How do you celebrate the holidays and is there a story to that tradition?

Career: So much of our identity is related to what we do for a living. Talking about your day job on YouTube can be tricky. Be authentic, but also use your discretion, because you don’t want to misrepresent yourself professionally to the world.

Philosophy: What is your relationship with money, weekends, and your extended family? Thinking about your values can help you explore life philosophically, thus encouraging you to live the best life possible. As you speak about your philosophy, you are bound to experience alternative views, and that is where great content materializes.

Haul: If you have some money to spend, create a haul YouTube video. Haul video involves you going on a shopping spree and bringing home a big “haul.” In essence, it is an unboxing video on steroids. This type of video generally involves fashion or groceries, but it can be related to anything in large quantity. It’s all about showing off your new stuff to the audience.

Unboxing: Got something new from Amazon? Before you open it, turn on your camera. Unboxing is an easy YouTube video idea that allows your viewers who are considering buying the item to better understand whether it is in fact the right purchase for them.

8. Nurture Your Curiosity

Build Something: IKEA furniture, a website, a LEGO miniature, a business plan. The best way to get better at something is to just do it. Use your hands and build something and capture it for YouTube.

Behind the Scenes: It’s not only the entertainment industry that offers behind the scenes content, but many businesses offer tours and open houses. Reach out to any business or organization you are curious about the inner workings and odds are there will be a day where you can pop in and have a look at what it makes the wheels turn.

Jargon and Slang: From fashion to baseball to dentistry, everything has its own set of jargon or slang. What’s a galloon? What does it mean to win the pennant? What is 3MOD? If you are interested in languages, then diving into the world of jargon and slang is an interesting one.

Deconstruct a Process: Be like Tim Ferriss by breaking down a process into parts enabling you to learn a new skill faster, whether it be language or sports or coffee . Show your viewer how to properly learn how to improve performance by simplifying.

Languages: We all want to learn a new language, but it isn’t easy. If you have a knack for languages, show it off as a skill. Help new speakers avoid common mistakes, discuss the etymology of each word, and explore all the diverse dialects.

Accents: How accents derive is a fascinating topic to explore if you are seeking good ideas for YouTube. Why do some accents sound like music while other sound abrasive? Why different neighborhoods in the same city have different accents? There are endless questions to explore. Evenconstructed languages can be analyzed for their accents.

History: Are you interested in your city, your school, or the land your office is built upon? What was it like ten years ago? A hundred years ago? An exploration of history does not have to be about Rome or Mesopotamia, it can be about your backyard
Debunking Myths: Before every MythBusters episode they warn you not to attempt any of their experiments, and we are not encouraging you to either. At least, not to their scale. There is a multitude of myths out there that can use your expert eye to explore. In your city itself, there are stories worth debunking or at least learning more about.

Compare Two Things: Need something to do on YouTube? Why not compare diets such as Paleo vs Keto, devices such as Android vs iPhone, or a remake vs an original?

Opposing Opinions: Do you have a friend who always has to argue with you about everything: films, values, politics? Well, don’t just save those conversations for private, invite him or her over and film a debate.

Deep Dive: Go down the rabbit hole on a topic you are really fascinated about. Dissect every song from an artist, read every book by an author, or learn about a different type of plant growing in your community. Everywhere you look, you should see opportunities to get obsessed over a topic.

Biography of Someone: It could be a famous person or it can be someone from your family. Tell their story in a way that only you can. Get interviews, do research, and find a personal connection. Every life is significant, now it is your chance to honor that.

Fun Facts: Grab a deck of questions from Trivial Pursuit and pick a fun fact to explore. Use it as a jumping-off point for exploring an interesting topic. Share it with viewers who might not have known that they were interested in this fact.

Timeline of a Topic: Pick any topic and trace the lineage and better understand how it has gotten to this point. Where did it begin, has it hit critical mass, and how has it evolved over the years?

9. Be a Fan and a Critic

Fanfiction: Continue a story of one of your favorite movie characters or explore the life of some secondary character in a television show that you enjoy. Use their existing storyline to guide where you toward an interesting YouTube video about how they could have evolved.

Re-edit: Use your editing skills to recreate a classic movie scene, allowing it to have a completely different tone. Or mashup footage from a variety of sources to create an original piece of video content.

Speculation of Unreleased Entertainment: There are always rumors of upcoming movies, music, and books from famous filmmakers, musicians, and authors. Speculate on what the new release can possibly be about. Generate buzz and excitement and consider what you would do if you were put into the shoes of those famous creators.

Spotlight on the Best: In every field, there are those that are considered world-class. How did they get there, what support did they get, and how are they working to stay at the top? Highlight their achievements and see what we can anticipate from them in the future.

Commentary: Can you offer insights into a particular piece of work? Share it with the world and add another dimension to what the viewers have already seen.

Spotlight on Something Not So Popular: Is there something you adore that nobody really knows about? You can be the one to help this become mainstream.

Tribute: Pay tribute to a personality or an event from the past. Help people remember the significance of what happened from the past through your YouTube video.

Shoutout: Like sending out a thank you card, use YouTube to publicly thank someone for doing something awesome! It’s like you are giving a toast to someone in front of the whole Internet, what an honor.

Summarize a Book, Movie, or TV Show: Give the Coles note summary of a book, a movie, or TV show. Challenge yourself to make a summary that is as interesting as the actual source material.

“Best of” Video: Select the best scenes from your favorite actor or the best plays from your favorite athlete and compile it into a video that highlights all the best moments.

10. Create Entertainment

Fails: Don’t get embarrassed, get views. Embrace your shortcomings and accept that everybody has failed at something. Be careful and don’t get hurt too bad though.

Parody: Channel your Key of Awesome and create your own parody of something from pop culture. If you parody something trending, it can help you catch the wave of popularity and bring in views as all eyes are currently on that topic.

Break Something: There is nothing like watching something get destroyed. Maybe that’s why the Will it Blend videos got so popular. No matter how we resist it, we enjoy seeing the destruction.

Time Lapse: The growth of a plant, the flow of traffic, the rise and fall of the sun through your eyes. In this fast pace world, it’s fun to see organized chaos at a rapid rate.

Screen Sharing: Let people watch you play a video game or give a tour of your desktop. Share your screen as you write a poem.

Cinematography: There is always a place for beautiful cinematography on YouTube. Tell a great story about your life or your city with great moving images.

Short subject documentary: Pick a topic that matters and explore in through the structure of a documentary. Remember that when making a documentary, think about it as making a movie – you are not there to lecture them. Can you get peopleriled up as Michael Moore does? Can you encourage people to take action? If yes, then you are ready to start making documentary-style YouTube videos.

Lip-sync: Can’t sing but feel you have a musical gift to give to the world, well, they will never put you on the billboards for what you can do lip-syncing, but you can make a pretty entertaining YouTube video through this medium. It doesn’t even have to be music either, take Bad Lip Reading .

Impressions: A good impression is always worth a good laugh, and a bad one is almost as good. Give it a shot, pull up videos of some of your favorite celebrities, and film yourself attempting to mimic their voice, characteristics and expressions.

Sketch Comedy, Short Film, or Role Play: Do you have characters and scenes in mind that will be perfect for SNL? Well, instead of having to go through Lorne Michaels, create the character yourself and publish your comedy sketch on YouTube.

Interview: Find a subject matter experts and ask them interesting questions about their profession and areas of interest.

Games: Play a game with your friends or other YouTubers and allow the competitiveness, frustration, and hilarity to ensue.

Okay! How do you feel?

I bet you are bursting and ready to create your next video. Onwards! Remember, whatever idea you pick, be sure to give it your own flair. That is what YouTube is all about. Got another YouTube video idea you want to share? Let the Filmora.io community know in the comments.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Ideas are the fuel for your YouTube channel, and you are running on empty. Out of video ideas or in need of fresh new ideas? No worries. This article is truly a definitive list of YouTube video ideas.

Bookmark this post, so whenever you need a content idea, you can quickly reference it. After you finish reading, you will be ready to make your next video.

Make Creative YouTube Videos with Wondershare Filmora

Wondershare Filmora is a great tool and known for its creativity in video files. You can always make use of features on Filmora that would help you to tweak your videos in any way. Be it the effects, overlays, or transitions, Filmora has all the tools and features available to make creative content for your YouTube channel. The best advantage of having Filmora in the tool list is that it has some inbuilt templates which are easy enough to be implemented and embed on the YouTube Videos.

1. Content Idea Resources

Before we go deeper into the search to find you the best topics for YouTube, let’s take a quick look at some tools that may help you warm up and get your creative juices flowing.

Portent’s Content Title Idea Generator: Put in one of your keywords in this content idea generator and it will come up with an interesting title for you.

We The Unicorn’s Video Idea Generator Quiz: Answer this multiple-choice quiz and allow the algorithm to suggest a YouTube video idea that best suits your style.

701 YouTube Video Ideas [eBook]: You’ll save time brainstorming, be able to post consistently, and grow your YouTube channel faster with this book of ideas.

As you can see, coming up with ideas doesn’t have to be an agonizing drag. It’s all about flexing your creativity muscle and we are here to help you do it. Are you ready to be inspired? Great! Let’s begin this list:

2. Showcase Who You Are

Talk About Yourself: Introduce yourself to the world. You can answer 10 of the most common ice breaker questions you get at social gatherings: “Who are you?” “What do you do for a living?” “What are your hobbies?” In this video, you get to decide how you want to showcase yourself to your audience.

Reviews: Do you have opinions? Of course, you do. Movie trailers, popular YouTube videos, products such as makeup, gadgets, and toys, you have thoughts on everything. It’s more than content creation, it’s critical thinking. Understanding why you like or dislike something is not only helpful for other people like you, but it’s also helpful for you to know your own preferences. It’s a little exercise in self-discovery.

Day in a Life: Bring the audience with you on a day of your life. Show people what it is like to walk in your shoes from morning to night. How do you commute to school or work? What do you have for lunch? What obstacles do you encounter throughout the day? You’ll be surprised what will happen as your day unfolds.

Top 10: People love lists because it’s a simple rundown. When you set your video as a list, the viewer knows exactly what they are getting, and familiarity with the format will make it more likely to be clicked. While you can make a top 12 or top 16 list, it is shown that picking a number ending on “0” will yield the best results .

Routines: What do you do when you get ready for school or work? What do you do before bed? Discussing your routine can inspire people to lead the life you have. A routine does not mean going to an office every day , it can mean eating a new restaurant every month, doing something impulsive once a week, or appreciating what you have on a daily basis.

Reflection: You’ve come a long way and you don’t always acknowledge it. Were there a few pivotal milestones in the last five years? Were there new friends you made or new places you’ve been to? Can’t think of anything? Well, pull out your calendar and flip back a few months and a few years. Was there something you scheduled that you’ve forgotten? It was important enough for you to mark it down at the time, reflect on how it went, and what you got out of it.

Favorites: Game, food, or sports team: when you talk about your favorite things, you allow people to take a peek into the history of you. It’s easier to get people excited when you talk about something you are passionate about, so do it! Also, talking about your favorite thing allow other people who like those things to find you. This is a great way to find and build your own community

Relatonships: Your parents, your partner, your teachers, or your friends, your relationship with each of those people are different, even though you are the same person. That’s the beauty of a relationship. This makes it a great topic to share on YouTube because it shows a unique side of who you are every time you speak about another relationship you have.

Rant: The world is out to get you… not really, but there are enough annoying situations during the week to fill a weekly rant segment for your channel. Here’s a tip about ranting that you should use to avoid sounding whiny: offer a solution at the end or be funny .

Show and Tell: Like the elementary school exercise, show and tell is a terrific way to show off something interesting you have and talk about the significance of it. An old childhood toy, a new gadget, a gift from a friend: every item has a story, show and tell it.

3. Challenge Yourself

Leave Your Comfort Zone: Do something that you didn’t think you can do and film it. It might end up being a Fail, but that is how you learn. Learn a new language and talk to a native speaker. Go bungee jumping. Offer free hugs in public. Do something that makes your heart beat faster everyday and film it.

Live On A Budget: Reduce your weekly budget to $50, can you do it? How about $10? This YouTube video idea gives you perspective into your life. How will your lifestyle change when you vastly reduce your expenses? Knowing this can actually help us prepare for the worst-case scenario.

30 Day Challenge: Usually a 30-day challenge is associated with partaking in a healthy activity such as exercise or giving up a bad habit. But all that has been done, why not challenge yourself to do something different? Cook all your meals for 30 days. Take a different route to work every day for 30 days. Have a 10-minute long conversation with someone new for 30 days.

Speed Round: You think you are good at something? Well, why not try to do it as quickly as possible? Complete a round of video games as quickly as you can. Do a MasterChef mystery box challenge in your kitchen. Run from one subway station to the next , beating the tube itself.

4. Show Your Talent

Make Music: An original song, a cover, or a remix, YouTube is a fantastic platform to showcase your musical talents. Don’t forget, some of the world’s top artists began their journey on YouTube. You might be next to join the discovered on YouTube list .

Creating: Are you an artist? Show your process in making a piece. Depending on the speed in which your project takes, use a timelapse to present what you did in the most effective way.

Unusual skill: Do you have a party trick that you would love to show everyone, but don’t have a party to go to? YouTube is the place for you. Juggle, do a magic trick, dance like Christopher Walkens, whatever unusual skill you have, share it on camera, and get the accolades you so deserve.

5. Explore Your Surroundings

Tour: Your home, your office, your city. Bring your camera and take your audience on a tour of a place you know well. Show them all the hidden gems, tell them a story about the history, and be spontaneous and discover along the way.

Special Event: In any community, there is always a special event taking place, whether it be a concert, a festival, or a conference. Film the environment, interview attendees, and share the experience.

Travel: Go on a trip and bring your camera with you. Create drama by documenting all the things that didn’t go as planned… and any memorable trip will have hiccups along the way. Discover things along the way and vocalize your thoughts through the trip.

Discuss Current Events: As the environmental climate, there is also a social and political climate. Address the current state of events in your city. Are there plans to build new infrastructure? Is there a social injustice that the public should know about? You can discuss international affairs, national politics, or keep it local to start.

6. Be An Educator

Advice: Have you been through a trying experience? Do you have advice for other people setting off on the same path? Whether it’s graduating school, starting a new job, losing weight, or practicing a new skill, creating content that offers helpful advice for those seeking it will give you credibility to speak about the topic since you have gone through the situation yourself.

How to Plan Something: Did you plan a camping trip that went really well? Did you throw a surprise birthday party that went without a hitch? It doesn’t have to be anything grand but think back to something you followed successfully and explain what you did to achieve it.

Lifehacks: Do you have lifehacks? This may be the most generous gift you can share with your audience. You can save them time, energy, and a whole lot of headaches. If you have an engineering spirit, then consider how you can simplify all the little activities that make up a day. No engineering spirit? Start with these lifehacks instead.

Time Management: The responsibility of every person is slightly different, but how you manage your daily schedule. Do you write tasks down on an agenda? Do you have a calendar? What do you do when you get distracted? What is your schedule like? Do you create your own bullet journal or use a productivity app? If so, share it!

Guided Activities: For beginners, some activities are better with a guide. If the audience is unable to join an in-person class, YouTube is a wonderful online alternative for guided activities such as yoga, meditation, and other exercise or relaxation activities.

Tutorial: Is there software you use particularly well? Are you skilled in the kitchen or the garage? Can you install appliances without reading the instructions? Give a step-by-step tutorial in completing a project.

7. Share Your Beliefs and Lifestyle

Motivation: Whatever you are pursuing, know that there are many on the same path as you. If you are an aspiring dancer create content for those that are with you on the journey. Encourage them and speak authentically about the accomplishments to come. Motivation is the energy that is in circulation. The more you send out into the universe, the more will come back to you.

Pets: If you share your home with animals, then you have no shortage of content. Point the camera at your dogs, cats, and ferrets for a while and see what ridiculous scenarios they get up to.

Fitness and Food: Do you subscribe to a specific type of fitness and diet? Have you seen the results that you want to share? Yes, perfect! If no, then why not do a little experimentation. Try to include a fitness and diet regimen in your daily life and vlog about it. Who knows, it might become a healthy change.

Tattoos, Piercing, or Scars: Every tattoo, piercing, and a scar on your body probably have an interesting story behind it. Whether it is something you are proud of or something you may prefer to hide, recognizing the different marks on your body and how they represent your history is a great way to reflect and get inspired.

Document Your Journey: It’s important to set achievable goals for yourself. That’s how you can encourage progress within yourself. With a goal and a timeline in mind, it can be as simple as documenting your journey towards it. If you are working on your novel, you can do a vlog updating the viewers on your process and word count or even bringing a camera with you as your piece gets workshopped.

Holiday: We all share memories of that wonderful time of year. For some it’s a spectacle for others it’s a modest affair. How do you celebrate the holidays and is there a story to that tradition?

Career: So much of our identity is related to what we do for a living. Talking about your day job on YouTube can be tricky. Be authentic, but also use your discretion, because you don’t want to misrepresent yourself professionally to the world.

Philosophy: What is your relationship with money, weekends, and your extended family? Thinking about your values can help you explore life philosophically, thus encouraging you to live the best life possible. As you speak about your philosophy, you are bound to experience alternative views, and that is where great content materializes.

Haul: If you have some money to spend, create a haul YouTube video. Haul video involves you going on a shopping spree and bringing home a big “haul.” In essence, it is an unboxing video on steroids. This type of video generally involves fashion or groceries, but it can be related to anything in large quantity. It’s all about showing off your new stuff to the audience.

Unboxing: Got something new from Amazon? Before you open it, turn on your camera. Unboxing is an easy YouTube video idea that allows your viewers who are considering buying the item to better understand whether it is in fact the right purchase for them.

8. Nurture Your Curiosity

Build Something: IKEA furniture, a website, a LEGO miniature, a business plan. The best way to get better at something is to just do it. Use your hands and build something and capture it for YouTube.

Behind the Scenes: It’s not only the entertainment industry that offers behind the scenes content, but many businesses offer tours and open houses. Reach out to any business or organization you are curious about the inner workings and odds are there will be a day where you can pop in and have a look at what it makes the wheels turn.

Jargon and Slang: From fashion to baseball to dentistry, everything has its own set of jargon or slang. What’s a galloon? What does it mean to win the pennant? What is 3MOD? If you are interested in languages, then diving into the world of jargon and slang is an interesting one.

Deconstruct a Process: Be like Tim Ferriss by breaking down a process into parts enabling you to learn a new skill faster, whether it be language or sports or coffee . Show your viewer how to properly learn how to improve performance by simplifying.

Languages: We all want to learn a new language, but it isn’t easy. If you have a knack for languages, show it off as a skill. Help new speakers avoid common mistakes, discuss the etymology of each word, and explore all the diverse dialects.

Accents: How accents derive is a fascinating topic to explore if you are seeking good ideas for YouTube. Why do some accents sound like music while other sound abrasive? Why different neighborhoods in the same city have different accents? There are endless questions to explore. Evenconstructed languages can be analyzed for their accents.

History: Are you interested in your city, your school, or the land your office is built upon? What was it like ten years ago? A hundred years ago? An exploration of history does not have to be about Rome or Mesopotamia, it can be about your backyard
Debunking Myths: Before every MythBusters episode they warn you not to attempt any of their experiments, and we are not encouraging you to either. At least, not to their scale. There is a multitude of myths out there that can use your expert eye to explore. In your city itself, there are stories worth debunking or at least learning more about.

Compare Two Things: Need something to do on YouTube? Why not compare diets such as Paleo vs Keto, devices such as Android vs iPhone, or a remake vs an original?

Opposing Opinions: Do you have a friend who always has to argue with you about everything: films, values, politics? Well, don’t just save those conversations for private, invite him or her over and film a debate.

Deep Dive: Go down the rabbit hole on a topic you are really fascinated about. Dissect every song from an artist, read every book by an author, or learn about a different type of plant growing in your community. Everywhere you look, you should see opportunities to get obsessed over a topic.

Biography of Someone: It could be a famous person or it can be someone from your family. Tell their story in a way that only you can. Get interviews, do research, and find a personal connection. Every life is significant, now it is your chance to honor that.

Fun Facts: Grab a deck of questions from Trivial Pursuit and pick a fun fact to explore. Use it as a jumping-off point for exploring an interesting topic. Share it with viewers who might not have known that they were interested in this fact.

Timeline of a Topic: Pick any topic and trace the lineage and better understand how it has gotten to this point. Where did it begin, has it hit critical mass, and how has it evolved over the years?

9. Be a Fan and a Critic

Fanfiction: Continue a story of one of your favorite movie characters or explore the life of some secondary character in a television show that you enjoy. Use their existing storyline to guide where you toward an interesting YouTube video about how they could have evolved.

Re-edit: Use your editing skills to recreate a classic movie scene, allowing it to have a completely different tone. Or mashup footage from a variety of sources to create an original piece of video content.

Speculation of Unreleased Entertainment: There are always rumors of upcoming movies, music, and books from famous filmmakers, musicians, and authors. Speculate on what the new release can possibly be about. Generate buzz and excitement and consider what you would do if you were put into the shoes of those famous creators.

Spotlight on the Best: In every field, there are those that are considered world-class. How did they get there, what support did they get, and how are they working to stay at the top? Highlight their achievements and see what we can anticipate from them in the future.

Commentary: Can you offer insights into a particular piece of work? Share it with the world and add another dimension to what the viewers have already seen.

Spotlight on Something Not So Popular: Is there something you adore that nobody really knows about? You can be the one to help this become mainstream.

Tribute: Pay tribute to a personality or an event from the past. Help people remember the significance of what happened from the past through your YouTube video.

Shoutout: Like sending out a thank you card, use YouTube to publicly thank someone for doing something awesome! It’s like you are giving a toast to someone in front of the whole Internet, what an honor.

Summarize a Book, Movie, or TV Show: Give the Coles note summary of a book, a movie, or TV show. Challenge yourself to make a summary that is as interesting as the actual source material.

“Best of” Video: Select the best scenes from your favorite actor or the best plays from your favorite athlete and compile it into a video that highlights all the best moments.

10. Create Entertainment

Fails: Don’t get embarrassed, get views. Embrace your shortcomings and accept that everybody has failed at something. Be careful and don’t get hurt too bad though.

Parody: Channel your Key of Awesome and create your own parody of something from pop culture. If you parody something trending, it can help you catch the wave of popularity and bring in views as all eyes are currently on that topic.

Break Something: There is nothing like watching something get destroyed. Maybe that’s why the Will it Blend videos got so popular. No matter how we resist it, we enjoy seeing the destruction.

Time Lapse: The growth of a plant, the flow of traffic, the rise and fall of the sun through your eyes. In this fast pace world, it’s fun to see organized chaos at a rapid rate.

Screen Sharing: Let people watch you play a video game or give a tour of your desktop. Share your screen as you write a poem.

Cinematography: There is always a place for beautiful cinematography on YouTube. Tell a great story about your life or your city with great moving images.

Short subject documentary: Pick a topic that matters and explore in through the structure of a documentary. Remember that when making a documentary, think about it as making a movie – you are not there to lecture them. Can you get peopleriled up as Michael Moore does? Can you encourage people to take action? If yes, then you are ready to start making documentary-style YouTube videos.

Lip-sync: Can’t sing but feel you have a musical gift to give to the world, well, they will never put you on the billboards for what you can do lip-syncing, but you can make a pretty entertaining YouTube video through this medium. It doesn’t even have to be music either, take Bad Lip Reading .

Impressions: A good impression is always worth a good laugh, and a bad one is almost as good. Give it a shot, pull up videos of some of your favorite celebrities, and film yourself attempting to mimic their voice, characteristics and expressions.

Sketch Comedy, Short Film, or Role Play: Do you have characters and scenes in mind that will be perfect for SNL? Well, instead of having to go through Lorne Michaels, create the character yourself and publish your comedy sketch on YouTube.

Interview: Find a subject matter experts and ask them interesting questions about their profession and areas of interest.

Games: Play a game with your friends or other YouTubers and allow the competitiveness, frustration, and hilarity to ensue.

Okay! How do you feel?

I bet you are bursting and ready to create your next video. Onwards! Remember, whatever idea you pick, be sure to give it your own flair. That is what YouTube is all about. Got another YouTube video idea you want to share? Let the Filmora.io community know in the comments.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

YouTube Equipment for Beginners [Ultimate Guide]

YouTube Equipment Starter Guide For Beginners

Sumia Rafique

Feb 19, 2024• Proven solutions

0

If you want to start creating videos and uploading them onto YouTube, you’ll need to have access to some basic equipment. This guide will go over everything you’ll need to be a YouTuber.

Table of Contents YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: CAMERA What To Look For In A Camera As A YouTuberBest Cheap Vlogging CamerasBest Entry-Level and Mid-Range Vlogging Cameras YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LENS The Wide-Angle LensOptical Image Stabilization YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: TRIPOD YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: MICROPHONE YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LIGHT YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: COMPUTER YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: AUDIO Music LibrariesSound Effects

Part 1: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: CAMERA

The best camera for beginners is the one you already have. Most smartphones these days already come equipped with a powerful camera that can record HD videos. If you still want to add a camera to your equipment list as a beginner YouTuber, you should look for a camera with the following eight qualities:

What To Look For In A Camera As A YouTuber

1. Fully articulated screen (flip screen)

2. Good continual auto focus while recording video

3. Good focus priority through face recognition

4. Touch to focus

5. Good low-light performance

6. external mic jack, hot/cold shoe bracket

7. optical image stabilization

8. good battery life

Check out my full list of 10 Things To Look For In A Vlogging Camera to understand the importance of these camera features.

Best Cheap Vlogging Cameras

Below are the best cheap vlogging cameras that you can get for under $500. They all record at least 1080p HD video and all but the Sony Alpha a5100 come with optical image stabilization (if you want OIS with the Sony a5100, you’ll have it get it in the lens).

Camera	Release Date	Camera Type	Flip Screen	4K	Price
Yi 4KAction Camera		February2017	Action Camera	No	Yes	$169 (MSRP)
NikonCoolpixA900		February2016	Compact	Flip Up	Yes	$399 (MSRP)
NikonCoolpixB500		February2016	SLR-like (bridge)	Tilting	No	$250 (MSRP)
PolaroidCube+		June2015	Action Camera	No	No	$99 (MSRP)
SonyAlphaa5100		August2014	Mirrorless	Flip Up	No	$450 (MSRP)

	Best cheap vlogging camera under $100: Polaroid Cube+ Even before GoPro released their GoPro Session, Polaroid was the first to come out with a 1.4-inch, cube-shaped action camera, small enough to mount on a bike or a helmet. This camera has built-in magnets so that you can attach them to metal surfaces. This action camera is water-resistant, shock-proof, and weather-proof. It can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps with its wide-angle lens. You can connect this camera with your phone to preview and take your shots.
	Best cheap vlogging camera under $200: Yi 4K At $200, you can record 4K videos with the Yi 4K action camera. Like many other action cameras, this camera is small, durable, and shoots through a wide-angle lens. You won’t be able to take this camera underwater though because it isn’t waterproof. You’ll need to buy the right accessories for that.
	Best cheap vlogging camera under $300: Nikon B500 The Nikon B500 gives you a non-interchangeable zoom lens so that you have more control over how you compose your shots. This camera records full HD 1080p videos at either 30 or 25 fps. You can only set its ISO as high as 3200, so it’s not going to perform the best in low-light conditions. The tilting LCD screen does not have touchscreen and cannot be fully flipped up or flipped to the side, it only tilts. For a camera in its price range, the Nikon B500 offers a lot of features.
	Best cheap vlogging camera under $400: Nikon A900 The Nikon A900 not only comes with a non-interchangeable zoom lens, but it can also record videos in UHD 4K quality. Like the Nikon B500, the A900’s ISO goes only up to 3200, making it a weak performer in poorly lit conditions.
	Best cheap vlogging camera under $500: Sony a5100 Among the cameras listed in our top cheap cameras list, the Sony a5100 is the only one you can interchange lenses with. All Sony E-mount lenses are compatible with this camera. This camera can record up to 1080p videos at 60 fps. Out of all of the above top cheap cameras, this one also auto focuses the best.

Best Entry-Level and Mid-Range Vlogging Cameras

If you have a bigger budget to work with, the following vlogging cameras are great options:

Camera	Release Date	Camera Type	Flip Screen	Mic Port	Price
CanonEOSM50		February2018	Mirrorless	Fully Articulated	Yes	$-
CanonEOSM100		August2017	Mirrorless	Flip Up	No	$
CanonEOS RebelSL2		June2017	Compact SLR	Fully Articulated	Yes	$
CanonEOS RebelT7i		February2017	Mid-size SLR	Fully Articulated	Yes	$-
CanonEOS80D		February2016	Mid-size SLR	Fully Articulated	Yes	$$

	Best entry-level mirrorless camera for vlogging: Canon EOS M100 The Canon M100 is a small and powerful camera that can shoot full HD (1080p) videos up to 60 fps. The touchscreen LCD of this camera flips up so that you can see yourself as you vlog in selfie mode.
	Best mid-range mirrorless camera for vlogging: Canon EOS M50 The Canon EOS M50 can shoot UHD 4K videos at 23.98 fps. You can also record 120 fps slow-motion videos at 720p. Unlike the M100, which only has a flip up screen, the M50 has a fully articulated screen, so you can use this camera in selfie mode, all while using an on-camera shotgun microphone attached to the camera hot/cold shoe.
	Best DSLR camera for daily vlogging: Canon EOS T7i The Canon EOS T7i is a great DSLR camera for daily vlogging. It can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps, it can create HDR and time-lapse movies, and it also has a fully articulated screen.
	Best entry-level DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS SL2 The Canon EOS SL2 delivers a lot of power at a low price. This DSLR camera can capture full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps.
	Best mid-range DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS 80D The Canon 80D is an exceptional mid-range DSLR vlogging camera with many features. Coming with a 45-point all cross phase detection autofocusing and a dual pixel CMOS AF system, the camera is great at finding the right focus while recording video.

Part 2: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LENS

A lot of compact cameras already come with the lens as a part of the camera body. When it comes to these kinds of cameras, you won’t have to worry about which lens is right for you since the decision has already been made for you!

When you start looking into bigger cameras, though, you’ll have to think about which lens you want to shoot with.

The Wide-Angle Lens

Every YouTuber should have a wide-angle lens. With this kind of lens, you can fit much more of a scene into your camera frame, including your own face when you’re just an arm’s length away from your camera. This is especially important for YouTubers because most YouTubers have to operate their camera on their own, without the assistance of an additional camera person.

Optical Image Stabilization

You should also look for a lens with optical image stabilization if you’re shooting a lot of your YouTube videos handheld.

For more information on camera lenses, check out my Vlogger’s Guide To Camera Lenses .

Part 3: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: TRIPOD

Tripod If you plan to film yourself talking in front of the same, unchanging background for an extended period of time, it doesn’t make sense to film yourself handheld the entire time. You’ll just end up tiring your arm out and adding distracting shakiness to your footage. A tripod is a great solution to this problem. You can set up your framing once, press record, and leave your camera in its fixed position while you talk with both hands free.

Joby GorillaPod With Ballhead When you film yourself handheld, it’s difficult to keep your arm higher up so that your camera shoots down at an ideal angle. You may also notice that a lot of your arm gets into your shot, which you and other viewers might find distracting. Holding your camera up by a GorillaPod, however, can give you the extension you need to get that higher angle shot more easily, all without so much of your arm getting into your shot.

Part 4: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: MICROPHONE

Most vlogging cameras come with a built-in microphone that gets the job done. If you want higher quality audio recordings, though, you should check out the following list of top microphones.

Top Condenser Mics For Music and Singing	Top Condenser Mics For Voiceovers-Podcasts, Interviews	Top On-Camera Shotgun Mics	Top Shotgun Mics	Top Low-Profile Lavalier Mics
Audio-Technica AT2035 Rode NT1-A AKG C214	Apogee Mic 96K Blue Yeti Rode NT-USB Blue Snowball Audio-Technica AT2020 Rode Procaster	Rode VideoMic Go Shure VP83 Rode VideoMic Pro+ Sennheiser MKE 440	Rode NTG-3 Audio-Technica AT4053B Sennheiser MKH416	Rode SmartLav+ Audio-Technica ATR3350iS Sennheiser ME2

To read more about each of these microphones, check out our post on The 19 Best YouTube Microphones 2018 – Options for Music, Voiceovers, Vlogging, and more!

Part 5: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES

Using your smartphone’s camera to film your YouTube videos is a great idea since it’s light, portable, and most likely always with you. The following six smartphone accessories can help you make better YouTube videos:

1. Arkon Tripod Mount
2. FLII Selfie Ring Light
3. RODE VideoMic Me
4. Aukey Optic 3-in-1 Smartphone Lens Set
5. iOgrapher Go for Android and iPhone
6. Manfrotto TwistGrip System

Read about each one of these items and more in The 9 Best Smartphone Camera Accessories For Vloggers .

Part 6: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LIGHT

Lighting for home living and lighting for filming is very different. If you try to make use of just the lights you have at home, you may find that your footage is too dark, grainy, and orange-tinted.

The solution to this problem is getting additional video lighting equipment with daytime light bulbs.

	Daytime Light Bulbs Your home is most likely lit with incandescent light bulbs that illuminate orange-tinted light. You can remove those light bulbs and replace them with daytime light bulbs that illuminate more of a white colored light.
	On-Camera LED Light If you need more light just in front of the camera and you need this light to be portable, LED lights that attach to your camera’s hot/cold shoe will do the job.
	LED Ring Light If you need more light just in front of the camera, you don’t have a lot of space, and you don’t need this light to be small and portable, an LED ring light is the best piece of equipment for you. You can position your camera inside the circular space of the ring light. This kind of light also gives your eyes the circular shaped highlight that many people like to see.
	Softbox Video Light If you need more light and have more space, another piece of lighting equipment good for beginners is a softbox video light.
	Umbrella Video Light Umbrella video lights are very portable and affordable. The direction of the light from umbrella lights are more difficult to control than the light from softbox video lights.

If you’re looking for recommendations on which piece of lighting equipment to buy, check out my list of the Top 17 Video Lighting Equipment For YouTubers .

Part 7: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: COMPUTER

After you’ve recorded all your footage, you’ll need a computer to edit your video clips together. You can perform basic video editing tasks and upload your video onto YouTube with any computer less than ten years old.

Laptop computers are popular among YouTubers because their portability allows you to work on your videos from anywhere. This way, you can finish and upload your videos more frequently, which is another important part of being a YouTuber.

The following three laptop computers handle video editing very well:

1. MacBook Pro With Touch Bar
2. Dell XPS 15
3. Microsoft Surface Book 2

Read more about these laptop computers for 4K video editing in The Best Laptops for 4K Video Editing .

Part 8: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE

FREE VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARES	PAID VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARES
OpenShot Video Editor (Windows, Mac, Linux) ShotCut (Windows, Mac, Linux) Hitfilm Express (Windows, Mac) VideoPad Video Editor (Windows) Lightworks (Windows, Mac, Linux) VSDC Video Editor (Windows) Machete Video Editor Lite (Windows) Avidemux (Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD) Read more about each of these softwares in our post about The Best Free Video Editing Software for YouTube .	Filmora Video Editor (Windows, Mac) - $40 one year license, $79.99 perpetual license. Free trial Final Cut Pro (Mac) - $299.99, Free trial Vegas Movie Studio (Windows) - $49.99

YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: AUDIO

Music Libraries

Music is an important part of YouTube video creation. Here’s where you can get access to music:

ROYALTY-FREE MUSIC LIBRARIES	PAID MUSIC LIBRARIES	PAID SUBSCRIPTION MUSIC LIBRARIES
Audionautix Bensound dig.ccMixter Free Music Archive Free Stock Music Incompetech Josh Woodward Moby Gratis Musopen Purple Planet Music TeknoAXE YouTube Audio Library	Premium Beat Audio Jungle	Audio Network Audio Blocks Epidemic Sound

Sound Effects

Free Sound Effect Sites

1. Filmstock Sound Effects
2. Freesound
3. PacDV
4. Sound Bible
5. Sound Gator
6. Sounds Crate
7. Zapsplat

Sumia Rafique

Sumia Rafique is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Sumia Rafique

Sumia Rafique

Feb 19, 2024• Proven solutions

0

If you want to start creating videos and uploading them onto YouTube, you’ll need to have access to some basic equipment. This guide will go over everything you’ll need to be a YouTuber.

Table of Contents YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: CAMERA What To Look For In A Camera As A YouTuberBest Cheap Vlogging CamerasBest Entry-Level and Mid-Range Vlogging Cameras YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LENS The Wide-Angle LensOptical Image Stabilization YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: TRIPOD YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: MICROPHONE YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LIGHT YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: COMPUTER YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: AUDIO Music LibrariesSound Effects

Part 1: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: CAMERA

The best camera for beginners is the one you already have. Most smartphones these days already come equipped with a powerful camera that can record HD videos. If you still want to add a camera to your equipment list as a beginner YouTuber, you should look for a camera with the following eight qualities:

What To Look For In A Camera As A YouTuber

1. Fully articulated screen (flip screen)

2. Good continual auto focus while recording video

3. Good focus priority through face recognition

4. Touch to focus

5. Good low-light performance

6. external mic jack, hot/cold shoe bracket

7. optical image stabilization

8. good battery life

Check out my full list of 10 Things To Look For In A Vlogging Camera to understand the importance of these camera features.

Best Cheap Vlogging Cameras

Below are the best cheap vlogging cameras that you can get for under $500. They all record at least 1080p HD video and all but the Sony Alpha a5100 come with optical image stabilization (if you want OIS with the Sony a5100, you’ll have it get it in the lens).

Camera	Release Date	Camera Type	Flip Screen	4K	Price
Yi 4KAction Camera		February2017	Action Camera	No	Yes	$169 (MSRP)
NikonCoolpixA900		February2016	Compact	Flip Up	Yes	$399 (MSRP)
NikonCoolpixB500		February2016	SLR-like (bridge)	Tilting	No	$250 (MSRP)
PolaroidCube+		June2015	Action Camera	No	No	$99 (MSRP)
SonyAlphaa5100		August2014	Mirrorless	Flip Up	No	$450 (MSRP)

	Best cheap vlogging camera under $100: Polaroid Cube+ Even before GoPro released their GoPro Session, Polaroid was the first to come out with a 1.4-inch, cube-shaped action camera, small enough to mount on a bike or a helmet. This camera has built-in magnets so that you can attach them to metal surfaces. This action camera is water-resistant, shock-proof, and weather-proof. It can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps with its wide-angle lens. You can connect this camera with your phone to preview and take your shots.
	Best cheap vlogging camera under $200: Yi 4K At $200, you can record 4K videos with the Yi 4K action camera. Like many other action cameras, this camera is small, durable, and shoots through a wide-angle lens. You won’t be able to take this camera underwater though because it isn’t waterproof. You’ll need to buy the right accessories for that.
	Best cheap vlogging camera under $300: Nikon B500 The Nikon B500 gives you a non-interchangeable zoom lens so that you have more control over how you compose your shots. This camera records full HD 1080p videos at either 30 or 25 fps. You can only set its ISO as high as 3200, so it’s not going to perform the best in low-light conditions. The tilting LCD screen does not have touchscreen and cannot be fully flipped up or flipped to the side, it only tilts. For a camera in its price range, the Nikon B500 offers a lot of features.
	Best cheap vlogging camera under $400: Nikon A900 The Nikon A900 not only comes with a non-interchangeable zoom lens, but it can also record videos in UHD 4K quality. Like the Nikon B500, the A900’s ISO goes only up to 3200, making it a weak performer in poorly lit conditions.
	Best cheap vlogging camera under $500: Sony a5100 Among the cameras listed in our top cheap cameras list, the Sony a5100 is the only one you can interchange lenses with. All Sony E-mount lenses are compatible with this camera. This camera can record up to 1080p videos at 60 fps. Out of all of the above top cheap cameras, this one also auto focuses the best.

Best Entry-Level and Mid-Range Vlogging Cameras

If you have a bigger budget to work with, the following vlogging cameras are great options:

Camera	Release Date	Camera Type	Flip Screen	Mic Port	Price
CanonEOSM50		February2018	Mirrorless	Fully Articulated	Yes	$-
CanonEOSM100		August2017	Mirrorless	Flip Up	No	$
CanonEOS RebelSL2		June2017	Compact SLR	Fully Articulated	Yes	$
CanonEOS RebelT7i		February2017	Mid-size SLR	Fully Articulated	Yes	$-
CanonEOS80D		February2016	Mid-size SLR	Fully Articulated	Yes	$$

	Best entry-level mirrorless camera for vlogging: Canon EOS M100 The Canon M100 is a small and powerful camera that can shoot full HD (1080p) videos up to 60 fps. The touchscreen LCD of this camera flips up so that you can see yourself as you vlog in selfie mode.
	Best mid-range mirrorless camera for vlogging: Canon EOS M50 The Canon EOS M50 can shoot UHD 4K videos at 23.98 fps. You can also record 120 fps slow-motion videos at 720p. Unlike the M100, which only has a flip up screen, the M50 has a fully articulated screen, so you can use this camera in selfie mode, all while using an on-camera shotgun microphone attached to the camera hot/cold shoe.
	Best DSLR camera for daily vlogging: Canon EOS T7i The Canon EOS T7i is a great DSLR camera for daily vlogging. It can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps, it can create HDR and time-lapse movies, and it also has a fully articulated screen.
	Best entry-level DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS SL2 The Canon EOS SL2 delivers a lot of power at a low price. This DSLR camera can capture full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps.
	Best mid-range DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS 80D The Canon 80D is an exceptional mid-range DSLR vlogging camera with many features. Coming with a 45-point all cross phase detection autofocusing and a dual pixel CMOS AF system, the camera is great at finding the right focus while recording video.

Part 2: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LENS

A lot of compact cameras already come with the lens as a part of the camera body. When it comes to these kinds of cameras, you won’t have to worry about which lens is right for you since the decision has already been made for you!

When you start looking into bigger cameras, though, you’ll have to think about which lens you want to shoot with.

The Wide-Angle Lens

Every YouTuber should have a wide-angle lens. With this kind of lens, you can fit much more of a scene into your camera frame, including your own face when you’re just an arm’s length away from your camera. This is especially important for YouTubers because most YouTubers have to operate their camera on their own, without the assistance of an additional camera person.

Optical Image Stabilization

You should also look for a lens with optical image stabilization if you’re shooting a lot of your YouTube videos handheld.

For more information on camera lenses, check out my Vlogger’s Guide To Camera Lenses .

Part 3: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: TRIPOD

Tripod If you plan to film yourself talking in front of the same, unchanging background for an extended period of time, it doesn’t make sense to film yourself handheld the entire time. You’ll just end up tiring your arm out and adding distracting shakiness to your footage. A tripod is a great solution to this problem. You can set up your framing once, press record, and leave your camera in its fixed position while you talk with both hands free.

Joby GorillaPod With Ballhead When you film yourself handheld, it’s difficult to keep your arm higher up so that your camera shoots down at an ideal angle. You may also notice that a lot of your arm gets into your shot, which you and other viewers might find distracting. Holding your camera up by a GorillaPod, however, can give you the extension you need to get that higher angle shot more easily, all without so much of your arm getting into your shot.

Part 4: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: MICROPHONE

Most vlogging cameras come with a built-in microphone that gets the job done. If you want higher quality audio recordings, though, you should check out the following list of top microphones.

Top Condenser Mics For Music and Singing	Top Condenser Mics For Voiceovers-Podcasts, Interviews	Top On-Camera Shotgun Mics	Top Shotgun Mics	Top Low-Profile Lavalier Mics
Audio-Technica AT2035 Rode NT1-A AKG C214	Apogee Mic 96K Blue Yeti Rode NT-USB Blue Snowball Audio-Technica AT2020 Rode Procaster	Rode VideoMic Go Shure VP83 Rode VideoMic Pro+ Sennheiser MKE 440	Rode NTG-3 Audio-Technica AT4053B Sennheiser MKH416	Rode SmartLav+ Audio-Technica ATR3350iS Sennheiser ME2

To read more about each of these microphones, check out our post on The 19 Best YouTube Microphones 2018 – Options for Music, Voiceovers, Vlogging, and more!

Part 5: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES

Using your smartphone’s camera to film your YouTube videos is a great idea since it’s light, portable, and most likely always with you. The following six smartphone accessories can help you make better YouTube videos:

1. Arkon Tripod Mount
2. FLII Selfie Ring Light
3. RODE VideoMic Me
4. Aukey Optic 3-in-1 Smartphone Lens Set
5. iOgrapher Go for Android and iPhone
6. Manfrotto TwistGrip System

Read about each one of these items and more in The 9 Best Smartphone Camera Accessories For Vloggers .

Part 6: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LIGHT

Lighting for home living and lighting for filming is very different. If you try to make use of just the lights you have at home, you may find that your footage is too dark, grainy, and orange-tinted.

The solution to this problem is getting additional video lighting equipment with daytime light bulbs.

	Daytime Light Bulbs Your home is most likely lit with incandescent light bulbs that illuminate orange-tinted light. You can remove those light bulbs and replace them with daytime light bulbs that illuminate more of a white colored light.
	On-Camera LED Light If you need more light just in front of the camera and you need this light to be portable, LED lights that attach to your camera’s hot/cold shoe will do the job.
	LED Ring Light If you need more light just in front of the camera, you don’t have a lot of space, and you don’t need this light to be small and portable, an LED ring light is the best piece of equipment for you. You can position your camera inside the circular space of the ring light. This kind of light also gives your eyes the circular shaped highlight that many people like to see.
	Softbox Video Light If you need more light and have more space, another piece of lighting equipment good for beginners is a softbox video light.
	Umbrella Video Light Umbrella video lights are very portable and affordable. The direction of the light from umbrella lights are more difficult to control than the light from softbox video lights.

If you’re looking for recommendations on which piece of lighting equipment to buy, check out my list of the Top 17 Video Lighting Equipment For YouTubers .

Part 7: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: COMPUTER

After you’ve recorded all your footage, you’ll need a computer to edit your video clips together. You can perform basic video editing tasks and upload your video onto YouTube with any computer less than ten years old.

Laptop computers are popular among YouTubers because their portability allows you to work on your videos from anywhere. This way, you can finish and upload your videos more frequently, which is another important part of being a YouTuber.

The following three laptop computers handle video editing very well:

1. MacBook Pro With Touch Bar
2. Dell XPS 15
3. Microsoft Surface Book 2

Read more about these laptop computers for 4K video editing in The Best Laptops for 4K Video Editing .

Part 8: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE

FREE VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARES	PAID VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARES
OpenShot Video Editor (Windows, Mac, Linux) ShotCut (Windows, Mac, Linux) Hitfilm Express (Windows, Mac) VideoPad Video Editor (Windows) Lightworks (Windows, Mac, Linux) VSDC Video Editor (Windows) Machete Video Editor Lite (Windows) Avidemux (Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD) Read more about each of these softwares in our post about The Best Free Video Editing Software for YouTube .	Filmora Video Editor (Windows, Mac) - $40 one year license, $79.99 perpetual license. Free trial Final Cut Pro (Mac) - $299.99, Free trial Vegas Movie Studio (Windows) - $49.99

YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: AUDIO

Music Libraries

Music is an important part of YouTube video creation. Here’s where you can get access to music:

ROYALTY-FREE MUSIC LIBRARIES	PAID MUSIC LIBRARIES	PAID SUBSCRIPTION MUSIC LIBRARIES
Audionautix Bensound dig.ccMixter Free Music Archive Free Stock Music Incompetech Josh Woodward Moby Gratis Musopen Purple Planet Music TeknoAXE YouTube Audio Library	Premium Beat Audio Jungle	Audio Network Audio Blocks Epidemic Sound

Sound Effects

Free Sound Effect Sites

1. Filmstock Sound Effects
2. Freesound
3. PacDV
4. Sound Bible
5. Sound Gator
6. Sounds Crate
7. Zapsplat

Sumia Rafique

Sumia Rafique is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Sumia Rafique

Sumia Rafique

Feb 19, 2024• Proven solutions

0

If you want to start creating videos and uploading them onto YouTube, you’ll need to have access to some basic equipment. This guide will go over everything you’ll need to be a YouTuber.

Table of Contents YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: CAMERA What To Look For In A Camera As A YouTuberBest Cheap Vlogging CamerasBest Entry-Level and Mid-Range Vlogging Cameras YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LENS The Wide-Angle LensOptical Image Stabilization YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: TRIPOD YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: MICROPHONE YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LIGHT YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: COMPUTER YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: AUDIO Music LibrariesSound Effects

Part 1: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: CAMERA

The best camera for beginners is the one you already have. Most smartphones these days already come equipped with a powerful camera that can record HD videos. If you still want to add a camera to your equipment list as a beginner YouTuber, you should look for a camera with the following eight qualities:

What To Look For In A Camera As A YouTuber

1. Fully articulated screen (flip screen)

2. Good continual auto focus while recording video

3. Good focus priority through face recognition

4. Touch to focus

5. Good low-light performance

6. external mic jack, hot/cold shoe bracket

7. optical image stabilization

8. good battery life

Check out my full list of 10 Things To Look For In A Vlogging Camera to understand the importance of these camera features.

Best Cheap Vlogging Cameras

Below are the best cheap vlogging cameras that you can get for under $500. They all record at least 1080p HD video and all but the Sony Alpha a5100 come with optical image stabilization (if you want OIS with the Sony a5100, you’ll have it get it in the lens).

Camera	Release Date	Camera Type	Flip Screen	4K	Price
Yi 4KAction Camera		February2017	Action Camera	No	Yes	$169 (MSRP)
NikonCoolpixA900		February2016	Compact	Flip Up	Yes	$399 (MSRP)
NikonCoolpixB500		February2016	SLR-like (bridge)	Tilting	No	$250 (MSRP)
PolaroidCube+		June2015	Action Camera	No	No	$99 (MSRP)
SonyAlphaa5100		August2014	Mirrorless	Flip Up	No	$450 (MSRP)

	Best cheap vlogging camera under $100: Polaroid Cube+ Even before GoPro released their GoPro Session, Polaroid was the first to come out with a 1.4-inch, cube-shaped action camera, small enough to mount on a bike or a helmet. This camera has built-in magnets so that you can attach them to metal surfaces. This action camera is water-resistant, shock-proof, and weather-proof. It can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps with its wide-angle lens. You can connect this camera with your phone to preview and take your shots.
	Best cheap vlogging camera under $200: Yi 4K At $200, you can record 4K videos with the Yi 4K action camera. Like many other action cameras, this camera is small, durable, and shoots through a wide-angle lens. You won’t be able to take this camera underwater though because it isn’t waterproof. You’ll need to buy the right accessories for that.
	Best cheap vlogging camera under $300: Nikon B500 The Nikon B500 gives you a non-interchangeable zoom lens so that you have more control over how you compose your shots. This camera records full HD 1080p videos at either 30 or 25 fps. You can only set its ISO as high as 3200, so it’s not going to perform the best in low-light conditions. The tilting LCD screen does not have touchscreen and cannot be fully flipped up or flipped to the side, it only tilts. For a camera in its price range, the Nikon B500 offers a lot of features.
	Best cheap vlogging camera under $400: Nikon A900 The Nikon A900 not only comes with a non-interchangeable zoom lens, but it can also record videos in UHD 4K quality. Like the Nikon B500, the A900’s ISO goes only up to 3200, making it a weak performer in poorly lit conditions.
	Best cheap vlogging camera under $500: Sony a5100 Among the cameras listed in our top cheap cameras list, the Sony a5100 is the only one you can interchange lenses with. All Sony E-mount lenses are compatible with this camera. This camera can record up to 1080p videos at 60 fps. Out of all of the above top cheap cameras, this one also auto focuses the best.

Best Entry-Level and Mid-Range Vlogging Cameras

If you have a bigger budget to work with, the following vlogging cameras are great options:

Camera	Release Date	Camera Type	Flip Screen	Mic Port	Price
CanonEOSM50		February2018	Mirrorless	Fully Articulated	Yes	$-
CanonEOSM100		August2017	Mirrorless	Flip Up	No	$
CanonEOS RebelSL2		June2017	Compact SLR	Fully Articulated	Yes	$
CanonEOS RebelT7i		February2017	Mid-size SLR	Fully Articulated	Yes	$-
CanonEOS80D		February2016	Mid-size SLR	Fully Articulated	Yes	$$

	Best entry-level mirrorless camera for vlogging: Canon EOS M100 The Canon M100 is a small and powerful camera that can shoot full HD (1080p) videos up to 60 fps. The touchscreen LCD of this camera flips up so that you can see yourself as you vlog in selfie mode.
	Best mid-range mirrorless camera for vlogging: Canon EOS M50 The Canon EOS M50 can shoot UHD 4K videos at 23.98 fps. You can also record 120 fps slow-motion videos at 720p. Unlike the M100, which only has a flip up screen, the M50 has a fully articulated screen, so you can use this camera in selfie mode, all while using an on-camera shotgun microphone attached to the camera hot/cold shoe.
	Best DSLR camera for daily vlogging: Canon EOS T7i The Canon EOS T7i is a great DSLR camera for daily vlogging. It can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps, it can create HDR and time-lapse movies, and it also has a fully articulated screen.
	Best entry-level DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS SL2 The Canon EOS SL2 delivers a lot of power at a low price. This DSLR camera can capture full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps.
	Best mid-range DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS 80D The Canon 80D is an exceptional mid-range DSLR vlogging camera with many features. Coming with a 45-point all cross phase detection autofocusing and a dual pixel CMOS AF system, the camera is great at finding the right focus while recording video.

Part 2: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LENS

A lot of compact cameras already come with the lens as a part of the camera body. When it comes to these kinds of cameras, you won’t have to worry about which lens is right for you since the decision has already been made for you!

When you start looking into bigger cameras, though, you’ll have to think about which lens you want to shoot with.

The Wide-Angle Lens

Every YouTuber should have a wide-angle lens. With this kind of lens, you can fit much more of a scene into your camera frame, including your own face when you’re just an arm’s length away from your camera. This is especially important for YouTubers because most YouTubers have to operate their camera on their own, without the assistance of an additional camera person.

Optical Image Stabilization

You should also look for a lens with optical image stabilization if you’re shooting a lot of your YouTube videos handheld.

For more information on camera lenses, check out my Vlogger’s Guide To Camera Lenses .

Part 3: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: TRIPOD

Tripod If you plan to film yourself talking in front of the same, unchanging background for an extended period of time, it doesn’t make sense to film yourself handheld the entire time. You’ll just end up tiring your arm out and adding distracting shakiness to your footage. A tripod is a great solution to this problem. You can set up your framing once, press record, and leave your camera in its fixed position while you talk with both hands free.

Joby GorillaPod With Ballhead When you film yourself handheld, it’s difficult to keep your arm higher up so that your camera shoots down at an ideal angle. You may also notice that a lot of your arm gets into your shot, which you and other viewers might find distracting. Holding your camera up by a GorillaPod, however, can give you the extension you need to get that higher angle shot more easily, all without so much of your arm getting into your shot.

Part 4: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: MICROPHONE

Most vlogging cameras come with a built-in microphone that gets the job done. If you want higher quality audio recordings, though, you should check out the following list of top microphones.

Top Condenser Mics For Music and Singing	Top Condenser Mics For Voiceovers-Podcasts, Interviews	Top On-Camera Shotgun Mics	Top Shotgun Mics	Top Low-Profile Lavalier Mics
Audio-Technica AT2035 Rode NT1-A AKG C214	Apogee Mic 96K Blue Yeti Rode NT-USB Blue Snowball Audio-Technica AT2020 Rode Procaster	Rode VideoMic Go Shure VP83 Rode VideoMic Pro+ Sennheiser MKE 440	Rode NTG-3 Audio-Technica AT4053B Sennheiser MKH416	Rode SmartLav+ Audio-Technica ATR3350iS Sennheiser ME2

To read more about each of these microphones, check out our post on The 19 Best YouTube Microphones 2018 – Options for Music, Voiceovers, Vlogging, and more!

Part 5: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES

Using your smartphone’s camera to film your YouTube videos is a great idea since it’s light, portable, and most likely always with you. The following six smartphone accessories can help you make better YouTube videos:

1. Arkon Tripod Mount
2. FLII Selfie Ring Light
3. RODE VideoMic Me
4. Aukey Optic 3-in-1 Smartphone Lens Set
5. iOgrapher Go for Android and iPhone
6. Manfrotto TwistGrip System

Read about each one of these items and more in The 9 Best Smartphone Camera Accessories For Vloggers .

Part 6: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LIGHT

Lighting for home living and lighting for filming is very different. If you try to make use of just the lights you have at home, you may find that your footage is too dark, grainy, and orange-tinted.

The solution to this problem is getting additional video lighting equipment with daytime light bulbs.

	Daytime Light Bulbs Your home is most likely lit with incandescent light bulbs that illuminate orange-tinted light. You can remove those light bulbs and replace them with daytime light bulbs that illuminate more of a white colored light.
	On-Camera LED Light If you need more light just in front of the camera and you need this light to be portable, LED lights that attach to your camera’s hot/cold shoe will do the job.
	LED Ring Light If you need more light just in front of the camera, you don’t have a lot of space, and you don’t need this light to be small and portable, an LED ring light is the best piece of equipment for you. You can position your camera inside the circular space of the ring light. This kind of light also gives your eyes the circular shaped highlight that many people like to see.
	Softbox Video Light If you need more light and have more space, another piece of lighting equipment good for beginners is a softbox video light.
	Umbrella Video Light Umbrella video lights are very portable and affordable. The direction of the light from umbrella lights are more difficult to control than the light from softbox video lights.

If you’re looking for recommendations on which piece of lighting equipment to buy, check out my list of the Top 17 Video Lighting Equipment For YouTubers .

Part 7: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: COMPUTER

After you’ve recorded all your footage, you’ll need a computer to edit your video clips together. You can perform basic video editing tasks and upload your video onto YouTube with any computer less than ten years old.

Laptop computers are popular among YouTubers because their portability allows you to work on your videos from anywhere. This way, you can finish and upload your videos more frequently, which is another important part of being a YouTuber.

The following three laptop computers handle video editing very well:

1. MacBook Pro With Touch Bar
2. Dell XPS 15
3. Microsoft Surface Book 2

Read more about these laptop computers for 4K video editing in The Best Laptops for 4K Video Editing .

Part 8: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE

FREE VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARES	PAID VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARES
OpenShot Video Editor (Windows, Mac, Linux) ShotCut (Windows, Mac, Linux) Hitfilm Express (Windows, Mac) VideoPad Video Editor (Windows) Lightworks (Windows, Mac, Linux) VSDC Video Editor (Windows) Machete Video Editor Lite (Windows) Avidemux (Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD) Read more about each of these softwares in our post about The Best Free Video Editing Software for YouTube .	Filmora Video Editor (Windows, Mac) - $40 one year license, $79.99 perpetual license. Free trial Final Cut Pro (Mac) - $299.99, Free trial Vegas Movie Studio (Windows) - $49.99

YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: AUDIO

Music Libraries

Music is an important part of YouTube video creation. Here’s where you can get access to music:

ROYALTY-FREE MUSIC LIBRARIES	PAID MUSIC LIBRARIES	PAID SUBSCRIPTION MUSIC LIBRARIES
Audionautix Bensound dig.ccMixter Free Music Archive Free Stock Music Incompetech Josh Woodward Moby Gratis Musopen Purple Planet Music TeknoAXE YouTube Audio Library	Premium Beat Audio Jungle	Audio Network Audio Blocks Epidemic Sound

Sound Effects

Free Sound Effect Sites

1. Filmstock Sound Effects
2. Freesound
3. PacDV
4. Sound Bible
5. Sound Gator
6. Sounds Crate
7. Zapsplat

Sumia Rafique

Sumia Rafique is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Sumia Rafique

Sumia Rafique

Feb 19, 2024• Proven solutions

0

If you want to start creating videos and uploading them onto YouTube, you’ll need to have access to some basic equipment. This guide will go over everything you’ll need to be a YouTuber.

Table of Contents YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: CAMERA What To Look For In A Camera As A YouTuberBest Cheap Vlogging CamerasBest Entry-Level and Mid-Range Vlogging Cameras YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LENS The Wide-Angle LensOptical Image Stabilization YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: TRIPOD YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: MICROPHONE YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LIGHT YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: COMPUTER YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: AUDIO Music LibrariesSound Effects

Part 1: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: CAMERA

The best camera for beginners is the one you already have. Most smartphones these days already come equipped with a powerful camera that can record HD videos. If you still want to add a camera to your equipment list as a beginner YouTuber, you should look for a camera with the following eight qualities:

What To Look For In A Camera As A YouTuber

1. Fully articulated screen (flip screen)

2. Good continual auto focus while recording video

3. Good focus priority through face recognition

4. Touch to focus

5. Good low-light performance

6. external mic jack, hot/cold shoe bracket

7. optical image stabilization

8. good battery life

Check out my full list of 10 Things To Look For In A Vlogging Camera to understand the importance of these camera features.

Best Cheap Vlogging Cameras

Below are the best cheap vlogging cameras that you can get for under $500. They all record at least 1080p HD video and all but the Sony Alpha a5100 come with optical image stabilization (if you want OIS with the Sony a5100, you’ll have it get it in the lens).

Camera	Release Date	Camera Type	Flip Screen	4K	Price
Yi 4KAction Camera		February2017	Action Camera	No	Yes	$169 (MSRP)
NikonCoolpixA900		February2016	Compact	Flip Up	Yes	$399 (MSRP)
NikonCoolpixB500		February2016	SLR-like (bridge)	Tilting	No	$250 (MSRP)
PolaroidCube+		June2015	Action Camera	No	No	$99 (MSRP)
SonyAlphaa5100		August2014	Mirrorless	Flip Up	No	$450 (MSRP)

	Best cheap vlogging camera under $100: Polaroid Cube+ Even before GoPro released their GoPro Session, Polaroid was the first to come out with a 1.4-inch, cube-shaped action camera, small enough to mount on a bike or a helmet. This camera has built-in magnets so that you can attach them to metal surfaces. This action camera is water-resistant, shock-proof, and weather-proof. It can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps with its wide-angle lens. You can connect this camera with your phone to preview and take your shots.
	Best cheap vlogging camera under $200: Yi 4K At $200, you can record 4K videos with the Yi 4K action camera. Like many other action cameras, this camera is small, durable, and shoots through a wide-angle lens. You won’t be able to take this camera underwater though because it isn’t waterproof. You’ll need to buy the right accessories for that.
	Best cheap vlogging camera under $300: Nikon B500 The Nikon B500 gives you a non-interchangeable zoom lens so that you have more control over how you compose your shots. This camera records full HD 1080p videos at either 30 or 25 fps. You can only set its ISO as high as 3200, so it’s not going to perform the best in low-light conditions. The tilting LCD screen does not have touchscreen and cannot be fully flipped up or flipped to the side, it only tilts. For a camera in its price range, the Nikon B500 offers a lot of features.
	Best cheap vlogging camera under $400: Nikon A900 The Nikon A900 not only comes with a non-interchangeable zoom lens, but it can also record videos in UHD 4K quality. Like the Nikon B500, the A900’s ISO goes only up to 3200, making it a weak performer in poorly lit conditions.
	Best cheap vlogging camera under $500: Sony a5100 Among the cameras listed in our top cheap cameras list, the Sony a5100 is the only one you can interchange lenses with. All Sony E-mount lenses are compatible with this camera. This camera can record up to 1080p videos at 60 fps. Out of all of the above top cheap cameras, this one also auto focuses the best.

Best Entry-Level and Mid-Range Vlogging Cameras

If you have a bigger budget to work with, the following vlogging cameras are great options:

Camera	Release Date	Camera Type	Flip Screen	Mic Port	Price
CanonEOSM50		February2018	Mirrorless	Fully Articulated	Yes	$-
CanonEOSM100		August2017	Mirrorless	Flip Up	No	$
CanonEOS RebelSL2		June2017	Compact SLR	Fully Articulated	Yes	$
CanonEOS RebelT7i		February2017	Mid-size SLR	Fully Articulated	Yes	$-
CanonEOS80D		February2016	Mid-size SLR	Fully Articulated	Yes	$$

	Best entry-level mirrorless camera for vlogging: Canon EOS M100 The Canon M100 is a small and powerful camera that can shoot full HD (1080p) videos up to 60 fps. The touchscreen LCD of this camera flips up so that you can see yourself as you vlog in selfie mode.
	Best mid-range mirrorless camera for vlogging: Canon EOS M50 The Canon EOS M50 can shoot UHD 4K videos at 23.98 fps. You can also record 120 fps slow-motion videos at 720p. Unlike the M100, which only has a flip up screen, the M50 has a fully articulated screen, so you can use this camera in selfie mode, all while using an on-camera shotgun microphone attached to the camera hot/cold shoe.
	Best DSLR camera for daily vlogging: Canon EOS T7i The Canon EOS T7i is a great DSLR camera for daily vlogging. It can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps, it can create HDR and time-lapse movies, and it also has a fully articulated screen.
	Best entry-level DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS SL2 The Canon EOS SL2 delivers a lot of power at a low price. This DSLR camera can capture full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps.
	Best mid-range DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS 80D The Canon 80D is an exceptional mid-range DSLR vlogging camera with many features. Coming with a 45-point all cross phase detection autofocusing and a dual pixel CMOS AF system, the camera is great at finding the right focus while recording video.

Part 2: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LENS

A lot of compact cameras already come with the lens as a part of the camera body. When it comes to these kinds of cameras, you won’t have to worry about which lens is right for you since the decision has already been made for you!

When you start looking into bigger cameras, though, you’ll have to think about which lens you want to shoot with.

The Wide-Angle Lens

Every YouTuber should have a wide-angle lens. With this kind of lens, you can fit much more of a scene into your camera frame, including your own face when you’re just an arm’s length away from your camera. This is especially important for YouTubers because most YouTubers have to operate their camera on their own, without the assistance of an additional camera person.

Optical Image Stabilization

You should also look for a lens with optical image stabilization if you’re shooting a lot of your YouTube videos handheld.

For more information on camera lenses, check out my Vlogger’s Guide To Camera Lenses .

Part 3: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: TRIPOD

Tripod If you plan to film yourself talking in front of the same, unchanging background for an extended period of time, it doesn’t make sense to film yourself handheld the entire time. You’ll just end up tiring your arm out and adding distracting shakiness to your footage. A tripod is a great solution to this problem. You can set up your framing once, press record, and leave your camera in its fixed position while you talk with both hands free.

Joby GorillaPod With Ballhead When you film yourself handheld, it’s difficult to keep your arm higher up so that your camera shoots down at an ideal angle. You may also notice that a lot of your arm gets into your shot, which you and other viewers might find distracting. Holding your camera up by a GorillaPod, however, can give you the extension you need to get that higher angle shot more easily, all without so much of your arm getting into your shot.

Part 4: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: MICROPHONE

Most vlogging cameras come with a built-in microphone that gets the job done. If you want higher quality audio recordings, though, you should check out the following list of top microphones.

Top Condenser Mics For Music and Singing	Top Condenser Mics For Voiceovers-Podcasts, Interviews	Top On-Camera Shotgun Mics	Top Shotgun Mics	Top Low-Profile Lavalier Mics
Audio-Technica AT2035 Rode NT1-A AKG C214	Apogee Mic 96K Blue Yeti Rode NT-USB Blue Snowball Audio-Technica AT2020 Rode Procaster	Rode VideoMic Go Shure VP83 Rode VideoMic Pro+ Sennheiser MKE 440	Rode NTG-3 Audio-Technica AT4053B Sennheiser MKH416	Rode SmartLav+ Audio-Technica ATR3350iS Sennheiser ME2

To read more about each of these microphones, check out our post on The 19 Best YouTube Microphones 2018 – Options for Music, Voiceovers, Vlogging, and more!

Part 5: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES

Using your smartphone’s camera to film your YouTube videos is a great idea since it’s light, portable, and most likely always with you. The following six smartphone accessories can help you make better YouTube videos:

1. Arkon Tripod Mount
2. FLII Selfie Ring Light
3. RODE VideoMic Me
4. Aukey Optic 3-in-1 Smartphone Lens Set
5. iOgrapher Go for Android and iPhone
6. Manfrotto TwistGrip System

Read about each one of these items and more in The 9 Best Smartphone Camera Accessories For Vloggers .

Part 6: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LIGHT

Lighting for home living and lighting for filming is very different. If you try to make use of just the lights you have at home, you may find that your footage is too dark, grainy, and orange-tinted.

The solution to this problem is getting additional video lighting equipment with daytime light bulbs.

	Daytime Light Bulbs Your home is most likely lit with incandescent light bulbs that illuminate orange-tinted light. You can remove those light bulbs and replace them with daytime light bulbs that illuminate more of a white colored light.
	On-Camera LED Light If you need more light just in front of the camera and you need this light to be portable, LED lights that attach to your camera’s hot/cold shoe will do the job.
	LED Ring Light If you need more light just in front of the camera, you don’t have a lot of space, and you don’t need this light to be small and portable, an LED ring light is the best piece of equipment for you. You can position your camera inside the circular space of the ring light. This kind of light also gives your eyes the circular shaped highlight that many people like to see.
	Softbox Video Light If you need more light and have more space, another piece of lighting equipment good for beginners is a softbox video light.
	Umbrella Video Light Umbrella video lights are very portable and affordable. The direction of the light from umbrella lights are more difficult to control than the light from softbox video lights.

If you’re looking for recommendations on which piece of lighting equipment to buy, check out my list of the Top 17 Video Lighting Equipment For YouTubers .

Part 7: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: COMPUTER

After you’ve recorded all your footage, you’ll need a computer to edit your video clips together. You can perform basic video editing tasks and upload your video onto YouTube with any computer less than ten years old.

Laptop computers are popular among YouTubers because their portability allows you to work on your videos from anywhere. This way, you can finish and upload your videos more frequently, which is another important part of being a YouTuber.

The following three laptop computers handle video editing very well:

1. MacBook Pro With Touch Bar
2. Dell XPS 15
3. Microsoft Surface Book 2

Read more about these laptop computers for 4K video editing in The Best Laptops for 4K Video Editing .

Part 8: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE

FREE VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARES	PAID VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARES
OpenShot Video Editor (Windows, Mac, Linux) ShotCut (Windows, Mac, Linux) Hitfilm Express (Windows, Mac) VideoPad Video Editor (Windows) Lightworks (Windows, Mac, Linux) VSDC Video Editor (Windows) Machete Video Editor Lite (Windows) Avidemux (Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD) Read more about each of these softwares in our post about The Best Free Video Editing Software for YouTube .	Filmora Video Editor (Windows, Mac) - $40 one year license, $79.99 perpetual license. Free trial Final Cut Pro (Mac) - $299.99, Free trial Vegas Movie Studio (Windows) - $49.99

YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: AUDIO

Music Libraries

Music is an important part of YouTube video creation. Here’s where you can get access to music:

ROYALTY-FREE MUSIC LIBRARIES	PAID MUSIC LIBRARIES	PAID SUBSCRIPTION MUSIC LIBRARIES
Audionautix Bensound dig.ccMixter Free Music Archive Free Stock Music Incompetech Josh Woodward Moby Gratis Musopen Purple Planet Music TeknoAXE YouTube Audio Library	Premium Beat Audio Jungle	Audio Network Audio Blocks Epidemic Sound

Sound Effects

Free Sound Effect Sites

1. Filmstock Sound Effects
2. Freesound
3. PacDV
4. Sound Bible
5. Sound Gator
6. Sounds Crate
7. Zapsplat

Sumia Rafique

Sumia Rafique is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Sumia Rafique

Also read: